Winter Vegetable Soup

Submitted by English_Rose

"This soup is a family favourite. It's a great way of using left-over winter vegetables and also sneaking a few more vitamins past the kids. Adding the cabbage towards the end helps preserve its flavour and prevent the dreaded "boiled cabbage smell" permeating your kitchen! Experiment with different flavours and this will soon become a trusty warming soup for chilly winter's days. This soup freezes really well. You might want to add a bit more liquid when you defrost it, as it thickens on freezing."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 white cabbage or 1/2 green cabbage
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 -2 medium potato
• 4 1⁄4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• handful fresh herb (e.g. parsley, thyme leaves)
• 1 cup red lentils or 1 cup yellow split peas, whatever you've got in stock
• salt & pepper

directions

1. Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel and crush the garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a large soup pan and gently sauté the onion and garlic (covered) for 5 minutes.
3. Chop the potatoes and add to the pan. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, to make sure they don't burn.
4. Add to the pan with the stock and the lentils / split peas. Cook for 30 minutes, until the pulses are almost ready.
5. Wash the cabbage and chop it. Add it to the pan and stir well. Add extra water if the mixture has got too dry. Cover and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage is soft.
6. Remove from the heat and add the herbs. Liquidize until smooth. Add more water, if the soup is too thick.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.