Vegetable Soup with Croutons

DIFFICULTY
Easy Easy
COOK TIME
Under 30 min. Under 30 min.
SERVES
2-4 2-4
Vegetable Soup with Croutons
Main INGREDIENTS
  • Vegetables
Ingredients
Method

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion
  • 2 leeks
  • 2 large carrots, peeled
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 250g potatoes , peeled
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 (400g) tin chopped organic tomatoes
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp vegetable stock, dissolved in 500ml hot water
  • 2 tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 5 baby marrows, sliced
  • A swirl of cream or crème fraiche
For the croutons:
  • 5 slices of Ciabatta, cut into small cubes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • Method

  • 1
    Dice all the vegetables into equal sized chunks.
  • 2
    Heat the oil and the butter in your Le Creuset Casserole dish or saucepan.
  • 3
    Saute onion until soft and translucent. Add the leeks, garlic and cook for another minute or two followed by the carrots, celery and potato.
  • 4
    Stir to coat and fry gently until the vegetables begin to soften.
  • 5
    Add the tomatoes, sugar and prepared vegetable stock and stir in the cannellini beans.
  • 6
    Cover, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables become soft and tender. Add the sliced baby marrows and cook for 5 minutes or until just soft.
  • 7
    In a blender, blitz the vegetables until smooth and season to taste.
  • 8
    Add a swirl of cream or a dollop of crème fraiche and serve with crunchy croutons, a sprinkle of thyme leaves and grated cheese on the side.
  • 9
    To make the croutons, place the bread cubes into a hot pan and drizzle with olive oil.
  • 10
    Toss the cubes to coat them evenly in the oil and sauté until they become golden brown and crispy.
  • 11
    Make the croutons just before serving to prevent them from gong soggy.