Creamy soup 101

Serves: 4

Time to make: 40 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 potato, peeled and chopped (or use another starchy vegetable such as kumarasweet-potatoX or pumpkin)

4 cups chopped vegetables (or a mixture of vegetables)

stock or water to cover

salt and pepper

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Instructions

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1 Sauté chopped onion in oil in a large saucepan until soft but not browned. Add around 4 cups of peeled chopped vegetables and the chopped potato. The starchiness of the potato improves the overall texture of the soup.

2 Gently cook the vegetables in the saucepan with the lid on for about 5 minutes on a low heat (this is known as ‘sweating’), then add water, stock or a combination of both to just cover the vegetables.

3 Simmer with the lid off until the veges are very soft, then process using a stick blender until smooth (you can also do this in a normal blender, in batches). Add as much extra liquid as you like while doing this to get the soup to your preferred thickness. Taste and season as you like.

Variations

Add dried spices or fresh herbs.
Include bacon, lamb shanks or spicy sausage.
Finish with milk, cream, evaporated milk, coconut cream or additional stock to achieve the desired texture.
Garnish with croutons, crispy bacon bits, cheesy pastries, fresh herbs or a swirl of cream.

HFG tip

‘Creamy’ in this instance refers to the texture, rather than creamy ingredients.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 121 cal

Kilojoules 505 kJ

Protein 4.3 g

Total fat 4 g

Saturated fat 0.4 g

Carbohydrates 17.1 g

Sugar 6.9 g

Dietary fibre 5.2 g

Sodium 320 mg

Calcium 50 mg

Iron 1.3 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.