Blended Soups: Quick, Easy, And Delicious

Cooking soup in a blender is a quick and easy way to make a delicious meal or side dish. All you need is a handful of ingredients, such as vegetables, broth, and seasoning, and you're ready to go. Blender soups are versatile, allowing you to experiment with different textures and ingredients to create a variety of soups, from silky smooth to chunky. You can even make chilled soups or heat up your creation using the blender's friction or by adding hot water. So, whether you're looking for a warm bowl of comfort or a refreshing summer treat, blender soups are a convenient and tasty option.

Choose your vegetables: seasonal veggies like winter squash, broccoli, or asparagus work well

Choosing seasonal vegetables as the star ingredient in your blender soup is a great way to make the most of the flavours and nutrients of the produce. Winter squash, broccoli, and asparagus are all excellent choices for a hearty and tasty blended soup.

Winter squash, including acorn, butternut, delicata, and spaghetti squash, are in season during the colder months. They have a sweet flavour and a tough outer skin, which makes them perfect for blending into a silky soup. Broccoli is another great option, as it is available year-round and is at its peak from October to April. It is packed with nutrients, including iron and vitamins A and C, making it a healthy and delicious choice for soup. Asparagus is also a seasonal ingredient that blends well and adds a unique flavour to your soup.

When selecting your winter squash, look for heavy, firm, well-shaped squashes with hard, tough skin. Avoid any with pale green undertones, as this may indicate that the squash was picked too early. For broccoli, choose heads with hard, firm stems, tight florets, and no yellowing. The cut end of the stem should look fresh, not dry. When selecting asparagus, look for bright, green spears with closed, compact tips. Avoid any that are limp or have dry ends.

To prepare your chosen vegetable for soup, simply chop or cube it into small pieces. You can roast or sauté the vegetable first to add extra flavour, or cook it directly in a broth with some aromatics like onion, garlic, or leek. Once your vegetables are tender, let them cool slightly, then transfer them to a blender. Add some broth or water, and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and add any desired herbs or spices. For an extra creamy soup, you can even add some coconut milk or nut milk.

So, whether you choose winter squash, broccoli, or asparagus as your star ingredient, you're sure to end up with a delicious, seasonal blender soup!

Add aromatics: sauté onion, garlic, or leek

Aromatics are a key component of soup-making, adding depth of flavour and aroma to your dish. When making soup in a blender, you'll want to sauté your aromatics—in this case, onion, garlic, or leek—before adding them to the blender with your other ingredients.

To start, grab a pan that's ideal for sautéing. This is typically a shallow, wide pan, often referred to as a sauté pan. The wide base and straight sides of this type of pan allow for even heat distribution and ensure that ingredients have enough space to lie in a single layer.

Before adding any oil to your pan, heat it up. A hot pan ensures that the oil heats up quickly and evenly. Once your pan is hot, add a small amount of oil, just enough to coat the base of the pan. You can use a variety of oils for sautéing, but it's best to opt for one with a high smoke point, such as grapeseed, canola, or peanut oil. This will ensure that the oil doesn't break down and produce smoke during the cooking process.

Now it's time to add your aromatics. Place your onions, garlic, or leek into the pan in a single layer, ensuring that they don't overlap or stack. Overcrowding the pan can lead to uneven cooking and steaming instead of sautéing. Stir or toss the aromatics regularly to ensure even cooking and prevent burning.

Sautéing involves cooking the aromatics swiftly in a minimal amount of fat over medium to high heat. This technique results in a delicate balance of searing and preserving the ingredients' inherent freshness, yielding a deliciously browned exterior while retaining moisture and freshness inside. The high heat used in sautéing also encourages the Maillard reaction, a chemical process that enhances the flavour and colour of food by facilitating the browning of food and the production of complex flavours and aromas.

Cook your aromatics until they develop a golden-brown colour, which is indicative of the Maillard reaction. You can also taste them to check for doneness, especially if you're not sure how long they've been cooking. Once they're done to your liking, remove them from the heat and get ready to add them to your blender with the rest of your soup ingredients.

By following these steps and sautéing your aromatics, you'll add a depth of flavour and aroma to your blended soup.

Include broth or water: for a silky texture

When making soup in a blender, broth or water is a key ingredient to achieving a silky texture. The liquid helps to blend the ingredients into a smooth, puréed soup.

Start by choosing your broth. Chicken or vegetable broth are both great options and can be purchased pre-made or made from scratch. If you want to keep your soup vegetarian or vegan, opt for vegetable broth or simply use water.

Next, select your vegetables. Choose one seasonal ingredient to be the star of your soup, such as winter squash, broccoli, asparagus, or tomatoes. You can also add an onion for flavour. Chop your vegetables into small pieces, or use a very strong blender that can handle whole vegetables.

Now it's time to cook your vegetables. You can roast or sauté them, or simply boil them in your chosen broth. If you're short on time, you can even use vegetables that are nearing the end of their shelf life. Just be sure to cook them until they are tender.

Once your vegetables are cooked, it's time to blend. Place them in your blender along with the broth or water. If you want a thicker soup, use less liquid, and if you prefer a thinner consistency, add more. Blend on a high setting for about 90 seconds to a few minutes, depending on your blender and the desired texture.

If you have a very powerful blender, the friction from the blades may be enough to heat your soup. Otherwise, you can add hot water to warm it up, or transfer it to a pot on the stove or a microwave-safe bowl to heat it further.

And that's it! You now have a delicious, silky-smooth soup made in your blender. Feel free to add spices, herbs, or toppings to customise your soup further. Enjoy!

Season to taste: add herbs, spices, salt, and pepper

Herbs, spices, salt, and pepper are essential components of any soup, and they can be added at various stages of the cooking process to enhance the flavour. Here are some tips and suggestions for seasoning your blended soup to perfection:

When it comes to herbs, fresh is always best. If you're using dried herbs, crush them between your fingers before adding them to release their aromatic oils. You can also rub dried herbs like oregano or basil between your palms over the soup pot to release their fragrance. For blended soups, soft herbs like basil, parsley, or coriander work well and can be added towards the end of cooking to retain their colour and flavour. Hardier herbs like rosemary or thyme can be added earlier in the cooking process to allow their flavours to infuse the soup.

Spices can be bloomed in hot oil or butter before adding the rest of your ingredients to intensify their flavours and release their aromatic compounds. This technique is especially useful for spices like cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, or paprika. You can also use whole spices like cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, or cloves to infuse your soup broth, but remember to remove them before blending. Ground spices can be added at any stage of the cooking process, but it's best to add them earlier rather than later to allow their flavours to develop.

Salt is essential for bringing out the flavours of your soup. It's best to add salt gradually throughout the cooking process, tasting as you go, rather than all at once at the end. This will allow you to build flavour without over-salting. If you're using a salty ingredient like parmesan cheese or anchovies, bear in mind the overall saltiness of your dish and adjust your seasoning accordingly.

Freshly ground black pepper adds a warm, spicy kick to your soup. Like salt, it's best to add pepper gradually and taste as you go. You can also experiment with different coloured peppers for variety. White pepper has a sharper, more pungent flavour, while red peppercorns are slightly sweeter.

Remember, the beauty of cooking is that you can adjust the seasoning to your taste. So, trust your instincts, and don't be afraid to experiment with different herbs and spices to find combinations that you enjoy.

Blend and serve: use a traditional or immersion blender

Using a traditional or immersion blender to cook soup is a quick and easy way to make a delicious, silky blended soup. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Step 1: Choose Your Ingredients

Start with a seasonal vegetable as the star of your soup. Good options include winter squash, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, or tomatoes. You'll also need some aromatics like onions, garlic, or leeks, and broth or water to add flavour and liquid. You can also add herbs and spices such as basil, oregano, dill, or Italian seasoning, as well as salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2: Prepare Your Vegetables

Chop your vegetables into small pieces. If you're using a high-speed blender, you may be able to add the vegetables whole, but chopping them will make the blending process easier and ensure a smoother soup. You can also sauté the aromatics in a pan before adding them to the blender to give them a smoother flavour.

Step 3: Blend Your Ingredients

Place your ingredients in the blender, adding broth or water to help with the blending process. If you're using a traditional blender, you may need to transfer the ingredients to a pot first. Blend on high speed for about 90 seconds, or until the soup is smooth and uniform. If you're using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, the friction from the blades will create enough heat to cook the soup as it blends.

Step 4: Adjust the Consistency

If your soup is too thick, you can add more broth or water to adjust the consistency. If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can add more of the chunkier ingredients and use the "pulse" setting on your blender to mix them in without making the soup too liquid.

Step 5: Heat Your Soup

If your blender didn't heat the soup sufficiently during blending, you can add hot water to warm it up. You can also heat the soup in the microwave or on the stove until it's at your desired temperature.

Step 6: Serve Your Soup

Pour your soup into bowls and serve! You can top it with herbs, a dollop of sour cream or goat cheese, or enjoy it as is. If you have any leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for later.

Frequently asked questions