Healthier Budget: Creamy Vegetable Soup

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This whole recipe will cost about £3.50 at current prices. That's 35p a portion!

I was very kindly given this food processor by a friend last week, plus some of that soup mix with lentils and pearl barley in, a LOAD of the Asda Just Essentials frozen mixed veg. So of course my brain started itching, and this is the result. I was originally picturing a brothy, hearty soup, but to be quite frank, it looked like vomit. So trust the process if yours does too - it comes good in the blender!

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp cooking oil

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds, or a teaspoon of English mustard - whichever you have

• 4 cloves garlic (look for the frozen stuff in the supermarkets to save some money)

• 3 vegetable stock cubes

• A quarter teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary

• Half teaspoon chilli flakes

• 1 kg frozen mixed veg - the one I used was carrots, peas and cauliflower, but any diced veg mix will do

• 3 chunks frozen spinach (approx 150g)

• 1 cup soup mix

• Kettle full of boiling water

• 200g soft cheese

• Salt & pepper, to taste

  
  

Method:

1. In a large pan/stockpot, soften the onions in the oil over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure it doesn't brown - it should just be getting translucent.

2. Add the garlic, dried chilli flakes, thyme and mustard seeds.

3. Add all the veg and soup mix, then pour over the boiling water. There should be at least enough to cover the veg.

4. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 90 minutes, until the split peas in the mix have softened.

5. Leave to cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

6. Transfer to a food processor, or a stick blender will do the job as well. Blend until smooth, adding more water if it seems too thick.

7. Stir in the soft cheese until it's all melted.

8. Season to taste - it will probably need a decent amount of salt & black pepper.

9. Cool completely in the portion pots before freezing.