3 Budget Friendly Healthy Soup Recipes; a collection of cheap and delicious soups that are as nourishing as they are tasty!
Something savoury for a change?
My lovely YouTube viewers have long been requested some soup recipes after seeing hundreds of bowls in my What I Eat In A Day videos. Today I’m finally providing, both on the channel and here on the blog!
In this post you’ll find three very different and very delicious soup recipes that even beginner cooks can tackle. These are all affordable and accessible soups, that make batches big enough to feed 3-4 people. Two of them are also totally free from meat and dairy, making them vegan friendly.
There’s a simple tomato and pepper soup, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil (if you like). Then there’s a spiced lentil and vegetable soup, excellent served with homemade flatbread. Finally, a creamy potato soup that’s perfect under a handful of crispy pancetta bits.
Enough introduction, let’s get cooking.
TOMATO PEPPER SOUP RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to decorate
- 1 medium brown onion
- 1 regular red pepper or a handful of preserved pepper slices from a jar
- 400g (14 oz) tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 rounded tsp of chicken or vegetable bouillon powder
- 1 rounded tsp of caster or brown sugar
- Pinch of dried oregano
- Splash of tabasco sauce (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Place a medium-large saucepan with the 1 tbsp oil over a medium heat.
2) Peel, halve, and dice your onion into small cubes.
3) Add them to the pan and cook them gently for 5-10 minutes or until translucent and soft.
4) Meanwhile, if using a whole pepper, wash it and carefully slice it into thin strips or cubes.
5) Add the pepper pieces to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
6) Add the tomatoes, bouillon powder, sugar, oregano, tabasco (if using), and a pinch of salt and pepper.
7) Carefully fill the empty tomato tin with hot water and add the tomato-water to the pan.
8) Give the pan a good stir and allow to simmer gently for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9) Keep the soup chunky or blend until smooth, adding any more liquid or seasoning as needed.
10) Drizzle over some more olive oil and serve hot with fresh bread.
11) Enjoy!
SPICED LENTIL AND VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion
- 3 medium carrots
- 4 small potatoes
- ½ mug of red split lentils
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 rounded tsp of chicken or vegetable bouillon powder
- Fresh parsley or coriander leaves, to decorate (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Place a medium-large saucepan with the 1 tbsp oil over a medium heat.
2) Peel, halve, and dice your onion into small cubes.
3) Add them to the pan and cook them gently for 5-10 minutes or until translucent and soft.
4) Meanwhile, peel and chop your carrots and potatoes into small pieces.
5) Add the vegetable pieces to the pan and cook for another minute, stirring regularly.
6) Add the lentils, spices, bouillon powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
7) Pour in enough hot water just to cover all the vegetables.
8) Give the pan a good stir and allow to simmer gently for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9) Keep the soup chunky or blend until smooth, adding any more liquid or seasoning as needed.
10) Scatter over some fresh parsley or coriander and serve hot with naan or flatbread.
11) Enjoy!
CREAMY POTATO SOUP RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 knob of salted butter
- 1 medium brown onion
- 300g-400g (10oz – 14oz) potatoes (I used skin-on new potatoes)
- Pinch of dried rosemary, or a chopped bunch of fresh rosemary
- 1 rounded tsp of chicken or vegetable bouillon powder
- 200-300ml (1 cup) milk or single cream
- Pancetta cubes, to decorate (optional)
- Fresh parsley, to decorate (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Place a medium-large saucepan with the knob of butter over a medium heat.
2) Peel, halve, and dice your onion into small cubes.
3) Add them to the pan and cook them gently for 5-10 minutes or until translucent and soft.
4) Meanwhile, wash (and peel, if you like) your potatoes, and chop them into small chunks.
5) Add the chopped potatoes to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6) Add the rosemary, bouillon powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
7) Pour in enough hot water just to cover all the potatoes.
8) Give the pan a good stir and allow to simmer gently for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9) Meanwhile (if using), fry your pancetta cubes in a small frying pan over a high heat until golden and crisp. Set the crispy pieces aside on a small plate for serving later, adding any liquid fat remaining into the soup pan if you like!
10) Pour in the milk and blend the soup until smooth, adding any more liquid or seasoning as needed. You may need to keep it on the heat for a few more minutes once blended to get nice and hot again, but try not to bring it to a boil!
11) Spoon the soup into bowls and serve hot with the crispy pancetta cubes on top and a scattering of fresh parsley.
12) Enjoy!
I hope you guys love these soups as much as I’ve been loving them this winter, and let me know if you’d like to see more soup recipes or savoury recipes soon!
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