
Winter vegetable soup is a thick and hearty vegetarian soup which couldn't be any easier to make. Simply place all the ingredients in a pan and leave to cook. And to make things even easier, the recipe can be varied to make use of whatever vegetables you have to hand and in whatever quantity you wish. Similar to carrot and cardamon soup and minestrone soup, winter vegetable soup can be made in bulk or prepared ahead of time for convenience.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion and/or 1 large leek
- Mixed vegetables such as carrots, celery, sweet potato, parsnips, butternut squash, swede, etc, sufficient to half fill a large saucepan
- 150g red lentils
- 100g pearl barley
- Vegetable stock
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment needed to make winter vegetable soup
- Large pan with lid
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Hand blender
- Long handled spoon
- Teaspoon
How to make winter vegetable soup
Peel and chop the vegetables and place in a large pan.

Add the lentils and pearl barley. Cover with the vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper and stir.
Cover and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until the lentils and pearl barley are cooked by which time the vegetables will have softened. The soup will thicken as the lentils and pearl barley cook so add more water if needed. The amount of vegetable stock can be varied depending on how thick you would like the soup to be.
Partially blend with a hand blender, leaving some solids to add texture to the soup. If you don't have a hand blender then you will simply have a chunkier version of soup. Add the paprika and stir. Simmer again for about 5 to 10 minutes until ready to serve.
Makes approximately 5 servings.
The soup can be prepared in bulk and stored in the fridge for up to a week. When reheating it may be necessary to add a little more water as it has a tendency to thicken whilst in the fridge.

Tips
- The prepared soup can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
- This soup can be made using a wide variety of different vegetables depending on preference and availability.
- The quantities in this soup recipe are a guide only and can be adjusted to suit your own preferences.
- I prefer to partially blend the soup but leave some solid vegetables to add texture, but it could be blended to make a smooth soup if preferred. Similarly, if you prefer a more chunky soup then it could be left unblended.
- This recipe can easily be adjusted to make a whatever quantity of soup you require.

You may also like to try carrot and cardamon soup, another tasty and filling homemade soup which is also easy to make.

Or you may wish to try vegetarian minestrone soup, a tasty tomato based soup packed with vegetables and pasta.

Winter vegetable soup
Equipment
- Large saucepan with lid
- Hand blender
Ingredients
- 1 onion (or leek)
- 6 carrots
- 3 sticks celery
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 parsnip
- 150 g red lentils
- 100 g pearl barley
- 600 ml vegetable stock (approx)
- 3 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Instructions
- Peel and chop the vegetables and place in a large pan.
- Add the lentils, pearl barley and sufficient vegetable stock to cover. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until the lentils and pearl barley are cooked by which time the vegetables will also be cooked. Add extra vegetable stock if needed.
- Partially blend with a hand blender leaving a few solids to add texture to the soup.
- Add the paprika and any additional seasoning and stir. Simmer again for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Leave a Reply