According to WRAP, the UK wastes an estimated 9.5 million tonnes of food per year which translates to over £19 billion pounds worth of potential ingredients just thrown in the bin. At FoodCycle we are passionate about increasing awareness around food waste, encouraging people to cook with surplus ingredients just like we do in our community kitchens every week.
Soup is a fantastic way to use up any leftover veggies and a culinary trick our talented volunteers come back to time and time again to provide our vulnerable guests with nutritious meals. Filling, delicious and ideal for the current winter weather, we’ve collated a selection of soup recipes from FoodCycle projects across the country.
Root Veg Soup Recipe from Elena Kassis at FoodCycle Monkchester Road
Ingredients:
1kg carrots
1kg parsnips
4 large onions
1tbsp cumin
1tbsp chilli powder
1tbsp curry powder
Salt to season
Method
- Peel and roughly chop the carrots, parsnips and onions
- Add vegetables to a large pan with spices and salt
- Cover with water and bring to the boil
- Simmer for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender
- Blend and adjust seasoning to taste
- Enjoy
Pea and Mint Soup from Peter Bradley at FoodCycle Finsbury Park
Ingredients:
1 large onion
1 leek
1kg frozen peas
1 ltr vegetable stock
1 small bunch of mint
½ head lettuce
Method
- Chop onions and leeks and sauté gently for 5 minutes until soft
- Add frozen peas and vegetable stock
- Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes
- Blend soup with mint and lettuce
- Enjoy!
Tuscan Bean Soup from Peter Bradley at FoodCycle Finsbury Park
Ingredients:
1 large onion
1 leek
200g kale
1 can of tomatoes
1 can of butter beans
1 small bunch of basil
Method
- Chop onions and leeks and sauté gently for 5 minutes until soft
- Add tomatoes, kale and vegetable stock
- Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes
- Add butter beans and simmer for another 5-10 minutes
- Add basil, season with salt and pepper to taste
- Enjoy!
French Onion Soup from Linda Bonner at FoodCycle Falcon Lodge
Ingredients:
3-4 onions
2 cloves garlic
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 tsp sugar
Small baguette or other crusty bread
10g cheddar cheese
Method
- Peel and slice the onions, crush and chop the garlic
- Heat oil in a saucepan and add the onions, stir then add pinch of salt and sugar along with the garlic
- Reduce the heat and leave to cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally to ensure the onions don’t burn
- Add 2 liters of boiling water and stock cubes to the onions and simmer for 30 minutes
- Slice baguette or crusty bread, add cheese and toast until golden
- Float toasted cheese on bowl of onion soup to serve
Spicy Butternut Soup from Linda Bonner at FoodCycle Falcon Lodge
Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash
2 onions
2 potatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
Oil to cook
1tbsp curry powder
Salt and pepper
Half a cup of milk or cream
Method
- Heat oven to 190c
- Chop butternut squash and discard seeds (seeds can be washed and roasted to make a healthy snack)
- Toss squash in oil and salt and pepper and place into a large roasting tin, bake in oven for 20 minutes
- Meanwhile fry onion in a saucepan on a low heat for 5-10 minutes then add chopped potato and curry powder and fry for another 5 minutes
- Add stock along with cooked butternut stock to the saucepan, season as required and bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are soft
- Add the milk and blend
- Heat again to serve
Cream of Mushroom Soup from Linda Bonner at FoodCycle Falcon Lodge
Ingredients:
1kg Mushrooms cleaned
1 onion
3 cloves garlic chopped
1tsp dried tarragon
1 vegetable stock cube
Oil or butter to cook
1tbsp curry powder
1tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
120ml cream
Method
- Chop the onions, fresh garlic and mushrooms
- Heat the oil or butter in a large pan and add chopped onions and garlic, cook for 2 minutes until soft
- Add the chopped mushrooms, stir to combine and cook for around 10 minutes until lightly browned
- Add 1 litre of boiling water, stock cube and tarragon bring to the boil then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes
- Stir in the cream and adjust salt and pepper to taste
- Serve
Minestrone Soup from Linda Bonner at FoodCycle Falcon Lodge
Ingredients:
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 onion
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 vegetable stock cubes
400g can white beans drained and rinsed
Olive oil
100g dried short pasta
¼ head cabbage finely shredded
1tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large lidded saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally until vegetables have softened
- Add the garlic and fry for another minute
- Stir in the tomato puree and cook for another 3 minutes
- Add can tomatoes and stock, cover with lid and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
- Add the beans and pasta and cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked
- Add cabbage and cook for another 2 minutes
- Season to taste if needed and serve
Sunshine Soup, an old family favourite from Robert Turner-Diamond from FoodCycle Portsmouth
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Oil for frying
2 bay leaves
Thumb-sized nub of fresh ginger chopped small
Thumb-sized nub of fresh turmeric chopped small
4 carrots peeled & diced
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1.5 ltr Vegetable stock
100g red lentils
Black pepper & salt to season
Natural yogurt
Chopped fresh coriander or parsley
Method
- Fry onions and garlic in oil for 5-8 mins on a low heat to soften
- Add carrots, bay leaves, fresh ginger or turmeric & fry for a further 3-5 mins
- Add tin of tomatoes
- Add stock and red lentils
- Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 mins until the carrots are soft
- Keep an eye on the soup to make sure it doesn’t stick to the pan. Adjust amount of stock if more is needed
- Blitz with a hand blender or mash with a potato masher before serving. Remember to take out the Bay leaves if you use a hand blender
- Season to taste
- To serve add a dollop of natural yogurt on top and sprinkle with chopped fresh herb
Variation: instead of ginger & turmeric you could use paprika and chilli
Happy National Homemade Soup Day!
