How to spruce up your soups
Team Soup
It’s officially cosy season. It’s time to pull out the big woolly socks from the back of the drawer. It’s time to snuggle up on the sofa and watch Strictly. Most importantly, it’s time to make soup.
Whether it’s a chunky minestrone, a slurpy noodle broth, a hearty lentil soup or a trusty tin of Heinz, there is something so comforting about a steaming bowl of soup. I really love soup - I would go so far as to say I am a soup fanatic. But I know that not everyone feels the same way because they’ve had one too many boring bowls in their time. They key to non-boring soup lies with the toppings as they offer extra flavour and texture. When choosing how to top your soup, think about contrast. If you’ve blitzed your soup so it’s silky smooth, you’ll want to focus on adding texture so perhaps some crispy, garlicky croutons or toasted nuts would work well. If the soup is earthy and spiced, perhaps consider a herby, citrusy drizzle to add brightness and acidity. If the soup is packed with dark leafy greens, I’d add a swirl of yoghurt, kefir or tahini for creaminess.
Here are my favourite topping ideas to spruce up your soup. If you’re not already Team Soup, I hope these might convert you!
1. Halloumi croutons: Not technically “croutons” as there’s no bread involved but these are delicious cubes of crispy fried halloumi. Simply chop, fry in a little olive oil & cook to your desired crispiness. You can also do this with firm tofu as a plant-based alternative. Or go with original bread croutons!
2. Make a fridge raid herby drizzle: Whizz up any herbs or leftover salad leaves you’ve got that need some love with olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice and a little salt in a blender.
3. Roast some veggies: Depending on what soup you’re making, you might like to roast a little of what you’re using for ultimate texture and flavour on top. I love roasting kale or any discarded cauliflower leaves for extra crunch.
4. A drizzle of yoghurt, kefir or tahini: I love adding extra swirls to my soups including yoghurt, coconut yoghurt, kefir or tahini with extra virgin olive oil on top. Extra creaminess and even more flavour.
5. Dry fry some seeds or nuts: Simply toast a mixture of your favourite seeds/nuts in a dry pan on a low heat and listen out for when they start to “pop” or turn brown. You could also add a drizzle of maple syrup and your favourite spices to the pan to give the nuts/seeds a lovely sticky coating.
6. Fry or roast your favourite beans: Drain and rinse a tin of beans, pat dry with a clean tea towel (this step is key!), toss with olive oil and spices then fry or roast until crispy (this is how I do it). A delicious way to add texture and heartiness.
A “souper” flexible veg drawer soup to top however you like
Armed with these topping ideas, here is a flexible recipe which can be tweaked to use whatever veg and spices you’ve got to hand. I like to make a big batch of the soup base then mix up the toppings throughout the week to keep things interesting!
Feeds 8, takes 30 minutes
6 tbsp olive oil, coconut oil or butter
1kg of carrots, finely chopped
4 sticks of celery, finely chopped
3 leeks, halved, washed and finely sliced
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp sweet paprika
Pinch of chilli flakes or cayenne
300g red lentils
2.5 litres veg stock
Sea salt and pepper
Top with any of the suggestions above!
Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat then fry the carrots, celery, leeks and a good pinch of salt and pepper for 10 minutes until softened. Add the spices and lentils, fry for another minute or two, stirring continuously so that the lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, stir and bring up to a strong simmer. Cook with the lid on for 15 minutes, stirring every so often, until the lentils and veg are tender. Taste for seasoning.
You can either keep this chunky or blitz part or all of the soup. Top with whatever takes your fancy.
More soup
I couldn’t limit my soup enthusiasm to just one recipe so here are few more favourites (click on the images for the recipes).
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Thank you so much. I'm a fellow soup fanatic. so this is really wonderful to read xxx