Slow cooked root vegetable soup

Slow cooked root vegetable soup is something everyone should learn how to cook.  There are fewer things in life more comforting than a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day!

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I love to make soups and stews in the colder months; it is very satisfying to make something healthy and hearty for the family to enjoy.  I usually make soups out of anything I have left lying around before it goes bad, and to be honest you can chuck pretty much anything in a large soup.

I hate food going to waste, so using your vegetables up to make soups is a great way to save them.  You can then freeze the soup in portion sizes too if you like for easy lunches. This is a great way to get loads of your nutrients in for the day in one go. You can read more about the benefits of eating a whole food plant based diet here and why I like to eat this way here.

My favourite type of soup is one made with creamy sweet root vegetables; I prefer a creamy sweet soup.  When I say creamy what I mean is vegetables like butternut squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips turnip and carrots for example.  Healthy hearty vegetables that blend beautifully, and then you just need to add your favourite flavours. I like to use onions and garlic but I also think leeks work really well too.

I added some coriander leaf to this soup but basil or mixed herbs would work too.

Slow cooking

I got into slow cooking years ago. When I wanted to cook healthy family meals without the fuss and time constraints at dinner time.  The slow cooker was perfect for this, you just chuck everything in it in the morning and you come home to a lovely home cooked meal.  You can use it for all sorts of meals.  My favourites for the slow cooker are also chilli, bolognaise, stews, casseroles, curries, basically you can do pretty much anything in the slow cooker that you can do on a hob, without the need to keep checking on it.  There is also the added benefit that when you come in from a day out, the smell that greets you when you have been slow cooking is unbeatable.

When my girls were very young I very rarely gave them anything other than home cooked meals.  Everything I made for us I just blended for them, so soups were perfect.  I swear now that this is why they are both great eaters and not super fussy!  So if you have young children, a slow cooker really is a great investment.

When the vegetables are nice and tender after cooking all day, all that is left to do is blend it all up. I prefer to use a hand held blender for this but if you prefer you can transfer it to a big blender, I just find it is a little messier that way! Unless of course you prefer it more like a stew, then you can just serve it like it is. Simple, healthy and super yummy!

I hope you enjoy making this slow cooked root vegetable soup as much as I do.

Health and happiness

Laura x