A marvellous warm and filling soup, ready in less than 30 minutes! If you are in a rush, you can even substitute the meatballs with ready made fresh sausage, cut into chunks...but trust me, these meatballs are amazing!
A lovely creamy soup, even without any added cream. For the vegetarian version of this dish just substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock. Remember to remove the bay leaf before blending the soup.
Ingredients: Makes 4 servings
4 cups chicken stock
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
2 leeks (whites only), thoroughly washed and sliced
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
Directions: Put the chicken stock, potatoes, leeks, celery, bay leaf and thyme in a large pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Boil until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender blend the soup until smooth. Pour the soup into a medium pot; add the cream and simmer until the soup has thickened, about 20 minutes. If you decide to not use the cream, just leave the soup to cook for about 40 minutes in total, and then remove the bay leaf and blend.
This is a staple Maltese dish of which exist hundreds of versions, all with varying vegetables. This is an old recipe, but it is really rich and delicious. If you have the rind of some parmesan cheese add it to the soup, it will leave a wonderful flavour. Just remove it before you blend it.
Ingredients: Makes 4 servings
200g cauliflower
2 carrots
200g pumpkin
1 onion
2 celery sticks
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp butter
Directions: Cut all the vegetables into cubes. Start by heating the butter in a pot and frying the onions until tender. Add all the other vegetables, stir, and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in enough water to just cover the vegetables, cover, and boil until the vegetables are all tender (about 20 minutes). Blend and serve.
Adapted from "Maltese Cuisine" by Anton b. Dougall
This delicious creamy soup recipe was given to me by a dear friend back when I as at University in Malta. It is my to-go soup as it is so easy and fast to cook, and yet so good! A nice adaptation to this soup is to use spicy sausage or pancetta instead of the bacon.
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
1 tbsp butter
4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 courgettes, cubed
1 onion, sliced
100g bacon, chopped
salt
pepper
1 tsp curry
Directions: Put the butter in a pot on medium-high heat. Add the onion along with the curry and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the bacon and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, until golden. Add the potatoes and courgettes and pour enough water in the pot to just cover the vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste and leave on medium heat until the potatoes and courgettes are cooked through. Blend and serve. If you are short on time, you can add boiling water to cover the vegetables instead of tap water.
Directions: Cut the courgettes into 5mm rings, and then finely dice them. Put them into a pan with the lemon zest and oil, stir to coat, then cook on a gentle heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they've slightly softened. Stir in the turmeric and pour in the stock and lemon juice and then drop in the rice. Cook, uncovered, for 10-20 minutes, or just until the courgettes and rice are tender. Taste for seasoning. Leave to cool slightly before serving so that you eat the soup warm rather than hot.
A spicy, sweet soup served with a dollop of yoghurt and pine nuts.
Ingredients: Makes 4 servings
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
450g carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1/8 cup pine nuts
3/4 cups plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
Directions: Combine the olive oil and onion in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 10 minutes, until just starting to caramelize. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes, being careful not to burn the mixture. Stir in the carrots, potato and the chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the carrots and potato are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Keep warm. Meanwhile, in a small saute pan over high heat, lightly toast the pine nuts. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, honey, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until very smooth (or puree in a regular blender in batches). Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and serve with a dollop of the yogurt mixture and some pine nuts.
Everyone loves this super healthy soup, perfect for an easy supper.
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 potato, chopped
450g carrots, peeled and chopped
1.2l vegetable or chicken stock
handful coriander
Directions: Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, then fry for 5 mins until softened. Stir in the ground coriander and potato, then cook for 1 min. Add the carrots and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 20 mins until the carrots are tender. Tip into food processor with the coriander, then blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in two batches). Return to pan, taste, add salt if necessary, then reheat to serve.
A delicious vegetable soup. Does require some chopping up work to do, but it's well worth the work.
Ingredients: Serves 6
4 tbsp olive oil
2 cups leeks, chopped (white part only from approximately 3 medium leeks)
2 tbsp garlic, finely minced
salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds (approximately 2 medium)
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups fresh green beans, broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1.9 lt chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 small tin corn
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions: Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, corn, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Season to taste.
2.5cm / 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
5ml / 1 tsp cumin seed, crushed
450g ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
115g / 1/3 cup red split lentils
1.2 lts / 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
15ml / 1 tbsp tomato puree
salt and ground black pepper
low-fat natural yoghurt and chopped fresh parsley to garnish (optional)
Directions: Heat the sunflower oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and cook the chopped onion gently for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, ginger and cumin, followed by the tomatoes and lentils. Cook over low heat for a further 3-4 minutes. Stir in the stock and tomato puree. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Return to the clean pan and reheat gently. Serve in heated bowls. Garnish each portion with a swirl of yoghurt, if liked, and sprinkle over a little chopped parsley.
Directions: Put everything except the pasta in a large pot, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Throw in the pasta, and serve when the pasta is ready.
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (411g each) low-sodium tomatoes, undrained and cut up
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup long-grain rice
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
4 cups shredded fresh spinach
1 can (425g) reduced-sodium navy beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions: In a 4-quart Dutch oven heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the onion, carrot, and garlic in hot oil about 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in the broth, undrained tomatoes, water, uncooked rice, and Italian seasoning. Bring to the boil then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in the spinach, beans, zucchini, and pepper. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes more. If desired, sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese. Nutrition Facts: Calories (kcal): 246 Fat, total: 4g Saturated fat: 1g Carbohydrates: 43g Fiber: 9g Protein: 11g Sodium: 462mg Calcium: 121mg Iron: 6mg Original Recipe
