Souped-Up
It's what you pair with the soup that counts
Triple-cheese-on-toast to dunk into a silky roasted tomato & red pepper soup. Golden, salty nuggets of halloumi to perch on top of a sweet carrot & parsnip number. Plump, nutty chickpeas, simmered slowly in a coconutty broth with sticky shallots.
Yes, soup is good, but it’s what you pair with the soup that make it really good.
So..bread?
How many times have you sat down with a bowl of soup for lunch and ended up eating more bread than the soup itself..to STILL feel unsatisfied and just, well, full of bread, by the end of it? When you think about it, that’s just a vegetable sandwich..so it sort of make sense as to why we’re hungry an hour after.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE bread. But if there’s a way I can add a little more excitement, variety or oomph to a meal, I’m racing to do it.
I’m generously sharing 3 soup recipes with you today! Two of which I make every winter without fail, with a pop of inspiration from other food writers I really admire. And the third being a guest chef recipe from food writer, stylist and lovely friend Florence Blair. Whichever way you like your soup, I hope there’s a bowl of something for everyone here to warm us all up.
Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup with Triple Cheese on Toast & Basil Vinaigrette
This recipe is inspired by Canadian-based food writer Simone, and author behind one of my favourite newsletters Good Food at Home. If I could describe Simone’s work in one word it would be soothing. Just simply glide your way through this carousel and you’ll see what I mean.
What I love about Simone’s work is that she never encourages recipes to be followed by the letter, but instead provides seasonal tips along with beautiful images & styling for readers to create something delicious in their own kitchens.
And that’s exactly what happened here with this soup recipe - she shared a golden-hour image of a soup along the same lines, but it was the cheese toastie nestled alongside that grabbed my eye, with a light basil vinaigrette to cut through the richness. And I thought that would pair very nicely alongside my trusty roasted tomato & red pepper soup.
Ingredients
Feeds 4 | Takes 45 mins
For the Soup
750g cherry tomatoes on the vine
4 red bell peppers, halved and deseeded
2 red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
3 fat garlic cloves (whole, skins left on)
1 large sweet potato (optional), roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 litre veg stock
For the cheese toasts
4 thick slices sourdough
Butter, for spreading (optional)
300g mixed cheeses of choice (I used Comté, cheddar and gryuere - gouda and brie also work well), grated
For the vinaigrette
15g fresh basil, leaves roughly torn
1 tbsp apple cider or white wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C, fan 200C.
Spread the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic cloves (skin on) and sweet potato (if using) onto a roasting tray and toss well with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until soft and slightly charred, turning halfway through.
Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine.
Once the veg is cooked, remove from the oven and tip everything into a deep, large saucepan, squeezing the garlic from its skins. Add about 800ml of the stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 or so minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the toasts. You could do this step in a toaster, but since the oven is on, we may as well make the most of it! Line a baking tray and put each slice of bread on top. Lightly toast the bread for 3-5 minutes to give them a bit of crispness before adding the cheese (this will help the bread hold up under the melted cheese).
Spread a layer of butter on each slice of toasted bread and top each slice with an even layer of the three-cheese mixture. Dot over a teaspoon of the vinaigrette - this may feel odd, but it will cut through the richness of the cheese.
Place the cheese-topped toasts back in the oven on the baking sheet. Bake for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and starting to turn golden brown. Note: I have actually done this in my air fryer before and it works very well. Takes just a couple of minutes at 200C - so give it a go, if you have one!
While the toasts are doing their thing, use a hand blender to blitz the soup until you reach a smooth consistency - adding more stock to reach your desired consistency (we all have our soup preferences!). Check for seasoning.
Once the cheese has melted on the toasts remove from the oven and slice in half. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve alongside a triple-cheese-on-toast. Finish with some cracked black pepper.
Roasted Carrot, Parsnip & Sweet Potato Soup with Halloumi Croutons
Whenever I make this soup, it takes me back to the early lockdown days. Because funnily enough, this very soup made my Instagram kinda “blow up”.
I was baffled - It’s literally just soup - but turns out halloumi croutons really get people going. And it was the wonderful Melissa Hemsley who I spotted making these, and I just had to try these salty nuggets on top of one of my favourite soups - Roasted Carrot, Parsnip & Sweet Potato - for that sweet ‘n’ salty combo we all love.
Ingredients
Feeds 4 | Takes 45 mins
For the Soup
2 onions, each cut into 8 wedges
3 large carrots, roughly chopped into medium-sized chunks
2 large parsnips, roughly chopped into medium-sized chunks
1 large sweet potato, roughly chopped into medium-sized chunks
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
4 fat garlic cloves (whole with skin on)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 litre veg stock
For the Halloumi Croutons
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds (a mix of white & black, if you can)
1 tbsp nigella seeds (optional - or add an extra tbsp of sesame seeds instead)
2 x 225g packs of halloumi, sliced into crouton-sized cubes
Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, to top (optional, for a bit of crunch)
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C, fan 200C.
Spread the carrots, parsnip, sweet potato and garlic cloves onto a baking tray and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, spices, salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until softened and caramelised, turning halfway through.
Once the veg is cooked, remove from the oven and tip everything into a deep, large saucepan, squeezing the garlic from its skins. Add about 800ml of the stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 or so minutes. Then, using a hand blender, blitz the soup until you reach a smooth consistency - adding more stock to reach your desired consistency (we all have our soup preferences!). Season with plenty of cracked black pepper and salt to taste.
Now get the halloumi croutons going. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the halloumi. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning often so that each side is evenly golden. For the final minute, add the sesame/nigella seeds and mix well so that every crouton is evenly coated.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the halloumi croutons. Top with toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds too, if you like, for a bit of crunch.
Florence Blair’s Golden Chickpea & Lemon Soup with Sticky Shallots
Last but certainly not least is a soup (& friend) I very gladly discovered last year when helping to develop The Bold Beans cookbook (more of my life & beans here) Florence was the beautiful prop stylist behind the cookbook, and also very kindly contributed this soup recipe to it.
Florence is one of the most talented, warmest, loveliest food writers and stylists I know - and writes ones of the best newsletter out there.
What I love about this soup is that there is variety & texture, making each soup-slurp a little different and exciting each time. We’re talking big, fat Queen Chickpeas, crispy caramelised onions and lots of fresh herbs.
“This is the sort of warming, bolstering bowl that carries you through the coldest days of the year. Generous servings of ginger and fresh turmeric give warmth to the base, while the juicy squirts of lemon and generous handfuls of herbs provide freshness to finish.”
Feeds 4 | Takes 35 mins
Ingredients
5 banana shallots, finely sliced
5 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
7.5cm (3inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
5cm (2inch) piece of fresh turmeric, finely grated (or 1 tsp ground turmeric)
1 x 570g jar good quality chickpeas with their bean stock
400ml can full-fat coconut milk
400ml veg stock
Juice of 1 lemon
To serve
natural yogurt or coconut yogurt
1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
4 large handfuls of soft herbs (roughly 10g each) such as parsley, coriander, mint or dill, leaves picked
Method
Add the sliced shallots, olive oil and a really good pinch of salt to a heavy-based saucepan. Set over a low–medium heat and cook, stirring regularly, for 20 minutes until deeply golden and sticky. Reduce the heat if needed and stir constantly for the last 5 minutes, as they can turn quite quickly.
Once the shallots are golden and sticky, scoop out half and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric to the remaining shallots in the pan and fry for 1 minute, then add the chickpeas (including all their bean stock), along with the coconut milk and veg stock or water. Bring to a lively simmer and cook for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Stir through the lemon juice, season to taste and spoon into bowls. Serve topped with a dollop of yogurt, the reserved shallots, lemon zest and soft herbs, with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.
Enjoy! x