Easy Nourishing Soups for Busy Weeks
Three forgiving soups with quantities, timings and swaps — the kind you make once and eat for three days.
Soup is the most forgiving thing you can cook. Quantities are flexible, most vegetables work, and a slightly odd combination usually comes out fine once it has been blended.
Everyday tomato and lentil — 30 minutes, serves 4. Soften a chopped onion and two carrots in oil for 8 minutes. Add a clove of garlic, 100g red lentils, a tin of chopped tomatoes and 700ml stock. Simmer 20 minutes until the lentils collapse. Blend or leave chunky. Keeps 3 days in the fridge, 3 months frozen.
Green pea and mint — 15 minutes, serves 4. Soften a chopped leek, add 500g frozen peas and 600ml stock, simmer 6 minutes, add a handful of mint and blend. Loosen with a splash of milk or cream if you like.
Roasted squash and carrot — 45 minutes, serves 4. Roast 700g cubed squash and 2 carrots with oil at 200C for 30 minutes, then blend with 700ml stock and a pinch of chilli. Deeply cosy, freezes well.
Substitutions and storage
- Swap red lentils for a drained tin of beans if that is what you have.
- Use any stock you prefer, including low-salt or vegan versions.
- Allergens: check your stock and any dairy you add; all three work dairy-free.
- Cool within two hours, refrigerate up to three days, or freeze in portions.
- Bread, yoghurt or a handful of seeds on top makes a soup feel like a meal.
This article describes visual observations and tracking habits only. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose conditions or recommend treatments.
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