Thick Veggie Soup
Makes around 10 servings
Ingredients
1/4 large pumpkin, cut into chunks
2 medium to large carrots, chopped
Garlic (4 big cloves or to suit)
2 large onions
A few sticks of celery
2-3 cans of diced tomatoes
2L chicken (or veggie) stock
2-3 Tbs smoked paprika (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
* You can add other veggies of choice, i.e. leeks, spinach, silverbeet, or any other veggies looking a bit sad in the fridge.
Method
If you have the time, roast the unpeeled pumpkin and carrots, the garlic and onions until just tender. This really makes the soup more flavoursome, but it isn’t essential at all. Peel the pumpkin once it is cooked, no need to peel the carrots.
Put a little oil into a stock pot or very large saucepan and add the veggies. If you didn’t roast the veggies, then sauté the onions for a few minutes first, then add the garlic and celery and cook a few minutes longer.
Add everything else, bring to the boil, then lower to heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
Using a stick blender, purée the soup until fairly smooth. Taste and season again if required.
To add protein to each portion, add 100g of cooked shredded chicken to each bowl. Or for a vegetarian soup, add 1/3 can of kidney beans or other legumes to each serve.
The soup is nice with a swirl of plain yoghurt on top.
