White foods such as bread, pasta and rice get a bad rap because they are often heavily processed before they end up in our cupboards. However, there are lots of super, naturally white vegetables that are full of goodness and nutrients. From trendy cauliflowers and sweet leeks to humble potatoes and onions, I love the variety of textures and creaminess of my white soup collection. From cool Cucumber and Apple to comforting Celeriac and Walnut, I promise you won’t get bored with my white soups, which come with the added bonus of health-giving vitamins and minerals.
RECIPE LIST
Jerusalem artichoke is a very under-used vegetable, which may be due to the fact that it is difficult to peel or because it causes a strange and unpredictable reaction in the gut of some people. If you’ve never had it before, try a small taster of this soup before demolishing a full bowl! The reason this soup merits inclusion in this healthy selection is its inulin content. Not to be confused with insulin, inulin is a sweet, starchy, fibrous substance that goes through the digestive system intact, and on arrival in the colon, contributes to the growth of healthy bacteria. It’s this bacterial activity that can create gas in the system and cause discomfort. However, if you have no problem with it, the vegetable is a wonderful source of dietary fibre, potassium, iron and copper.
Serves 4
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 medium onion, chopped
400 g (14 oz) Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small leek, trimmed and chopped
1½ sage leaves, chopped
750 ml (1¼ pints) vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Caramelise the onion in the oil (see here).
Add the artichoke, carrot, leek and sage. Sweat the vegetables by cooking them on a medium heat, covered, for around 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and starting to soften.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally.
When cooked, take off the heat and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
I know it’s difficult to move on from associating cauliflower with that horrible smell of boiled, over-cooked cauliflower that wafted through the school dining hall, but trust me, this is cauliflower like you’ve never had it before. This cruciferous vegetable has recently become incredibly popular as its health benefits are starting to be widely recognised. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidants and it also contains Vitamin K, which means it is good for bones. It is truly delicious as long as you don’t let it cook for too long. The addition of mustard seed turns this milky, creamy vegetable blend into a sensationally tangy treat. Buy the cleanest wholegrain mustard you can, as a lot of the brands include unnecessary sugar. You can use the inner leaves of the cauliflower along with the florets, and you won’t need to cook or blend for too long, as this vegetable breaks down very quickly.
Serves 4–6
1 cauliflower, washed, trimmed and diced
3½ tbsp rapeseed oil
2 large onions, peeled and diced
3 strips lemon zest
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1.1 litre (1¾ pints) vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Roast the cauliflower in a hot oven (220ºC/425ºF/Gas Mark 7)for 30 minutes, until the edges just begin to turn golden.
Caramelise the onion in the oil for 5–10 minutes (see here).
Add the cauliflower and lemon zest to the onion. Cook on a medium to low heat for another 2–3 minutes.
Add the wholegrain mustard, followed by the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for around 8–10 minutes, until the cauliflower is completely soft.
Take the soup off the heat and carefully remove the lemon zest. Blend until completely smooth and season to taste.
Celeriac is unprepossessing in appearance and tough to peel, but it’s worthwhile persevering with this root vegetable, because underneath all that hard skin is a beautifully nutty, creamy vegetable that is versatile, healthy and delicious. You can use it in so many ways, from being an alternative to mashed potatoes to an alternative to spaghetti – it produces brilliant results from a spiralizer. It’s also a great ingredient for a soup, as you’ll find out, and the strong flavour is perfectly complemented by a drizzle of walnut oil. Nutritionally celeriac has it all going on: it’s low in calories and is a good source of fibre, thiamin and Vitamin C. So unearth that inner celeriac and get cooking!
Serves 6
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 leek, trimmed and chopped
1 celeriac, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed and chopped
1.5 litres (2¾ pints) vegetable stock
½ eating apple, unpeeled, cored and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Walnut oil for drizzling
Caramelise the onion in the oil (see here).
Add the leek, celeriac, potato, garlic and celery. Cook, partially covered, on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for around 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and starting to soften.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for a further 10–15 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft.
Add the apple, stir and cook for a further minute, then take off the heat and blend until the soup is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a swirl of walnut oil, and add a few walnut halves on the top for texture, if you like.
This is a light, fragrant soup that is naturally sweetened by apples. When blended really well, it has a deliciously creamy texture. If you don’t often eat parsnips, they’re worth reconsidering: they are easy to peel, readily available and have a distinctive flavour that works well with fruit. I’ve made parsnip and pear soup on many occasions, and even added in cranberries; the parsnip seems to happily accept them all, becoming sweeter or more piquant accordingly. Parsnips have great nutritional benefits too, as they yield lots of Vitamin C, fibre and folic acid, but you’ll want to enjoy this for the taste and texture. For a real treat, top with roasted parsnip crisps; simply brush some thin slices with olive oil, roast in a medium oven for around 30 minutes, turning them once, and then float them on top of the soup.
Serves 4–5
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 kg (2¼ lb) parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 leek, finely sliced
1 celery stick, chopped
1 bay leaf
1.5 litres (2¾ pints) vegetable stock
1 eating apple, cored but unpeeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Caramelise the onion in the oil (see here). Add the parsnip, leek, celery and bay leaf and let the vegetables sweat for 5–6 minutes, partially covered. Stir occasionally.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, for around 10 minutes, until the parsnips are soft. Give it an occasional stir.
Remove the bay leaf and discard. Add the apple and cook for a further 1–2 minutes.
Take off the heat and blend the soup until completely smooth. Season to taste.
This delicate soup, laced with barely wilted greenery, works perfectly to combine starchy carbohydrates with super-nutritious dark green leaves that are dropped into the soup at the last minute. Aim for 60 g (2 oz) of green leaves in total, which may be a mixture of watercress, spinach and rocket (as here), or just one or two types of leaves. Choose potatoes that aren’t waxy, as you want them to easily disintegrate into fluffiness once cooked. Having experimented with several different types over the years, my preference is to use either King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes, where possible. Toasted sesame seeds (see here) sprinkled over the top work wonderfully as a quick nutritional boost and create added texture.
Serves 4
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp mustard powder
630 ml (21 fl oz) vegetable stock
20 g (¾ oz) watercress
20 g (¾ oz) spinach
20 g (¾ oz) rocket
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Caramelise the onion in the oil (see here) for 3–4 minutes.
Add the potatoes and cook on a medium to low heat for around 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Add the nutmeg and mustard to the potatoes, followed by the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5–10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
Take off the heat and blend until completely smooth.
Drop the watercress, spinach and rocket leaves into the soup and stir in well, letting the heat of the soup wilt them. Season to taste and serve, making sure that everyone gets a good portion of leaves.
Fruit soups are popular in Scandinavian countries and I can heartily recommend them. Full of fruit and vegetables, including all their flesh, pulp and fibre, these soups ensure that you don’t just get the sugar from the fruit, like a juice, but the whole food. This is hugely beneficial, because the fibre acts to slow down the rate at which your body absorbs the fructose (fruit sugar) and so ensures you don’t have an energy spike followed by an energy crash. This fruit soup combines those English staples – apples and cucumbers – accompanied by tropical indulgent coconut, to make a smooth and creamy delight. If you have pink Himalayan rock salt in your store cupboard, this adds a subtle difference to the taste, and increases the mineral content of the soup.
Serves 8
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 large cucumbers, peeled and chopped
375 ml (13 fl oz) vegetable stock
115 g (4 oz) seedless white grapes
2 eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 fresh mint leaves
250 ml (8½ fl oz) coconut yoghurt
Pinch of rock salt
Ground black pepper
Maple syrup (optional)
Caramelise the shallot following the method for caramelising onions (see here).
Allow the shallot to cool, then add all the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
If desired, add maple syrup to taste. Cover and chill in the fridge for 3–4 hours. Serve with a pretty mint leaf on the top.
Apples and pears are most commonly used in desserts. This is, of course, because they are naturally sweet, due to the fructose they contain. However, while I love a good apple and pear crumble as much as the next person, I have discovered that these two fruits work exceptionally well with savoury flavours too. And when you add herbs and spices, like the sage, ginger and parsley used here, you can bring out notes in the apple and pear that will really surprise you. The underlying vegetable stock also tones down the sweetness of the fruit, so it becomes quite subtle. This soup is delicious chilled, but it is even better served piping hot in the cooler months, when it can help you fight colds and other germs, as the apples and pears are fibre-rich and full of vitamins. Additionally, anti-inflammatory ginger is really good at helping blocked noses and soothing sore throats.
Serves 4–5
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 cooking apple, peeled and cored
3 eating apples, peeled and cored
3 pears, peeled and cored
2 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
7.5g (¼ oz) grated fresh ginger
1.25 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Maple syrup (optional)
Heat the oil in a pan and add the apple and pear, along with the sage, bay leaf and ginger. Let the mixture sweat for 5–6 minutes, partially covered. Stir occasionally.
Add the vegetable stock, stir well and bring to the boil. Then turn down the heat and simmer gently, for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Take off the heat, add the parsley and blend the soup until completely smooth. Season to taste with black pepper and, if it tastes slightly too tart for you, add a little maple syrup.
