30 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
Hearty and nutritious, this speedy soup is super-easy to tweak according to the veg you’ve got knocking about. Chuck in some creamy, protein-rich beans and cheesy toasts for dunking and you’ve got a seriously tasty crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
olive oil
300g frozen chopped mixed onion, carrot and celery
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
300g spring greens, or other spring veg, such as Swiss chard, cabbage, spinach
1 x 400g tin white beans, such as cannellini, butter, haricot
1 organic veg stock cube
4 slices of stale bread (200g)
60g Cheddar cheese
1 pinch of dried chilli flakes
Top Tip
Any leftover soup can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large deep pan over a medium heat. Add the frozen mixed veg, a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, two sprigs of fresh thyme, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes until softened.
- Drain the beans, reserving the juice, then add half of the beans along with the juice to the pan. Crumble in the stock cube and top up with 800ml boiling water. Stir well, cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Slice and add the spring greens and cook for 2 more minutes, or until tender (if cooking different greens, simply adjusting the cooking time accordingly). Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth, then season to perfection.
- Place the bread on a baking tray and coarsely grate over the cheese. Sprinkle over the remaining beans and the chilli flakes and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
- Divide the soup between warm bowls, top with the crispy beans and cheesy toasts, sprinkle with a few fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil and serve.
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