If you think a green soup sounds a bit too worthy and bordering on a tad too healthy, then, think again. I know it’s a bit of a hard sell but this soup is really delicious. AND you’ll pack in your 5-a-day in one sitting!
The key to achieving a well flavoured soup is to spend time sweating the base vegetables for a long time to release their natural sugars and full flavour. It really does make a notable difference to the end result. Think of how a simple French onion soup packs so much flavour in; because those onions were slowly cooked for at least one hour until deeply caramelised and utterly delicious. And don’t hold back on whatever fat you are using – whether its olive oil, coconut oil or butter – we all know fat is flavour.
I have used a potato hear to add body to the soup but you could equally use cooked chickpeas, white beans, quinoa or some rice to do the same job. Vary the greens depending on what you have in the fridge – spinach, peas, chard or Brussels sprouts (yes, honestly) and watercress all work well. Add some cream, coconut, milk or nut milk to add a bit of creaminess, instead of just stock, if you fancy too.
The lovely couple I cook regularly for absolutely love my green soup, particularly when there’s some freshly baked sourdough to dunk in it. The key to making it a bit more exciting is getting creative with the toppings too. This basil and cashew pesto works a treat along with some toasted pumpkin seeds to add some texture. Other tasty additions are spiced roasted chickpeas, chopped herbs, yogurt or créme fraîche, toasted coconut flakes, crumbled feta, aleppo flakes, gremolata, herb croutons and one of my favourites – dukkah.
So, I hope you now agree that green soup now sounds a bit more interesting! Have a play around with the combination of ingredients used and just make sure you sweat that base of veg down until beautifully soft and flavoursome. Dig in and enjoy!
Ingredients
Soup
Coconut oil, ghee or butter
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 small onion
1 medium leek, washed well and finely sliced
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 courgette, 2cm dice
75g curly kale, leaves stripped and finely chopped
1 medium potato, peeled 2cm dice???
1.5 litres of vegetable or chicken stock (used 1.2 in original soup without potato)
150g broccoli, stalk and florets chopped
Large handful of parsley, roughly chopped
Basil & cashew pesto
75g cashew nuts
1 garlic clove
30g Parmesan
Large bunch of basil, leaves only
100ml olive oil
Instructions
- Heat 3 tbsp of oil or butter in a large saucepan. Add the celery, onion, bay and a pinch of salt. Sweat gently for 15 mins.
- Add the leek and garlic. Continue to cook for 10-15 mins until really soft.
- Add the courgette and cook for 3-4 mins to add a little colour.
- Next, add in the potato, broccoli, stock and some seasoning. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 10 mins, until the potato is almost soft.
- Meanwhile, blitz all of the pesto ingredients in a small blender.
- Add in the kale and simmer until tender, 4-5 mins. Be careful not to overcook it as you want to retain the vibrant green colour.
- Lastly add in the parsley and remove immediately from the heat. Let it sit for 1 min so the parsley softens.
- Now you’re ready to blitz in a blender. You might need to add in a bit more stock or milk to achieve the desired thickness. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve with a dollop of pesto and any other garnished you fancy.
