Quick Soups to Make with Vegetable Broth

Rice noodles and mushrooms, red lentils and toasted almonds, beetroot and goat’s cheese: three ways to turn a jar of broth into homemade soup.

Some evenings, you feel like cooking but have only a few minutes to spare. Slice a handful of mushrooms, rinse some lentils, chop a herb: small, familiar gestures that bring the pleasure of homemade soup within reach.

A good broth gives you the flavours to build on. Ingredients simmer, soften, and take on its aromas.

If you’re looking for sipping broth ideas beyond a warm cup, these three soups offer a delicious place to start. Each uses a different Karine & Jeff organic broth: one with rice noodles, one with red lentils, and one with beetroot and fresh goat’s cheese. Each recipe serves two and takes approximately 15 to 25 minutes.

1. Shiitake & Fennel Soup with Rice Noodles, Golden Mushrooms & Baby Pak Choi

Golden mushrooms, slender noodles, and tender pak choi leaves: this first soup is all about contrasting textures.

Shiitake and Fennel Broth brings everything together. The mushrooms deepen its woody notes, while the pak choi keeps a little bite. Spring onion and toasted sesame add their fragrance just before serving.

It’s a bowl for both a spoon and chopsticks, alternating a sip of warm broth with a tangle of noodles and vegetables.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 500 ml Shiitake and Fennel Broth
• 60 g thin rice noodles
• 120 g chestnut or fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 2 baby pak choi
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 spring onion
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• Hot water, as needed

Method

Thinly slice the mushrooms. Separate the pak choi leaves, splitting any thick stalks lengthwise. Thinly slice the spring onion.

Heat the olive oil in a wide saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.

Pour in the broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the noodles and cook according to the packet instructions. Add the pak choi during the last few minutes: the leaves should soften while the stalks retain a little bite.

If the noodles absorb too much liquid, add a little hot water to keep plenty of broth in the bowl.

Divide between two bowls. Finish with the spring onion, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Serve immediately, before the noodles absorb more broth.

Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: approximately 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the noodles · Serves: 2 · Dietary notes: no meat or fish

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2. Carrot & Fennel Soup with Red Lentils, Baby Spinach & Toasted Almonds

Red lentils gently simmer in the broth, softening and beginning to break down. They give this soup its comforting texture.

Their mellow flavour complements the sweetness of Carrot and Fennel Broth. Spinach, added at the end, brings ribbons of green to the golden bowl. Toasted almonds provide a crisp finish, scattered over the soup just before the first spoonful.

A handful of ingredients becomes a soup with body and texture, with no blending needed.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 500 ml Carrot and Fennel Broth
• 80 g red lentils
• 60 g baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons flaked almonds
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Hot water, as needed

Method

Rinse the lentils thoroughly. Combine them with the broth in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

Cook over a low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the lentils are tender, stirring regularly. Add a little hot water as needed: the soup should remain loose enough to pour easily from a ladle.

Meanwhile, lightly toast the almonds in a small dry frying pan, watching closely. Set aside.

Add the spinach to the lentils and cook for approximately 1 minute, just until the leaves wilt. Stir in the olive oil and a little black pepper.

Ladle into two bowls and scatter the still-warm almonds over the top. Serve immediately to enjoy the contrast between the soft lentils and crisp almonds.

Prep time: 5 minutes · Cook time: approximately 15 to 20 minutes · Serves: 2 · Dietary notes: no meat or fish

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3. Beetroot & Celery Soup with Fresh Goat’s Cheese, Dill & Rye Croutons

Smooth pink soup, fresh goat’s cheese, dill, and golden rye croutons: the third bowl takes an entirely different direction.

Cooked beetroot adds body and deepens the colour of Beetroot and Celery Broth. Some of the goat’s cheese is blended into the soup; the rest is crumbled over the top, bringing little pockets of tangy flavour to each spoonful.

Dill complements the broth’s vegetable notes, while rye croutons bring toasted flavour and crunch.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 500 ml Beetroot and Celery Broth
• 200 g plain cooked beetroot, diced
• 60 g soft fresh goat’s cheese
• 2 small slices rye bread
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Combine the broth and beetroot in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and warm through for 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the bread into small cubes. Toast in a frying pan with the olive oil, turning regularly, until golden.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add two-thirds of the goat’s cheese and blend with a hand blender until smooth. If needed, gently reheat without boiling.

Pour into two bowls. Crumble the remaining goat’s cheese over the soup, then add the dill and a little black pepper.

Add a few croutons just before serving, with the rest alongside so they stay crisp.

Prep time: 5 minutes · Cook time: approximately 10 to 15 minutes · Serves: 2 · Dietary notes: Contains milk, gluten and celery. For a vegetarian version, choose fresh goat’s cheese labelled suitable for vegetarians.

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Dinner Begins with Broth

Rice noodles tangled with mushrooms. Soft red lentils beneath toasted almonds. Pink beetroot soup dotted with goat’s cheese and rye croutons.

Three bowls to suit the evening, each with its own texture and fragrance.

Our broths are already cooked. Open a jar, prepare a few ingredients, and put a saucepan on the hob.

Discover all three Karine & Jeff organic broths