The Cheapest Soup

I don't know if in your part of the world you have a soup called "Nail Soup" as we do in Iceland...you probably do though....most households must have the kind of soup which is so cheap it almost costs nothing and to which you might add every vegetable left over in your fridge or freezer and it still tastes ok.

I usually make this soup when I need to clear out the fridge and then I make some nice bread to accompany it as the soup itself isn't very filling (at least not for long). If you have a nice soup base you can almost add an unlimited range of vegetables, beans and more such as peppers, mange touts, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes, dried or fresh mushrooms,cabbage, chick peas and more. If there is one recipe young people should be taught when they move away from home, it should be this one...it might save some bucks on fast food!


The cheapest and simplest soup around there is! Perfect for the fridge clear out

This recipe is:

  • Egg free
  • Gluten free
  • Lactose (dairy) free
  • Nut free
  • Vegan

The Cheapest Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped finely
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 6 mushrooms (button mushrooms or any other)
  • 1 carrot, sliced finely
  • 1 celery stalk, sliced finely
  • 2 yeast free vegetable stock cubes
  • ½ teaspoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt (Himalaya or sea salt)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper (black)
  • 600 millilitres (20 fluid oz) water
  • 2 servings pre-cooked pasta, rice or noodles (optional)

Preparation

  1. Peel and chop the onion and the garlic finely.
  2. Wash and slice the carrot, the 6 mushrooms and the celery stalk finely.
  3. Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in the saucepan.
  4. Fry onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until soft. Add a couple of tablespoons water if needed.
  5. Add sliced mushrooms, carrot and celery to the saucepan. Heat for 10 minutes or until the carrot slices are tender.
  6. Add ½ teaspoon curry powder, 2 vegetable stock cubes and 600 millilitres water.
  7. Turn up the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
  8. Add ¼ teaspoon pepper (black) and ½ teaspoon salt or according to taste.
  9. Add pasta, rice or noodles if preferred.

Tips

  • You can use any vegetables to your liking. For example, use peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli and more. You can also add sweetcorn.
  • Serve with nice bread.
  • The soup is even better the next day once the flavours have really settled. Pour the soup into containers and re-heat the next day.
  • If the coconut oil is cold (in which case it becomes solid), place the jar in a bowl filled with hot water for a couple of minutes.       
  • You can use regular stock cubes instead of yeast free ones.
  • You can use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock.   
  • The soup can be frozen and reheated later.
  • If you have any leftover thai curry paste (red or green) it is fantastic to add some to the soup. Just add a little as the taste can be very strong. If you add curry paste, add 1 teaspoon agave nectar to the soup as well to balance out the hot taste.