Soups are a fantastic choice for a tasty and filling lunch on the Filling and Healthy plan. All these recipes are suitable for eating on F & H and are all free unless points are added. Where there are added points these are all very low.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWEETCORN SOUP Serves 4
2 teaspoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed 155 grams sweetcorn kernels 750 ml vegetable stock 1 tsp dried basil Salt & pepper to taste 125 ml natural yoghurt 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the garlic and onion in the oil until soft and translucent. Add the butternut squash and sweetcorn and cook for 3 more minutes. Pour the stock into the pan and bring to the boil; season with basil and black pepper.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and using a hand blender or working in batches with a liquidiser, process the soup until smooth.
Stir in the yoghurt and nutmeg.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SOUP Serves 4
Frylight 1 onion, peeled and chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed Small piece fresh ginger, finely chopped (optional) 900g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and sliced 900ml vegetable or chicken stock 60ml skimmed milk 30g chives, washed and roughly chopped Salt and black pepper to taste
Spray a large saucepan; add the onion, ginger and garlic and gently sauté.
When the onion has softened after about 5 minutes, add the Jerusalem artichokes and stock and stir well.
Bring the contents to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the artichoke is soft.
Blend the soup with a hand-held blender or in a food processor.
Add the milk season to taste and serve in four bowls and sprinkle with the chives.
THICK AND FILLING MINESTRONE SOUP
Serves 4 – 6 portions 1PP per portion
1 large carrot, diced 1 large onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed ¼ swede, peeled and diced ¼ Savoy cabbage, shredded 2 tablespoon tomato purée 750ml vegetable stock 400g can chopped tomatoes 50g soup broth mix with pasta ½ teaspoon each marjoram, basil and oregano Salt & black pepper to taste Frylight
Spray a large pan with Frylight and fry onions for 5 minutes, add garlic and prepared vegetables and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring well. Add can of tomatoes, stock and soup broth mix. Cook for 20 minutes, add tomato puree and herbs; taste and season to taste.
1. Bring stock, water, ginger, garlic, celery, soy sauce and chicken to the boil in a large saucepan. 2. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 7 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. 3. Remove the chicken from the stock; when cool enough to handle, shred to medium sized pieces. 4. Break egg into a small bowl and whisk lightly, cook on a plate in microwave for 2 minutes then cut into strips. 5. Add chopped egg and sweetcorn to soup and heat through.
VERY QUICK TURKEY SOUP This warming soup can be prepared in just 30 minutes. Serves 4
900ml chicken stock 1 large onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tin chopped tomatoes 150g turkey, cubed 175g cooked brown rice 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Salt & pepper to taste
Heat 100ml stock in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrots. Sauté until carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add remaining stock, tomatoes, turkey and rice. Simmer for 20 minutes. Season and sprinkle with parsley before serving.
MUSHROOM SOUP Serves 4
1 large onion, finely chopped 1 green pepper, finely chopped 1 medium leek, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 300g button or chestnut mushrooms, grated or chopped finely 2 tablespoon plain flour 450ml vegetable stock 450ml skimmed milk 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper Low fat spray
1. Spray a saucepan lightly with low fat spray over a low heat, and gently sweat the onion, green pepper, leek and garlic until they start to soften. 2. Increase the heat and add the mushrooms to the pan, stir until well combined. 3. Continue to fry until the mushrooms are cooked. 4. Stir in the flour, and cook for one minute. 5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the stock a little at a time, stirring well between each addition. 6. Once all the stock is added, return the pan to the heat, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes. 7. Pour in the milk and bring to a simmer. 8. Stir in the chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
LEEK & GREEN PEPPER BROTH Serves 4 1PP per portion
2 leeks, washed and sliced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 green peppers, de-seeded and chopped 40g dried broth mix 1 vegetable stock cube 850ml hot water Salt and pepper to taste Low fat spray
Heat a large saucepan, spray with low fat cooking spray and add the leek, garlic and pepper. Cook stirring for around 10 minutes.
Add the broth mix and stock cube dissolved in the water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils and barley in the broth mix are soft.
QUICK AND SIMPLE CELERY SOUP
Low fat spray 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 small onion, chopped 150g celery, chopped 200ml hot water 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
Spray a saucepan with low fat spray and cook the garlic, onion and celery over a low heat for five minutes, until softened. (Add a drop of water if it begins to stick)
Add the water and stock cubes and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Blend the soup before serving.
LEEK, BEAN AND MUSHROOM SOUP Serves 4
2 large leeks, cleaned and sliced 400ml vegetable stock 3 sticks celery, diced 1 medium potato, peeled and diced 6 spring onions (scallions), sliced Low fat spray 250g mushrooms, wiped and sliced 15g plain flour 1 x 240g can borlotti beans, drained and rinsed 100ml skimmed milk Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1. In a large heavy bottomed sauce pan heat the low fat spray 2. Add all the prepared vegetables, except for the mushrooms, and sauté in for five minutes, stirring well, add a drop of water if needed.. 3. Add the mushrooms and sauté for two more minutes. 4. Stir in the flour and cook for two more minutes. 5. Add the stock a drop at a time stirring well. 6. Add the milk, drained beans and thyme and season to taste. 7. Simmer for twenty minutes until all the vegetables are tender and the soup has thickened slightly. 8. Serve while hot
QUICK AND EASY VEGETABLE SOUP
Swap and change the vegetables in this recipe to suit what you have in the refrigerator or to suit your own likes and dislikes. Also change the herbs and seasonings to vary the flavours; this is more of an Italian themed variation.
1 onion, chopped roughly 1 large handful young spinach leaves, washed spinach 2 sticks celery, washed and roughly chopped 1 courgette roughly chopped Leaves only from two sprigs of fresh thyme 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry oregano 1 red pepper, de-seeded and roughly chopped 6 florets of broccoli 2 vegetable stock cubes 400ml hot water 1 bunch fresh parsley Several leaves fresh basil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Depending on the size of your blender or liquidizer you may need to make in two batches.
1. Crumble the stock cubes into hot water and stir until dissolved. 2. Place all the prepared vegetables into the blender, pour on stock. 3. Blitz until all the vegetables are really small. 4. Pour into a saucepan, taste and adjust the seasoning, heat until piping hot and serve!
ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP Serves 4
3 red peppers, halved and de-seeded 1 tablespoon 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 6 garlic cloves, peeled 3 large ripe tomatoes 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 600ml chicken or vegetable stock Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Handful of fresh basil leaves
1. Preheat oven to 375 F/190C/Gas Mark 5. 2. Place the halved peppers, cut side up in shallow baking dish. Place one garlic clove in each half and squeeze the lemon juice over the peppers. Roast for 1 hour. 3. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film. When cool enough to handle remove the skin and the seeds. Roughly chop the remaining flesh and finely chop the garlic cloves. 4. Meanwhile slit the skin of the tomatoes, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for a few minutes then drain. When cool enough to handle the skin should slip off the tomatoes. Roughly chop the tomatoes. 5. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick saucepan and add the onions and garlic. Cook until soft but not brown 6. Add the chopped peppers and tomatoes to the pan and cook gently for a few minutes. 7. Add the red wine vinegar and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the stock and season to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes. 8. Just before serving, chop the basil and add to the soup. Then process in a food processor or blender until smooth. Serve garnished with freshly chopped fresh basil and enjoy!
LOW FAT BROCCOLI AND QUARK SOUP Serves 4
Low fat cooking spray 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 medium potato, peeled and diced into small cubes Around 300g broccoli (either fresh or frozen), stalks removed but kept 900ml water 2 vegetable stock cubes 1 teaspoon chopped thyme 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 100g Quark Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Spray a large heavy bottomed sauce pan with low fat spray, add onions and garlic and gently fry until soft but not coloured. 2. Add the potato, broccoli stalks, stock cubes and water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. 3. Add the remaining broccoli, thyme, nutmeg and seasoning, continue simmering for about 15 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked. 4. Take off the heat, remove around ¼ of soup and puree the remaining with a hand blender or in a food processor until smooth 5. Place all the soup and the soft cheese in the saucepan and place back over the heat until the cheese has melted. 6. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve.
HEALTHY HOT & SOUR SOUP Serves 4 4 PP per potion 1 PP on F&H
Low fat spray 100g chicken breast, sliced 100g raw prawns 100g pork tenderloin, thinly sliced 1” piece root ginger, peeled and grated 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 red chilli, finely chopped 100g shredded Chinese leaf 150g oyster mushrooms 150g sliced chestnut mushrooms 1 200g can bamboo shoots, drained and finely sliced 750ml hot water 1 chicken Oxo 30ml light soy sauce 15ml rice vinegar 1 tablespoon corn flour mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water 1 spring onion, sliced 1 small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
1. Heat a large wok or pan over high heat, spray with low fat spray 2. Add the pork and chicken and stir fry for 4-5 minutes until a pale golden colour 3. Add the prawns, ginger, garlic, and chilli and stir-fry for a few seconds. 4. Add the Chinese leaf and all the mushrooms and stir fry for 1 minute. 5. Add the bamboo shoots, hot stock, wine, soy, vinegar and cornflour mixture. 6. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further minute or until prawns have turned pink. 7. Remove from the heat, pour into serving bowls and garnish with spring onion and coriander and serve immediately
MEDITERRANEAN BACON AND BEAN SOUP Serves 4 3 PP per portion Free on F & H Low fat spray 2 rashers lean back bacon, diced 1 large red onion, chopped finely 2 sticks celery, diced 1 large carrot, diced 1 courgette diced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 can chopped tomatoes 1 can 240g cannelloni beans rinsed and drained 100g French beans, cut into 1” lengths (fresh or frozen can be used) 500ml water and vegetable Oxo 40g very small soup pasta 1 teaspoon chopped basil 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 2 tablespoons tomato puree Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Spray a large saucepan and fry the bacon; add the onions, garlic, carrot, celery, courgette, basil and bay leaf and cook gently until vegetables have softened but not browned (about 5 minutes). 2. Stir in the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered, for a further 10 minutes, add cannelloni beans and cook for further 5 minutes. 3 Remove bay leaf and add tomato puree, cook for a further 5 minutes. 4. Divide the mixture in half and puree half of the soup in a blender. 5. Add the pasta, French beans and pureed soup to the remaining soup. 6. Cook until beans are tender and pasta is cooked. 7. Stir in parsley, season to taste and serve.
CHICKEN, LEEK & BARLEY BROTH
This freezes well, divide into four portions and freeze individually. Serves 4 1 PP per portion
500ml stock from boiling chicken carcass 1 chicken Oxo 1 Medium Onion, Sliced 1 large carrot, diced 1 courgette, diced 1 leek, washed and chopped 4 leaves of cabbage, shredded 30g pearl barley Salt & pepper to taste
Put stock (with pieces of chicken from carcass) into a large pan and add the vegetables, stock cube and barley. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30-35 minutes (or until barley tender). Season to taste Serve
LOW FAT CULLEN SKINK Serves four people 4PP per portion Free on F & H
150g fillet of natural smoked haddock Water to cover 1 Onion peeled and chopped 800ml skimmed milk 240g mashed potato Salt (if needed) and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Place the haddock in a large frying pan (skillet), skin side down, so that it is just covered with cold water. Bring to the boil, and allow it to simmer for around 7 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. Take the fish from the pan; carefully remove all the skin and bones. Flake the fish and put in a saucepan the water from cooking it and the chopped onion. Taste and adjust seasoning (you may find that only pepper is required because of the saltiness of the fish), simmer for thirty minutes. Strain reserving both the stock and the fish. Add the milk to the fish stock and then add enough mashed potato to make your preferred consistency. Add the fish, reheat and check again for seasoning. Serve sprinkled with the parsley.
SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP Serves 4 - 6
Frylight 1 medium butternut squash, chopped and de seeded ( you can leave the skin on the squash) 1 onion, diced 2 garlic cloves Salt and freshly ground black pepper 850ml vegetable stock, preferably home-made, or made with Oxo 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 red chilli, de seeded and finely chopped
1. Spray a large pan with Frylight, then add the onion, chilli and ginger and cook on a low heat for 1–2 minutes. 2. Add the butternut, cook for 2 minutes on a medium heat. 3. Add the garlic and season. 4. Now add the stock and simmer for 30 minutes. 5. Using a hand blender or food-processor, blend thoroughly.
BUN RIEU (Thai soup) Serves four people 3 PP per portion 1pp on F & H
Low fat spray 8 spring onions, including green tops, thinly sliced 1 ½ “piece of root ginger, grated 3 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 red chilli, de seeded and finely chopped 1 green chilli, de seeded and finely chopped 200g raw prawns 6 crab sticks, chopped 6 tomatoes, chopped 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) 700ml water
1 chicken Oxo 60g rice noodles ½ Romaine lettuce, finely shredded 150g bean sprouts 2 tablespoons tomato puree 2 tablespoon lemon juice 4 large mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly 4 Jalapenos, thinly sliced
1. Spray a saucepan with low fat spray, sauté the onions, garlic, chilies and ginger in the hot oil until soft. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. 2. Meanwhile cook noodles. 3. Add the prawns, tomatoes, fish sauce, sugar, lemon juice and salt to the pan with the onions. 4. Pour in the hot stock, bring to a boil and add chopped crab sticks and then simmer for about 30 minutes. 5. Take four large bowls and divide the cooked noodles equally between the dishes. 6. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles, and top each bowl with a mixture of the shredded lettuce, Jalapenos and the bean sprouts.
OLDCHEM'S SUPER PEA AND HAM SOUP
Makes 6 portions free on F & H or 4 PP per portion
A soup to warm the cockles of your heart !! Needs making over two days for best results
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1 onion, chopped 4 carrots, sliced 1 pack marrowfat pea 1 ham shank 1 teaspoon mixed herbs Black pepper 1 ham, chicken or vegetable stock cube.
Day One. Cover ham shank in water and leave to soak for 1 hour, drain.Cover with fresh water and cook on a low heat for 2 hours.Soak peas with the soaking tablet.
Day Two. Scrape fat off top of ham pan. Remove shank, take off the outside rind and fat and cut the meat off into bite sized chunks.Drain peas and rinse. In a large pan throw in peas, onions, carrots, meat, jelly from ham pan and herbs add water and stock cube, cook for about 1½ hours stirring occasionally and adding more water of needed. Season with black pepper. This is pure comfort food!!
RED LENTIL & VEGETABLE SOUP Serves 4 2 PP per portion Free on F & H
Low fat spray 1 red onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 courgette, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 stalks celery, chopped 50g dried split red lentils 1 vegetable stock cube 850ml hot water 1 can chopped tomatoes 1 tablespoon tomato puree 2 sprigs fresh rosemary Salt and fresh black pepper to taste
FRENCH ONION SOUP Serves 2 1 PP per portion
1 large red onion 2 cloves garlic 2 teaspoons olive oil 3 beef stock cubes Black pepper Chopped parsley 375ml water 3 teaspoons cornflour
1 WW Petite Pain 50g grated low fat cheese
Fry onions and garlic in olive oil, cook on a low heat to caramelise. Ass water and stock cubes and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix cornflour to a paste with a little water and stir into soup. Add some chopped parsley and pepper to taste. Meanwhile slice Petite Pain in half and divide grated cheese between the two halves. Grill. Serve the soup with the cheese croûton in it.