Foodie Friday: Spiced Winter Veg Soup (Vegan recipe)

Take a break from the chaos of Black Friday, and make yourself a warming and satisfying soup that's packed full of seasonal British veg - it's guaranteed to bring an element of calm and comfort to your weekend.

Unsurprisingly, soups are one of my favourite meals to make during the Winter months and I really look forward to settling down on the sofa and wrapping my cold hands around a steaming hot bowl of homemade soup. It's one of life's little pleasures :)

Making soup from scratch is a lot easier than you might think as it basically just involves chopping up a load of veg, throwing it into a big saucepan, adding some stock and allowing it to simmer for about half an hour, before blending it into a deliciously silky smooth texture. Super easy and a great way to use up some older veg that's been in your fridge for a while, so you can make yourself a hearty filling meal and cut down on your food waste at the same time. Soups are also fantastic for batch cooking and meal prepping, ensuring that you always have something healthy and tasty in your fridge or freezer when you need to whip up a quick weekday lunch or dinner.

Below is my recipe for Spiced Winter Veg Soup which has been adapted from a few different ones that I've spotted on Pinterest recently. You can use any kind of seasonal root winter veg (all types of squashes work particularly well in this one), and tailor the spices to your personal liking.

 Ingredients (makes 4 generous servings)

• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Chili Flakes
• 1 Onion, finely sliced
• 1 Butternut Squash, peeled & chopped
• 2 Carrots, peeled & chopped
• 2 Parsnips, peeled & chopped
• 1 large Potato, peeled & cut into chunks
• 750ml Vegetable Stock
• 1 tin (227g) of Chopped Tomatoes
• Pinch of Salt & Pepper 

Method:

• In a large saucepan, add the Olive Oil and finely chopped Onion, cooking over a low-medium heat for 10 minutes. 
• Add the Ground Cumin, Smoked Paprika and Chili Flakes, stirring everything together for another 30 seconds to allow the spices to infuse.
• Next, add in all the chopped veg; Butternut Squash, Carrots, Parsnips, Potato, Tomatoes and the Vegetable Stock. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Pour the mixture into a blender and blitz until you have a silky smooth texture, or you can use a hand blender if you prefer.
• Carefully transfer into bowls, season with Salt & Pepper and add an extra sprinkling of Chilli Flakes if desired. Serve with slices of toasted Sourdough or crusty bread to dunk in. Enjoy! 

Storage tip: Once cooled, store in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days, or portion up individual batches and freeze for up to a month, making sure to defrost fully before heating.

What's your favourite type of Winter soup?

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