5-2 Recipes: Chunky Vegetable Soup

129 calories

This is a really simple and tasty vegetable soup. It has loads of different vegetables in it.

 If you don’t have them all, just leave one or two out and adjust the calories accordingly.

You make an enormous batch and keep/freeze in individual portions.

Serves 6  •  Preparation time: 10 minutes  •  Cook time: 1 hour

1 tsp olive oil (27 cals)

1 large onion, peeled and chopped (72 cals)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced (6 cals)

2 leeks, trimmed and cut into fine rings (52 cals)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks (58 cals)

1 small swede (rutabaga), peeled and chopped into large chunks (44 cals)

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks (124 cals)

1 × 400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes (72 cals)

1 tbsp tomato purée (paste) (30 cals)

2 bay leaves

1 handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) stalks, roughly chopped (optional)

1 chicken or vegetable stock cube (35 cals)

80g (3¼oz) frozen peas (53 cals)

1 x 400g (14oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (210 cals)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized lidded saucepan, add the onion and garlic

 and fry very gently for 5 minutes. Add the leek, carrots, swede (rutabaga) and sweet

 potato and stir well 

• Add the canned tomatoes, tomato purée (paste), bay leaves and coriander (cilantro) stalks to the pan, then crumble in the stock cube. Top up with about 1 litre (4 cups) water. Bring the mixture to the boil, cover with a lid, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently on the lowest heat for 45 minutes. Add the peas and cannellini beans and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the peas are cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.