Description
Winter’s hearty jamie oliver chunky vegetable soup delivers robust nutrition from seasonal produce. Home cooks appreciate this simple, warming British classic that combines root vegetables with comforting broth for nourishing meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 carrots
- 2 large leeks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 75 g (2.6 oz) baby spinach or kale
- 100 g (3.5 oz) frozen peas
- 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 1 x 400 g (14 oz) tin of borlotti or cannellini beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 L (4.2 cups) organic vegetable or chicken stock
Instructions
- Vegetable Preparation: Meticulously trim celery, carrots, and leeks into uniform pieces, then finely mince garlic and rosemary for optimal flavor distribution.
- Bacon Treatment: Slice bacon into small, even pieces to ensure consistent cooking and flavor infusion throughout the soup.
- Aromatic Base: Warm olive oil in a large pan, introducing rosemary and bacon to create a rich, golden foundation. Sauté until the bacon becomes crisp and fragrant.
- Vegetable Softening: Fold in prepared celery, carrots, leeks, and garlic into the bacon mixture. Reduce heat and allow vegetables to gently sweat and become tender, developing deep, complementary flavors.
- Liquid Integration: Pour beans with their liquid and stock into the pan. Escalate heat to trigger a robust boil, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer, allowing ingredients to meld and intensify for approximately 30 minutes.
- Liquid Management: Monitor soup consistency, supplementing with additional stock or water if the mixture appears too condensed during the cooking process.
- Final Flourish: Introduce spinach or kale and frozen peas into the simmering soup. Cook briefly until greens transform into a vibrant, tender state, adding freshness and nutritional depth.
- Seasoning Refinement: Conduct a final taste assessment, adjusting salt and black pepper to elevate and balance the soup’s complex flavor profile.
Notes
- Precision in Chopping: Keep vegetable cuts uniform for even cooking and professional presentation.
- Bacon Browning Technique: Sauté bacon and rosemary until golden to release maximum flavor and create a rich base.
- Liquid Management: Watch soup consistency carefully, adding extra stock if mixture becomes too thick during simmering.
- Final Flavor Tuning: Taste and season at the end to ensure perfect balance of salt and pepper, enhancing overall soup depth.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg