Our favourite winter soups

If you’re looking for ways to ramp up your veg intake during winter, soups are about to become your best buds. We’ve rounded up a few of our favourite veg-heavy ones that make getting your five-a-day a breeze.

  • Lemony green soup with yoghurt, sweet potato fries and dukkah

    Sweet potato fries prevent this soup from feeling overly virtuous.

    Ingredients:

    • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
    • 1 onion, grated
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • Butter 50 g
    • 2 T olive oil
    • Water 1 litre
    • 1–2 sticks vegetable stock concentrate
    • Broccoli florets 300 g
    • Baby spinach 200 g
    • Juice of ½ lemon
    • Plain yoghurt, for serving
    • Fresh mint, for serving
    • Sweet potato chips, for serving
    • To make the dukkah:
    • Sesame seeds 35 g
    • 1 t ground cumin
    • 2 t crushed coriander
    • 2 T finely chopped peanuts or cashews
    • Salt and pepper

    Method:

    1. Soften the spring onions, grated onion and minced garlic in butter and 2 T olive oil over a low heat until translucent.
    2. Add 1 litre water and 1–2 sticks vegetable stock concentrate and bring to the boil.
    3. Add broccoli florets and baby spinach and cook for 2–3 minutes. Season to taste.
    4. Remove from the heat and blend until smooth. Pour into a clean saucepan and bring to a slow simmer.
    5. Stir in the juice of ½ a lemon, adding more to taste if you like. Serve warm with a generous swirl of plain yoghurt, fresh mint and sprinkle with dukkah. Serve with the sweet potato chips.

    To make the dukkah, mix sesame seeds 35 g with 1 t ground cumin, 2 t crushed coriander, 2 T finely chopped peanuts or cashews, salt and pepper. Roast until toasted and fragrant. Serve it chunky or blend for a finer sprinkle.

  • Beetroot soup with avocado toast

    Even those who aren’t the biggest fans of beetroot will fall for this soup. The addition of precooked, marinated beetroot cuts the cooking time in half, while adding to the overall punchy flavour of the soup. The avo toast is, of course, optional, but the dollop of yoghurt before serving isn’t – it adds a wonderful richness.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 T olive oil
    • 1 large red onion, chopped
    • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1 red chilli, seeded
    • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and finely diced
    • 2 tubs  Woolworths Cooked Beetroot in Vinaigrette 240 g
    • 1 carton Woolworths Organic Beef or Vegetable Stock 500 ml
    • 1 T Woolworths Miso Paste
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • Woolworths Buckwheat &Cranberry Sprinkle 40 g, for serving
    • Plain yoghurt, for serving
    • Avocado on toast, for serving
    • For the black sesame tahini:
    • Black sesame seeds 70 g
    • ⅓ cup vegetable oil

    Method:

    1. Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in the olive oil in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato, beetroot and stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the sweet potato is tender, about 30 minutes.
    2. Stir in the miso paste and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
    3. To make the black sesame tahini, lightly toast the sesame seeds in a pan. Blend the toasted sesame seeds and oil until smooth. Add more oil if the mixture is too thick.
    4. Serve the soup with a drizzle of black tahini, yoghurt and the buckwheat and cranberry sprinkle, with the avocado toast on the side.

  • Spicy squash soup with carrot-top pesto

    If you think this is another butternut soup recipe, think again. The aromatics result in a perfectly spiced flavour that works beautifully with the sweetness of the squash. If the pesto sounds like too much, chopping up the herbs and scattering them over the soup before serving will do this justice.

    Ingredients:

    • Butternut or pumpkin 800 g
    • 2 cinnamon sticks
    • 2 T Woolworths Garam Masala
    • 1 T yellow mustard seeds
    • 1 T chilli flakes
    • Woolworths Fresh Curry Leaves 10 g
    • 3 T olive oil
    • 1 large onion, chopped
    • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1 x 5cm piece   fresh ginger, grated
    • 2 T fresh turmeric, grated
    • 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
    • 1 carton Woolworths Organic Chicken or Vegetable Stock 500 ml
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • Woolworths Plain Cultured Coconut, for serving (optional)
    • 1 t Woolworths Garam Masala Spice
    • For the carrot-top pesto, blend:
    • Carrot tops 30 g (or Italian parsley)
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • ½ lime, juiced 

    Method:

    1. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Halve the butternut or pumpkin, remove the seeds and set aside.
    2. Place the squash on a baking tray and top with the cinnamon, garam masala, mustard seeds, chilli flakes and curry leaves.
    3. Drizzle with 2 T olive oil and roast until soft and tender, about 40 minutes.
    4. Meanwhile, cook the onion, garlic, ginger and turmeric in a large saucepan until fragrant. Add the carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until the carrots are almost soft.
    5. Once the butternut is soft, scoop out the flesh and add it to the saucepan. Stir until smooth. Cook until the carrots are soft. Serve the soup with the seed sprinkle, pesto and cultured coconut.
    6. To make the seed sprinkle, toss the squash seeds in the remaining olive oil and the garam masala spice. Roast until golden and crunchy.

    Cook’s tip: Roasting the squash in the skin adds caramelised flavour, while the flesh thickens the soup and gives it body without you having to blend it. The coconut yoghurt makes this recipe dairy free.

    On the hunt for a quick fix?

    SHOP READY-MADE SOUPS