Soup - how to make a decent cheap one?!

[MrsPear]

Something i have never feed my two, age 2 and 5, is soup. Worry about salt levels in shop stuff and i am crap at soup making. So has anyone got hints and tips re soup making? Any recipes that anyone can recommend?

Thanks

Make your own stock - water, 2 carrots, large onion, 3 sticks celery, half a dozen peppercorns, couple of bayleaves, handful fresh parsley. Boil like mad then squidge through a seive.

Lentil soup is aces.

Veg soup is easy. Chop and soften an onion in a big pan. Chop whatever veg you want to add (butternut squash is my favourite). Add it to the pan. Add about a litre of stock, I usually start with less and add more if it's too thin. Bring to the boil then dinner until the veg is soft, about 20-30 mins usually. Blitz it with stick blender and done! You can add a dash of cream at the end if you wish.

Soup making doesn't require any skill at all. One that DD likes is when I throw some carrots, leeks, lentils, potatoes and butternut squash into a pan of vegetable stock. I bring it to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. I use my stick blender to part blend the mixture - just enough to thicken it, but not enough to make it completely smooth.

Leek and potato soup:
Gently fry one (or more) leek in a little butter or olive oil for about 10 minutes. You could add some garlic too if you like.
For every leek used, add one medium potato, peeled and diced.

Add some stock to cover and simmer for 20 minutes until all veg is soft.
Blend with a stick blender until smooth, then add more stock to get the desired consistency, and add seasoning.

So easy, but really tasty :)

Broth mix, leek, carrot, potato, garlic, pepper, ham stock.

Soak broth mix overnight, rinse and drain.
Dice carrot and potato.
Chop leek.
Crush 1 clove garlic.
Make up ham stock (I do use Knorr admittedly as am crap at homemade).

Add everything to a large pan, add in water, bring to the boil then simmer for 90 minutes.

one butternut squash, one carrot, one onion, one pint vegetable stock.
simmer till veg is soft.
blend.
season to taste.
serve.

Gorgeous!

Easiest soup in the world, takes 20 minutes -

Chop up an onion and potato into small pieces
Boil in large pot of water
Add a bag of frozen peas, 5 tablespoons of tarragon, a ham stock cube and a vege stock cube. Simmer.
Meanwhile, grill some spoken bacon, then chop into small pieces and add to the soup.
Blend.
Voila, v easy and tasty pea and ham soup

Lentil and ham soup -
Put a 500g bag of red lentils and a ham end (about £1.25 from butcher) in a pot. Bring to boil then simmer for an hour.
Remove ham and add 5 grated carrotts, 1 chopped leek, 1 chopped onion and 1/2 turnip (grated), 3 ham stock cubes and 1 vege one (dissolved in some more water).
Simmer and season to taste.
Blend.
Yum!! :)

wow lots of ideas

i think i am going to try butternut squash one first as boys love that

This Parsnip and Ginger is my favourite - it works fine with ground ginger instead of fresh.

Home made tomato is my cheapest and easiest

tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/tomato-soup.html

Potato and bacon
tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/bacon-and-potato-soup.html

mushroom
tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/mushroom-soup.html

and curried parsnip
tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/curried-parsnip-soup.html

are pretty good value too

My cheatiest way to make soup is to buy a bag of frozen chopped casserole veg, plonk it in a pan, cover with boiling water, add a cup of lentils and two veg stock cubes and simmer for twenty minutes. Then just blend it with a stick blender to your desired consistency

This week I used a bag of frozen chopped leeks, added some peeled diced potatoes, covered in boiling water, added two veg stock cubes and simmered for twenty mins then blended.

Both delicious and cheap

Butternut squash soup is divine!! I roast it in chunks first as really brings out the flavour. If your dc will go for it add some curry powder to the roasting squash.

Use low salt stock cubes to lower salt content.

Once roasted I just stick the squash in the blender with the stock. You can add onions and carrots to the roasting process if you want as well.

Think I'm going to make a squash soup tomorrow now.

Unless you really like parsnips I would avoid. They have such a strong flavour. IMO they are a bit Marmite.

I love Marmite and loathe parsnips.

Aldi is your friend - root veg - carrots, parsnip, butternut squash, sweet potato, swede, leek, an onion etc... really any of the above, with some veg/chicken stock bring to the boil then let simmer until the veg are all soft. If you have one, blend with a stick blender or food processor. You can add some white beans to thicken it up, bit of salt and pepper.... never fails x

But leave out the parsnip

Ive just made roasted red pepper & tomato, with garlic and chilli.
That's all that's in it, barring an onion and a stick of celery. Roast the tomatoes & peppers in the oven with peeled garlic cloves, while you fry an onion in the soup pot. Bung in the roasted veg from the oven, add some chilli flakes (if you wish) and cover with hot veg stock. Get a stick blender and blitz, add some cream if you want.

Also, sweet potato and carrot, chopped and added to a softened onion with some ground coriander & cumin. Cover with veg stock, and blitz. Serve with some fresh cream & chopped fresh coriander.

My only bit of advice - as I make a lot of soup from anything I have is:-
To gently sweat/fry the veg first - a mix of vegetable oil and butter for flavour for about 10 minutes , then add the stock bring to the boil , then simmer

TyneTeas your blog is fab!

Thanks PetiteRaleuse! : )

Another easy one is tomato & kidney bean soup

Fry onion & garlic
Add veg stock
Add tin chopped tomatoes & tin kidney beans

Simmer then bring to boil

Can add chilli/ basil if liked

Do you guys use stock cubes and if so, do you use vegetable ones?

I tend to make soup with my own stock - I never let a chicken or meat bone go to waste :) But- I do use stock cubes sometimes. You have to be careful with salt though- they seem to have a lot in . I use veg cubes mostly, but sometimes add a chicken one in something like leek and potato. I have enough time to cook my meat bones- not everybody does :)

Cream of onion soup.

1 onion, chopped.
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
Tablespoon of pinhead oatmeal.
Pint of veg or chicken stock.
Half pint of milk.

Sweat the onion (and garlic) in a covered pan over low heat, in a little oil and a bit of butter till onion is translucent. Add oatmeal, stirring quickly. Add stock a little at a time, stirring frequently. (The oatmeal will clump otherwise.) Once you've added all the stock, bring to boil and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Blend with a stick blender/in a food processor, return to pan, add milk and gently reheat.

Very yummy and quite filling.

Thanks very much Good. Going to make leek and potato tomorrow.