As a student, I’m all about those one pot meals that will feed me for a week. With that in mind, these recipes are designed to fill you and a guest up, while leaving you with at least one extra portion for lunch the next day! You’ll notice the measurements for ingredients are fairly vague, and I’m not trying to be annoying, they just don’t really matter. Use what you have, chuck in more of what you like, develop your own intuition. This goes for stock, too. As a general rule, make 750ml, or as much as it takes to cover your cooked ingredients. It depends on how chunky you like your soup! Eat, share, enjoy!
CHUNKY VEGGIE SOUP 30 minutes | Chicken/Vegetable stock | Adaptable This soup is a great way to use up the leftover veg in your fridge. Mix & match in what you like, then cuddle up for a very nourished night in!
METHOD Chop the carrots and potatoes into 1cm cubes, then add to a saucepan, along with 700ml of stock, on a medium heat. Chop the onion, celery and (washed) leeks into similar sized chunks. Fry them with a little oil and crushed garlic until they soften. Once the vegetables are ready, add them to the saucepan along with the spinach. Leave to simmer for an additional 10 mins before serving. Blending is optional!
If blending, leave up to 1/4 of the vegetables whole so the soup stays nice and chunky!
LEEK & POTATO SOUP 30 minutes | Chicken/Vegetable stock | Vegan adaptable If I was to sniff amortentia, this soup is what I would smell. Buttery leeks, onion and bacon are a match made in heaven!
METHOD Peel, rinse and chop the potatoes into 1cm chunks. Cover with stock and leave to simmer. Fry the bacon in a little butter or olive oil until pink. Dice the onion and after thoroughly washing, slice the leeks into 1cm chunks. Add these to the bacon, along with the crushed garlic, and cover with a lid. Once the potatoes are soft, add in the bacon and veg mixture and blend. Simmer for a further few minutes & season to taste!
Smoked bacon is the best bacon. Try leaving 1/4 unblended for a chunky soup! Add a little parsley to impress someone.
MEATY & SPICY CHILLI STYLE SOUP 45 minutes | Chicken/Vegetable/Beef stock I would also recommend adding potato & carrot for extra chunkiness! Pair with cheesy toast and you will have a very good time.
METHOD Chop the chorizo, bacon and onion into small chunks, and fry them together with a little oil. Add the crushed garlic and chopped chili pepper half way through cooking. Drain and rinse the kidney beans before adding them to the stock, along with the chopped tomatoes. Add the contents of the pan to the stock and leave to simmer for 30 minutes. When ready to serve, stir in the chiopped corriander and add season to taste.
Add chopped tomato for an even heartier soup, and more servings! Simply don’t add stock and you have chilli con carne - which goes with every carb. Potato. Rice. Pasta. Breads. YES. Be careful with that chili! For real.
ONION SOUP 1 hour | Beef/Vegetable stock | Vegan adaptable French onion soup is an intense, indulgent savoury sensation and pretty damn addictive. All you need is a lot of onions and an ID.
METHOD Slice the onions into rainbows, then in half down the middle. Heat up some butter on a low-medium heat [best for caramelising!] and stir in the onions. Cover for 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 a spoonful of sugar, black pepper and the crushed garlic. Leave, stirring, on a low heat until caramelised. Once browned, stir in the wine and cook it off for a few minutes, then pour in the stock and simmer until serving. Optional but recommended: cheese on toast for dipping.
Browning of the onions comes from slow caramelisation, not burning! This takes a while, but dear heavens above it is worth it. You can use red or white wine for this soup. Red tends to go better with beef stock.
CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP 30 minutes | Chicken/Vegetable stock | Vegan adaptable Creamy mushroom soup made vegan - the potato adds a smooth & filling texture. Yay for potatoes!
METHOD Peel, rinse and chop the potatoes into 1cm chunks. Cover with stock and leave to simmer. Dice the onion and chop up the mushrooms into small chunks, then fry them off together in a little oil. Add the garlic halfway through cooking. Add the contents of the pan to the stock. Continue simmering until the potatoes are very soft. Blend until smooth and season to taste.
Add a little parsley to impress someone.
ROAST TOMATO SOUP 1 1/2 hour | Beef/Vegetable stock | Vegan adaptable Make. Your. Own. It is very eay and oh so good. Roasting brings out a lovely, smokey flavour to this classic.
METHOD Pre heat your oven to 200°C . Half the tomatoes and place them cut side up in a foil lined roasting dish with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until soft [50 min] Dice the onion and celery, frying them off in olive oil for 10-15 minutes, adding the crushed garlic half way through. When the tomatoes are ready, add them to the pan along with the stock and chopped basil. Blend the mixture then add a little double cream until satisfied. Leave to simmer & taste test before serving.
Roasting tomatoes on the vine enhances their flavour! Mix up the varieties if possible. Add a can of plum tomatoes for extra servings. For an extra tang, add suga, balsamic vinegar or chilli powder/oil!
Two more soups to go!
Written & illustrated by the foodie, Polly Vadasz