Vegetable-drawer soup with feta and toasted seeds
A ratio rather than a fixed list: a kilo of whatever vegetables are left on Friday, one onion and stock, blended smooth.
This vegetable-drawer soup is how the week's vegetables get finished on a Friday, from the half bag of carrots to the soft courgette and the last potato. Blended with an onion and stock, almost any mix makes a smooth, filling bowl.
The recipe works as a ratio, so use what you have. Feta and toasted seeds on top make it feel like a proper dinner, and it is still good without them.
Ingredients for the vegetable-drawer soup
- 1 kg mixed vegetables, roughly chopped (carrots, squash, sweet potato, courgette, celery, parsnip, plus one potato for body)
- 1 tbsp oil or butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin or a pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- 1.2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
- Salt and pepper
- 100 g feta, crumbled, to serve
- 2 tbsp pumpkin or sunflower seeds, toasted in a dry pan, to serve
Method
- Warm the oil in a large pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the vegetables, stir to coat them in the oil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour in enough stock to just cover the vegetables, adding water if needed. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until everything is soft enough to crush with a spoon.
- Blend until smooth, adding hot water until it reaches the thickness you like. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and top with the feta and toasted seeds.
Budget swaps
- No feta? The end of any hard cheese, grated, or a spoon of yoghurt does the same job.
- Stock cubes or powder are fine. Compare the cost per litre of made-up stock rather than the price per pack.
- Squash seeds from the vegetable itself can be rinsed, dried and toasted instead of buying a bag.
- A handful of red lentils added at step 3 gives more body and makes the soup more filling. Brown lentils left from the lentil and spinach curry work too.
Storage and leftovers
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge and freezes for up to 3 months without the toppings. Freeze it in single portions for lunches, and add the feta and seeds when you serve it. Cooked barley from the roast carrots and lemony barley can be stirred into a reheated bowl to make it more filling.
