Hearty MAD Soup Recipe

Winter is coming, (oh don’t start that again!), and here at MAD we have a plethora of lentils and beans that go well in soups. But to save you the hassle of buying them all individually, we thought we’d throw together a soup mix and a recipe for cooking it.

There’s nothing quite like a hearty steaming bowl of vegetable soup to warm you up on a cold winter night, and this easy soup ticks the boxes for a winter warmer. We’ve used zucchini and spinach at the end of the cook to add some texture and flavour, but really, you could use any veggies you have in the fridge; just consider cooking times and adjust accordingly.

Prep time: 1hr (including soaking your beans (step 1) – do this first, then you can do all your chopping while they soak.

Cook time: 50 mins.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients

From MAD Wholefoods;

1/2 bag of MAD Soup Mix (200g)

1 bay leaf

Your choice of herbs/spices – a teaspoon of rosemary goes well, or if you’re looking for a more Indian flavour, try some ground nutmeg (1/2 tsp) and cumin (1/2 tsp).

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

From the Summer Hill Fruit & Veg shop;

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced then halved

A celery stick, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 medium potatoes, diced (1cm)

2 zucchini, thickly sliced

120g spinach or silverbeet leaves, roughly chopped

From Two Fat Butchers;

140g (approx) of bacon (abt 2 rashers) or speck, diced

1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock

Method

1. In your MAD soup pack, you’ll find another bag containing your borlotti beans. Remove, and rinse half of the lentil mix (150g). Leave to drain and measure half of the beans (50g) into a small saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Then cover, remove from heat, and allow to sit for an hour.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the onion, bacon/speck, carrots, celery and garlic. Fry gently, stirring, until the onion is tender.
3. Drain the soaked borlotti beans and add them and the remainder of the soup mix (150g) to the pot, along with the diced potatoes, bay leaf and your choice of herbs/spices. Add the stock, and another cup or so of water. Season well and stir through, bringing to the boil. Simmer gently, covered, for 45-50 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and spinach/silverbeets and cook for a further 5 minutes until tender.
5. Serve with your choice of garnish (I like it with grated parmesan) and a slice of freshly toasted sourdough.