Your best soup recipes

[Abeona]

I've just been asked to provide a veggie soup for 12 people for a community event on Friday. I've been told no tomatoes and no lentils.

Will you tell me your favourite soup recipes, please? Given the group I'll be feeding, I think the soup needs to be fairly mainstream — nothing too exotic that'll frighten the horses...

Leek and potato is one of my faves.

Or Minestrone without any tomatoes in.

I doubt l it’s no good for the OP given the timeline, but I love this book

https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/soup-for-every-day/9781447220558

Green minestrone is really good and fulfils the no lentils no tomatoes brief.

This kind of thing:

Leek, potato and broccoli is a nice twist on usual leek and potato. Could have it with a cheese scone if you need a 'side'.
Cream of mushroom is delicious- to me- but I know mushroom can be divisive!
"Cream of vegetable" just a load of veg chopped up with potato to thicken and stock.

Following for more soup recipes, I think modern soups are too exotic for me too..

I'm on (unblended) leak and potato at work this week.

Most of mine have tomato in, but I've had carrot and apple, butternut squash (too weird?), and a general "chuck everything in the bottom of the fridge" soups.

I'm not keen, but broccoli and Stilton - assuming you can get veggie Stilton.
Cauliflower soup?

And, thank you Bonjour, my soup for work next week is absolutely green minestrone. It sounds fabulous!

Did someone call?
Curried parsnip
Leek potato and rosemary
Creamed spinach

I could go on, I consider myself something of an aficionado

Butternut squash. There's a bbc good good recipe - chilli optional. Easier to chop the squash if you microwave it for a Cople of minutes (cool a bit before handling!)

Thanks everyone. I've suggested your ideas to a couple of people who'll be coming. Cream of mushroom: yum from one, 'not mushrooms!' from the other. Curried parsnip elicited a 'how much chili?' from both. Leek and potato seems to have started a debate about whether it needs to be creamy and smooth or is best chunky and without milk/ cream. The green pesto (which I think sounds great) has been vetoed: there's a firm feeling that this will be a step too far for several attending. But thank you for the recipe, we'll be having that at home later in the week. The butternut squash as one person giving a thumbs up and the other commenting 'too sweet.'

I'm wondering whether to dig out my old recipe for carrot and coriander soup. Or, more likely, I'll end up making two or three different soups — and there will still be people who don't like any of them.

What’s wrong with tomatoes?And definitely no chilli in soup is not want that and I love soup.

We are vegetarian I make Leek and potato soup and I make it with a drop of cream left chunky. But you do need decent potatoes.

Also vegetable soup/stew so whatever root veg I have in, some onion and leek, red lentils, 2 stock cubes that’s it. Can add cream to make it fancy but tastes lovely without too. We have it most weeks.

My favourite soup recipe is lettuce, pea and mint. Always use round lettuce and you need enough peas to get a creamy texture but it is gorgeous, the lettuce adds a peppery flavour. People will react badly to the suggestion of lettuce but it's gorgeous.

This is the absolute best broccoli and cheddar soup in the world. It's rich, filling, and sooo delicious. This makes about 6 large portions.

Roast 1 bulb of garlic for 40 minutes.
Wash, peel and dice 2-3 carrots into tiny cubes.
Dice a shallot and a white onion.
Wash and chop 4-5 broccoli heads into small pieces. Toss with oil, salt, pepper, and a little bit of nutmeg.
Roast broccoli in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Add oil and 2 tbsp butter to large pot and add onion, carrots, and shallot. Cook for a few minutes then squeeze in your roasted garlic.
Add 3 tbsp flour and stir immediately to avoid burning the flour.
Add 2 cups chicken stock and mix well to dissolve flour and to thicken the liquid.
When thickened, add 2 more cups of chicken stock.
Add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup double cream.
Add broccoli.
Add seasoning: garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ground thyme. Salt and pepper to taste.
If soup is too thick, add more chicken stock or milk.
Add 225g of mild cheddar and 225g sharp cheddar. And a bit of Parmesan if you have it.
Serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese, parsley, and a sprinkle of paprika.

I'd probably stick with carrot or coriander like you said or a simple vegetable soup like this.

They are all so fussy that maybe they should just have sandwiches.

The person who's doing the sandwiches is also being driven slowly round the bend by the fussy eaters... Brown bread, white bread, Flora or butter, ham and cheese or ham and mustard, cheese and pickle or plain cheese. Tuna mayo with our without sweetcorn. Even worse than the soup.

@Tbry24 No tomato because one person has quite a bad tomato allergy. No lentils — well, not everyone finds lentils easy to digest. I do a nice winter veg and lentil soup but obviously that's out.

I have had lettuce and pea soup before, @JaninaDuszejko, and it's lovely but I think of it as a light summery soup and maybe not the best for this time of year.

The broccoli and cheese sounds a substantial sort of soup with all that flour and cheese, and I'll give it a go myself at home, but sadly I suspect the idea of green soup won't suit many of them. I did wonder about beetroot soup, but the only one I really like is a nice tangy borscht with caraway and again, that will please a few and alienate most.

After some more discussion with the organiser I think I'll be making either a broth-type soup with pearl barley and mixed winter veg or a creamy veg chowder. I may also make some butternut squash soup too. Or leek and potato — although I'm terrified of starting a fight over whether it should be smooth and creamy or chunky. Thanks for your opinions.

I make soup every week. Usually I will put 4.5 litres of water in and 6 veg stock cubes. Then I bung in an onion, a leek, a garlic clove and the leftover veg from the previous day's dinner. Add a bit of salt and 2 teaspoons of curry powder.

Sweet potato and mascarpone-

Onion and garlic fried in butter
Add a stock cube
Fresh ginger
Frozen sweet potato chunks

Boil and blend
Add mascarpone and blend again

Salt and pepper to taste

Have I misread that or do you really make 9 pints of soup (enough to provide 18 servings) from an onion, a leek, a single clove of garlic and a bit of leftover cooked veg? Don't you end up with a huge saucepan of salty vaguely curry-flavoured water with a few bits of veg floating in it? I have to say that we love our veg so the only leftovers we produce are likely to be half a potato and a tablespoonful of greens or half a carrot or similar.

This is my fave one, got it off here ages ago and make it every other week or so. Just leave the lentils out.

This is my favourite beetroot soup: I add quite a lot of vinegar or lemon juice but it's all about personal taste. It gives a sort of sweet (from the beets) and sour effect and I prefer this one to earthier beet soups.

https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/scandi-beetroot-soup

The dill is fab in this. I leave out the sauerkraut unless I happen to have some on the go. A spot of yoghurt is good on it. Serve with rye bread and lactic butter.

This is my favourite crowd pleasing soup.

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/root-vegetables/leek-onion-and-potato-soup?amp

No one has ever argued that it should be chunky (it's a lovely, velvety smooth soup!) but if they did I'd probably say in hushed tones 'But it's Delia!' to end any such nonsense ;)

Oh no, I always have loads of leftover veg because I cook extra to make soup the next day. If on the odd occasion we don't have enough leftovers I will put extras in like peppers, corguettes, tin of tomatoes, lentils etc. But mostly I have about a big mixing bowl full of leftover veg I can just bung in quickly.

Bloody hell, OP, you and the sandwich maker have the patience of saints. Who are these people with such vocal opinions? Let them execute their will when it is their turn to cook. Blended v chunky etc are decisions for the cook. You sound very kind and I suspect thar if you had eaters who couldn’t chew you would have mentioned it.

Do your eaters have documented health issues, besides the tomato allergy? I think you are being nice to take digestive issues around lentils into account.

Both of your soup ideas are lovely.

It's a group of seniors: I volunteer at the local community centre occasionally and so I have a reasonably good idea of what's likely to go down well and what's not. That doesn't mean there aren't some adventurous eaters, but the majority like something they can identify.

Then I think you should trust your instincts!

Veg scotch broth with pearl barley is a nice winter warmer with toast. Leave out the split peas if that's too lentily. Prep the veg, put them to the side, and make your own veg stock with all the leftover peelings and tops and ends, even the onion skins.
https://scottishscran.com/vegetarian-scotch-broth-recipe/