Autumn soup recipes
Take advantage of some of the Autumn in season vegetables and make these hearty and healthy soups for dinner or lunch. Cauliflower, carrots, celery, cabbage, chilli, potato, kale, spinach and silverbeet are all in season throughout Autumn.
Remember you can always add a bit extra to the below recipes, so add a parsnip or two to the curried cauliflower soup, or add some diced zucchini to the minestrone or even try sweet potatoes in the Sri Lankan Lentil Soup instead of potatoes. As parsnips, sweet potatoes and zucchini are also in season!
Enjoy!
Curried Cauliflower Soup
1 large head of cauliflower, broken into small florets, stems chopped
Up to 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
2 to 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
½ teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup unoaked white wine (like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio) – optional
1 ½ cups vegetable broth or stock
1 can light coconut milk
½ teaspoon sugar
1 to 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped green onions or chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Thinly sliced chillli’s – optional.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Toss the cauliflower with enough coconut oil to lightly coat it (up to 3 tablespoons). Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast until the tips of the cauliflower are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil until shimmering. Add the onion and a dash of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is turning translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the curry paste and lemon zest and stir to incorporate. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the wine, and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the wine has evaporated.
Add all of the roasted cauliflower stems and half of the florets to the pot. Add the vegetable broth/stock, coconut milk and sugar. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering for 5 to 10 minutes to meld the flavours, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pot from the heat.
Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then carefully use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. (Or transfer the soup in small batches to a blender, blending until each batch is smooth. Don’t ever fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and beware of the steam escaping from the lid.)
Stir in 1 teaspoon vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup needs more acidity, stir in 1 to 2 additional teaspoons of vinegar, to taste. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Top each with ¼ of the cauliflower florets, a sprinkle of basil and chives and chilli’s (if using).
Minestrone Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
3 rashers of bacon, remove rind and chop
2 x 400g cans of diced tomatoes or a 700g jar of tomato passata
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth or stock
½ teaspoon mixed dried herbs
¼ of a small cabbage, thinly sliced
200g pasta of choice
310g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese for serving.
Place oil in a large saucepan on a medium to high heat and sauté garlic and onion for several minutes. Then add the bacon, diced carrots and celery and cook for another 5 minutes, mixing regularly.
Add the canned tomatoes or passata sauce, tomato paste, stock and herbs and mix all ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
Add the cabbage, pasta and beans to the soup and cook for another 8-10 minutes until pasta is cooked.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated or shaved parmesan.
Sri Lankan Lentil Soup
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chopped fresh red chilli (optional)
2-3 cm thumb of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 medium carrot, chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 medium potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup red lentils
2 litres of vegetable broth or stock
3 curry leaves
2 sticks lemongrass, halved lengthwise (optional)
2-3 large handfuls of kale, de-stemmed and chopped roughly, or spinach/silverbeet
Sauté the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger and spices in a large saucepan over medium heat for around 3 minutes, using splashes of water to avoid sticking.
Add the carrot and potatoes and combine.
Wash the lentils until the water runs clear. Add them to the pan along with the vegetable stock.
Add the curry leaves and lemongrass, and simmer gently with the lid on for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Put the kale or spinach in about five minutes before the end.
Remove the lemongrass and curry leaves, and blend with a hand-held stick blender until you reach the desired consistency.
Serve as is or with crusty wholemeal bread.
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Sources:
https://www.nib.com.au/the-checkup/fruits-vegetables-in-season-autumn
https://www.doctorsfornutrition.org/recipes/sri-lankan-lentil-soup
https://cookieandkate.com/curried-cauliflower-soup/
image only – https://fitfoodiefinds.com/vegetable-minestrone-soup/
