Root veg soup recipe
A new-to-cooking acquaintance else-web asked for this recipe, so since i was writing it up anyway....
Note that this is set up to accommodate my particular dietary needs, but as with all soup recipes it's quite flexible. Go with what you've got on hand, what's on sale, or otherwise adapt for your needs. This is something i always make in the slow cooker--5qt round for 5 servings--but it would also work fine on the stove.
For the root veg, my usual combo is:
- white or yellow potato (~5oz/serving)
- parsnip (~2oz/serving)
- carrot (~2oz/serving)
Turnip and rutabaga also work well in this mix, if you like those. Sweet potato would probably be good, though i've not tried it.
Do peel the parsnip! Peeling the potato and carrot is optional. Rough-dice all three if you're planning to blend the soup. Use a smaller dice (whatever will fit on your usual spoons) if you're going to leave it stew-like.
For the protein i normally use chicken thighs (1-1.5lbs for five servings). When i'm using tofu, i add it to the soup after blending--works especially well if you're up for frying the tofu, but store the fried tofu separately if you go this route.
Method:
- turn the slow cooker to high and place the chicken thighs in the crock
- add salt (enough for the whole soup, not like you're only salting the meat)
- add spices. my usual is rosemary and dry mustard. bouquet garni is really nice, too. or you can go for something like a curry blend, ginger-mustard, or whatever else floats your boat
- add diced veg with toughest (parsnip for my trio) on top of the chicken
- add water or stock, ~1 cup per serving
- cover and set a timer for one hour (or, if you're short on time, leave it at high for 4-5 hours and skip next step)
- after an hour, turn slow cooker to low and set timer for at least 6 hours
When the soup is finished cooking, carefully remove crock from the slow cooker for the next steps:
- remove chicken to a plate
- if desired, use a stick blender to bring soup to preferred consistency
- shred or dice the chicken
At this point, because i'm packing this for lunches, i put 2oz chicken in each container and then ladle in the soup. But if you're going to serve it from the crock, just add the chicken back in and give it a good stir.
I usually top my lunch-soup with small quantities of something higher in fodmaps, since the soup itself is very safe for me. This might be frozen spinach, kale, peas, or okra, or for post-reheating additions, plain yogurt, sauerkraut, and/or canned or pickled beets. These add variety during the week, and help ensure good nutrition.
The base soup comes to about 300 calories and 20g of protein, and is a good source of fiber, iron, B12, potassium, and folate.