Soup up your diet with these four tasty recipes (2024)

I adore soup. It is simple to make, healthy and bursting with flavour. It requires very little kitchen equipment – a blender, sieve and pan will do. You can use ready-made stock cubes as a base, but it’s miles tastier (and better for you) when you make your own from a chicken carcass or beef bones, onion, leeks, carrots and herbs covered in water and simmered for a few hours.

As a food blogger, I believe no diet should leave you hungry. The great thing about soup is that it makes a filling lunch option or a satisfying main meal. Soups can easily be made vegetarian, or gluten- or dairy-free.

I hope it’s clear from the recipes here – taken from my new book Skinny Soups – that there is a world of ideas beyond boring old leek and potato. Whether you use them as a guide to healthier eating, to aid weight loss or simply to enjoy something delicious, I have only one request: that you have fun while doing it.

SWEET POTATO, SUMAC AND POMEGRANATE WITH ROASTED PEANUTS, CORIANDER AND LIME

SERVES 4

Sometimes I find sweet potato soup a little too sweet, but not here – teamed with citrusy sumac, sour pomegranate, aromatic coriander and crunchy roasted peanuts.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1⁄2 tbsp coconut oil
• 400g sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into 2cm cubes
• 3-4 vine tomatoes (approx 300g), roughly chopped
• 850ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

GARNISH

• Small bunch of fresh coriander leaves
• 30g roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Seeds from 1⁄2 pomegranate
• A few pinches of sumac
• 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

METHOD

1 Sauté the onion, garlic, chilli and sumac in the coconut oil and add one tbsp of water. Cook until soft and translucent – about five minutes.

2 Add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil and then simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

3 Leave to cool a little before adding the pomegranate molasses.

4 Blend until silky smooth and season.

5 Garnish with the coriander, chopped peanuts, pomegranate seeds, sumac and wedges of lime.

HANGOVER SOUP

SERVES 4

This does for a hangover what chicken soup does for the common cold, taking the more nutritious elements of a fry-up breakfast and presenting them in a healthier, rehydrating soup.

INGREDIENTS

• 400g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 250g portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 750ml beef stock (or use mushroom stock for a vegetarian option)
• 400g canned haricot beans, drained and rinsed (240g drained weight)
• 1 tsp Marmite
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
• Tabasco sauce to serve

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 240C/gas mark 9. Place half of the cherry tomatoes in a small roasting dish with the Tabasco sauce, a pinch of salt and a generous grinding of pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.

2 Sauté the onion and garlic on a low heat in 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and 2 tbsp water, stirring regularly to prevent them catching and burning. Add more water if necessary. After about 10 minutes, when nicely browned and caramelised, add the mushrooms and remaining tomatoes and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

3 Add the stock and haricot beans, bring to the boil and cook for 15-20 minutes.

4 Season with the remaining Worcestershire sauce, Marmite, and pepper if needed. Serve topped with the Tabasco-roasted tomatoes, some chopped parsley and Tabasco sauce on the side for an added kick!

GREEN VEG BROTH WITH PISTOU CHICKEN SKEWERS

SERVES 2

This soup is a gorgeous contrast of crunchy, refreshing vegetables and deliciously charred chicken skewers. Get them on the barbecue if you have one going.

FOR THE PISTOU

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 50g basil, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium-ripe tomato, roughly chopped

FOR THE SKEWERS AND BROTH

• 2 small chicken breasts, roughly 250g
• 75ml buttermilk
• Wooden skewers, soaked in cold water
• 1 banana shallot, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1⁄2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 150g baby courgettes, sliced
• 75g asparagus, diced
• 75g French beans, trimmed and cut into 1cm lengths
• 75g sugar-snap peas, cut into 3

METHOD

1 First make the pistou. Pound the garlic and a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar until smooth.

2 Add the basil and grind until almost smooth. Add the olive oil, then the tomato, and pound everything to a rough paste (or use a mini hand-held blender for this). Season to taste.

3 Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of clingfilm and, using a rolling pin, bash until they are nice and thin.

4 When ready, slice each breast into four strips lengthwise.

5 Mix half of the pistou with the buttermilk, add the chicken and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, or overnight if possible. When ready, thread the chicken on to the soaked skewers and set aside.

6 In a medium saucepan, sauté the shallot, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in the oil and one tbsp of water until softened.

7 Add the tomato puree and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

8 Meanwhile, place a griddle pan over a high heat and cook the chicken skewers for three to four minutes on each side.

9 Add the vegetables to the broth and simmer for three to four minutes. Season to taste. Serve with the skewers sitting along the rim of the bowl and the remaining pistou to stir through.

BLACKENED TOMATO AND ARCHO CHILLI WITH CITRUS SOURED CREAM SOUP

SERVES 4

This recipe transforms a few humble tomatoes into a charred, smoky, sweet, rich and deeply satisfying soup with a subtle hint of warmth from dried chillies.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.7kg medium tomatoes on the vine
• 2-3 dried ancho chillies
• 30g soured cream
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

1 Preheat the grill to its highest temperature.

2 Slice each tomato in half and arrange cut side up on a baking tray. Place the tray on a shelf as close to the grill as possible and cook for 30-40 minutes until nicely blackened.

3 Meanwhile, place the dried chillies in a bowl with the tomato vines, and cover with 500ml of boiling water. Set aside. Mix the lime zest with the soured cream and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.

4 When the tomatoes are ready, carefully turn them over and grill for a further five minutes, or until the skins are crisp and charred. This may happen quickly so keep a watchful eye.

5When ready, discard the vines and transfer the tomatoes and all of their juices into a blender, along with the chillies, their soaking water and lime juice. Blend until smooth, season to taste, reheat and serve garnished with a spoonful of citrus-soured cream.

Skinny Soups by Kathryn Bruton, Published by Kyle Books, £14.99