5 Easy Winter Soups

 

 

Brrr – we’re in the depths of Winter, the cold is really biting, and COVID rearing its head for a second wave. Soup is one of the great Winter warmers, and an added benefit is they often contain quite a few veggies, so you get a vitamin hit at the same time. There are just so many soups available it can be hard to find simple soups to cook, so we’ve cut through the fog, to find 5 really easy and delicious soups to take you through the rest of Winter. We’ve used recipes from the Tefal Soup & Co (a fabulous device we swear by, which doubles as a blender in Summer – this post is not sponsored, we just love the simplicity of pushing a button and walking away), however if you don’t have a soup maker, you can make these soups manually in a saucepan or stockpot.

Winter Vegetable Soup

 

 

The flavours of winter or root vegetables lend themselves wonderfully to soup recipes. Rich in vitamins and colours, they bring a touch of comfort and colour during Winter frosts.

 

Ingredients – serves 4:

150g Carrots

150g Parsnips

150g Jerusalem Artichokes

150g Turnip

100g White of Leek

20g Celery

1/2 Vegetable Stock Cube

Pinch Salt

850ml Water

 

Method:

Peel the carrots, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, and turnip, then cut them into cubes.

Wash the whites of leek and cut them into rounds. Wash the celery and cut it into two.

Place the vegetable stock cube, cubes of carrot, turnip, parsnip, Jerusalem artichoke, celery, leek and 850ml of water into the Soup & Co. Add a pinch of salt.

Press the P button to select programme P1. Confirm the program by pressing OK. Note, this will cook and blend the soup. If cooking in a saucepan or stockpot, you will need to blend the soup at the end.

Leave to cook for 25 minutes (the P1 programme automatically cooks for 25 minutes then blends). When the soup is ready the appliance will beep three times. If cooking in a saucepan or stockpot, you will need to blend the soup at the end.

 

The rich flavour of this soup comes from the variety of vegetables, however if you can’t find one or two of the ingredients, you can just use extra of the vegetables you have – just adjust the recipe accordingly, making sure you stick to the same overall quantity.

 

Minestrone

 

 

Who doesn’t love a good Minestrone? This delicious thick Italian soup is made with a variety of vegetables, and often the addition of rice or pasta to add extra nutrients. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. I tend to just add the vegetables I have on hand (which is most of these) – cost effective, and minimises food waste.

 

Ingredients – serves 4:

50g Carrot

50g Turnip

50g Celery

50g Potato

50g Red Onion

50g Shallots

50g Cauliflower

50g Zucchini

50g Red Capsicum

50g Yellow Capsicum

1 White Asparagus

1 Green Asparagus

4 Cherry Tomatoes

50g Dill

10g Spring Onion

1 Teaspoon Thyme

1 Garlic Clove

1 Bay Leaf

Half bunch Basil

1 Dessert Spoon Oil

Pinch of Salt & Pepper

600ml Water

 

Method:

Peel the carrots, turnips, potatoes, onion and shallots. Dice the vegetables. Peel & degerm the garlic clove.

Put half of the vegetables, the garlic clove, basil, oil and the asparagus into the Soup & Co. Put the Steaming Basket into the top of the Soup & Co, and add the rest of the vegetables, plus the dill, thyme, and bay leaf. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and the 600ml water.

Press the P button and select P1. Press OK to start.

Wait for 25 minutes (as above, the P1 programme automatically cooks for 25 minutes then blends). When the soup is ready the appliance will beep three times. If cooking in a saucepan or stockpot, you will need to blend the soup at the end.

 

Chicken Tom Yam

 

 

This delicious sweet-and-sour Thai soup is popular throughout the world. The wonderful pungent Thai spices blend perfectly in this light, wholesome, nourishing soup.

 

Ingredients – serves 4.

 

200g Chicken Breast

150g Mushrooms

1 Shallot

1 Clove of Garlic

4cm Ginger

3 Sticks of Lemongrass

1 Lime

1 Bunch Coriander

600ml Chicken Stock

1 Small Fresh Red Chilli

3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce (or Nuoc Mam)

200ml Coconut Milk

Pinch Salt

 

Method:

Cut the chicken fillets into fine strips. Wash the mushrooms and chop finely. Peel the shallot and the clove of garlic and cut them as finely as possible.

Peel the ginger and cut into very fine rounds. Divide the lemongrass into sections and squeeze the juice from the lime. Remove the leaves from the coriander.

Place the garlic, shallot, lemongrass, chilli, lime juice, ginger, fish sauce, and stock into the Soup & Co.

Use the Soup & Co in manual mode – Set the timer for 25 minutes, and the temperature to 100°C. Confirm by pressing the OK button.

Leave to cook for 20 minutes, then add the chicken, mushrooms and coconut milk through the top of the appliance without stopping the cooking program. If cooking in a saucepan or stockpot, add these ingredients now.

When cooked, serve and sprinkle bowls with Coriander. Remove the lemongrass if it does not look appetising on the bowl.

 

Cream of Pumpkin

 

 

There is nothing that says comfort food more than a warm, creamy, buttery pumpkin soup. Food for the soul and the body, this is delicious served with crusty bread. I add a dollop of butter to this recipe, for extra creaminess.

 

Ingredients – serves 4-5:

650g Pumpkin

120g White of Leek

30g Celery

½ Vegetable Stock Cube

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

700ml Water

 

Method:

Wash, peel and deseed the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Wash the white of leek and the celery, and cut them into rounds.

Place all ingredients into the Soup & Co.

Press the P button and select P1. Press OK to start.

Wait for 25 minutes (as above, the P1 programme automatically cooks for 25 minutes then blends). When the soup is ready the appliance will beep three times. If cooking in a saucepan or stockpot, you will need to blend the soup at the end.

 

Cream of Mushroom with Bacon

 

 

It’s hard to believe this soup tastes so good with so few ingredients. The goodness of mushrooms blends well with the creaminess of leek and onion, whilst the smoked bacon gives the soup an overall richness and depth of flavour. A favourite with kids too. If you don’t have button mushrooms, use other varieties, and for extra creaminess, add up to 150ml cream at the end of cooking.

 

Ingredients – serves 4:

400g Button Mushrooms

1 Onion

1 White of Leek

100g Smoked Bacon

Salt & Pepper to taste

600ml Water

 

Method:

Peel and cube the onion. Wash the white of leek and cut it into rounds.

Peel the mushrooms and cut into quarters. Cut the smoked bacon into small cubes or very fine strips – it must be cut as finely as possible.

Place the onion, white of leek, mushrooms, bacon and 600ml of water into the Soup & Co. Add a little salt & pepper.

Press the P button and select P1. Press OK to start.

Wait for 25 minutes (as above, the P1 programme automatically cooks for 25 minutes then blends). When the soup is ready the appliance will beep three times. If cooking in a saucepan or stockpot, you will need to blend the soup at the end.

 

Handy hints – To save time, you can use store bought sliced mushrooms, and smoked diced bacon. These both work well in the recipe. If you are a vegetarian, you can omit the bacon and add extra mushrooms, onion, and white of leek, or a peeled, cubed potato and add some cream for a bit more flavour – delicious.

 

 

What is your favourite Winter soup? Are you tempted to try any of the soups above? Feel free to share in the comments below. Stay warm everyone.

 

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