Chunky root vegetable soup is a healthy, hearty and filling soup, packed with 5 different veggies. It makes a delicious, nutritious lunch, or you can transform this thick vegetable soup with rice into an easy weekday dinner by adding a can of beans or lentils.
This delicious chunky root vegetable soup recipe is very nutritious. If you struggle to get your 5-a-day, add a generous bowlful of this vegetable soup to your diet.
Some of the goodness of vegetables naturally leaches out when they are cooked, but with soup, you'll be eating the cooking liquid including the water soluble vitamins.
Chunky root vegetable soup is warming and comforting, and you can switch in different vegetables depending on what you've got available. It's also budget-friendly and you'll only need one pot.
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Ingredients
This chunky root vegetable soup recipe contains the goodness of five different vegetables.
Swede, also known as rutabagas in some countries, is a member of the Brassica family. It's related to good-for-you veggies such as broccoli.
Swede is rich in vitamin C, full of fibre, and a good source of a wide range of other vitamins and minerals. If you end up with left over swede, try mashed carrot and swede, roasted swede or swede chips with parmesan.
Leeks are very nutritious. They are a member of the onion family, and can help to feed the good bacteria in your gut. Leftover leeks are delicious sautéed with peas.
Carrots, peas and sweetcorn will also add lots more fibre, vitamins and minerals, as well as flavour and texture.
I use frozen peas and sweetcorn for convenience, but you could also use canned sweetcorn.
A good stock is an important base for a soup. Homemade stock is ideal and is packed with goodness, and additive free.
I like to use chicken stock in this recipe as it adds a great flavour and extra nutrition. If you have a slow cooker, it is easy to make bone broth which is full of vitamins and minerals. (There is more about how to make bone broth easily in this slow cooked poached chicken post.)
But for a vegan veggie soup, vegetable stock will also taste great. If you use a stock cube, take care with any additional seasoning as they can be quite salty.
In this chunky root vegetable soup recipe I have thickened the stock slightly with some cornflour. It's not essential, but I think it makes it slightly nicer. (Note: in the US cornflour is known as cornstarch. It's gluten free.)
A teaspoon of Marmite adds a lovely savoury, salty tang to this vegetable soup recipe. You could also use nutritional yeast, soy sauce, or the leftover rind of Parmesan to add a umami savoury flavour.
There is also a small amount of brown rice in the soup which makes it more substantial and filling. It adds a lovely nutty flavour and texture. Brown rice is rich in B vitamins and fibre.
You might also like this vegetable soup with barley recipe. It's similar but has pearled barley as an alternative to brown rice.
Variations
Of course you may have other veggies in your fridge that you want to use. If you don't have swede, you could substitute potatoes. Broccoli would also be a great addition - fresh or frozen. And if you like you could replace the leeks with onion.
Thyme would also be lovely in place of the dried mixed herbs.
You can also add a can of tomatoes or some tomato puree if you'd like a rich tomato-y flavour to your chunky vegetable soup.
Use pasta instead of rice in the recipe if you prefer. It won't take quite so long to cook as the brown rice, so add it at the same time as the carrots and leeks.
I've left the soup unblended, but you could blitz it slightly, just leaving a few chunks of vegetables.
How to make chunky root vegetable soup
It's really easy to make this thick veggie soup, but it is important to add the veggies in the right order, so they don't become overcooked. Swede will take the longest to cook, which is why it is added first in this recipe. You can continue to cut up the other veggies whilst it is cooking.
Where possible, leave the peel on your veggies. Many nutrients are stored just under the skin, and end up being discarded with the skin. Just give them a quick scrub.
Bring the stock up to the boil and add the herbs and Marmite. You probably won't need additional salt, but you can taste and adjust the seasoning at the end.
Cut the swede into 1 cm chunks. Add to the stock along with the brown rice and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and prep the carrots and leeks. Cut into pieces about 1 cm in size so that everything cooks through evenly. Once the swede has been cooking for 10 minutes, add the carrots and leeks.
After another 10 minutes, add the peas and the sweetcorn. If you want to use cornflour, mix it with cold water before adding to the hot soup otherwise it will go lumpy. The cornflour will slightly thicken the stock as it heats up.
Serving
If you like, add a drizzle of olive oil to serve. Otherwise, this chunky veg soup really doesn't really need any accompaniments as it is filling.
If you want to add some extra protein, add a can of drained white or black beans, or a can of lentils.
You could also add canned chickpeas, or try crispy roasted chickpeas for some extra crunch.
The soup will store well in the fridge for up to a week. Chunky root vegetable soup also freezes well.
Frequently asked questions
Although it seems quite a small point, the order in which you add vegetables to your soup can make a big difference. It means that the ingredients will be cooked through properly, without being overly crunchy or mushy. Add the vegetables that take longer to cook first, leaving the softer and leafy veg until nearer the end.
Yes, absolutely. This chunky root vegetable soup is packed with the goodness of 5 different veggies. It's also extremely low in fat, and high in fibre. If you are having it as the main part of your meal, you might want to consider adding some extra protein such as beans which will help you to feel fuller for longer.
A generous bowl of this filling soup has 134 calories, and it's very nutrient dense meaning that each calorie counts nutritionally. So if you enjoy this soup as part of a healthy calorie-controlled diet, it can have a role in weight loss.
Other healthy soups
You can also use swede in this spiced carrot and swede soup or parsnip and swede soup. Or browse these other healthy soup recipes.
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Recipe
Chunky Root Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 50 g brown rice
- 150 g swede
- 150 g carrots
- 100 g leeks
- 75 g frozen peas
- 75 g frozen sweetcorn
- 600 ml stock vegetable or chicken
- 1 teaspoon Marmite
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- 2 teaspoon cornflour
Instructions
- Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan, and add the herbs and Marmite.600 ml stock, 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs, 1 teaspoon Marmite
- In the meantime, cut the swede into 1cm pieces. Add the brown rice and swede to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.150 g swede, 50 g brown rice
- Wash and cut the carrots and leeks into 1cm pieces, add to the pan and simmer for a further 10 minutes.150 g carrots, 100 g leeks
- Mix the cornflour with a couple of tablespoons of cold water, and add to the pan.2 teaspoon cornflour
- Add the peas and sweetcorn, and simmer for a further 5 mins.75 g frozen peas, 75 g frozen sweetcorn
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.black pepper, to taste
Notes
- You can add other veggies to this chunky vegetable soup depending on what you have available. Add firmer vegetables such as swede and potatoes first, and softer leafy veg at the end.
- If you don't have (or like) Marmite you could also use soy sauce or nutritional yeast.
- You can use pasta rather than brown rice if you prefer. It will take less time to cook so add it at the same time as the carrots.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
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