We are heading towards the heart of winter and to me coming home to a hearty soup is one of winters many joys. This soup is wonderful to prep ahead of time, and I love using my trusty Wonderbag to let it simmer low and slow for the whole day so that we can enjoy it after work.
Our local supermarket sells the vegetables pre-packed in a “soup” mix and we use dried soup mix, consisting of barley, lentils and peas. Making this recipe budget friendly and very easy to prep. You can optionally add meat, or leave this recipe vegan, as the pulses give a good source of protein. This recipe makes a large pot of soup that freezes well and is one of my favourites for meal prepping.
Ingredients
1 cup dried soup mix* (Barley, brown and pink lentils, yellow and green split peas)
1 onion – diced
2 leeks – cut into 2cm pieces
2 stalks celery (including leaves) – cut into 2cm pieces
2 medium carrots – cut into 2cm pieces
1 large handful parsley – roughly chopped
2 turnips – cubed
4 baby marrow – cut into chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Optional:
400g grass fed beef shin – cut into cubes
500g grass fed beef shin bones
Method
Cover the dried soup mix with water and leave to stand for 20 min
Optional, brown the meat and the bones in 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy based pot, remove from the pot and set aside.
Sauté the onion, leeks, celery and carrots in the olive oil until the onion begins to turn translucent.
Add the turnips, baby marrow and parsley and sauté for another minute.
Rinse and drain the dried soup mix and add to the pot. (if using meat, return the meat to the pot)
Cover with water, season to taste and bring to a boil.
Cover with a lid and place in the Wonderbag. (alternatively, you can transfer the soup to a slow cooker)
Allow to slow cook for a minimum of 3 hours, this soup can be left in the Wonderbag (or slow cooker) for the whole day. *I like to prep mine in the morning and let it merrily stand for the whole day.
Adjust seasoning if necessary and enjoy.