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Vegetable & Wholegrain Soup

A deeply savoury, nutritious one pot meal that's satisfying without being heavy. With rich umami flavour, vegetables, chickpeas, plus nutty grains, this thick soup is perfect when you're craving a tasty but healthy bowlful.

Feel free to adapt the recipe to whatever vegetables and wholegrains you have.

Please read the accompanying blog post before starting.

Course Soup, Main Course, Lunch
Cuisine Vegetarian, Vegan, plant-based, World
Keyword healthy
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4
Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 med - large onion (roughly chopped)
  • 2 large carrots (diced: approx. 225 g after preparation)
  • 2 stalks celery (thinly sliced)
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 250 g mushrooms (sliced, not too thinly)
  • 1 small- medium leek (roughly chopped)
  • 4 large cloves garlic (thinly sliced or finely chopped)
  • 1 rounded tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 rounded tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ - ½ tsp red pepper flakes or chilli flakes
  • 240 g cooked chickpeas (approx. 1 standard tin, drained)
  • 6 - 8 sprigs thyme, tied in a bunch (or leaves stripped from stems, or 1 rounded tsp dried thyme)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 - 5 tbsp soy sauce (see Recipe Notes)
  • 800 - 1000 ml stock
  • 300 g cooked wholegrains (e.g. brown, red or wild rice, bulgur wheat, wheatberries)
  • 75 g kale or other leafy greens (tough stems discarded, leaves roughly chopped: weight is after preparation)

Garnish (optional)

  • a few thyme leaves
  • a few pinches red pepper flakes or chilli flakes
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • extra soy sauce to serve

Instructions

  1. Put the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

    Stir in the onion, carrots and celery, plus a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.

    Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to soften and colour (approx. 10 - 12 minutes).

  2. Stir in the mushrooms, leek, and garlic and cook for a few minutes until starting to brown and any liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated (approx. 5 - 8 min).

  3. Add the tomato puree, ground cumin, red pepper flakes or chilli flakes, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.

  4. Stir in the chickpeas, another grind of pepper, the thyme, bay leaf, and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce.

    Stir in 800 ml of the stock, a little more if the soup seems very thick.

    Bring to a simmer, put on a lid, and cook until the carrots are just tender (approx. 15 - 20 minutes).

  5. Stir in the kale or other leafy greens plus the cooked wholegrains. If the mixture is very thick add all or some of the remaining stock.

    Gently simmer until the greens are done to your liking and the grains are hot (3 - 5 minutes), adding more stock or water if you prefer a thinner soup.

    Taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or soy sauce if needed.

  6. Serve the soup with the optional garnishes sprinkled over each bowl if liked and with extra soy sauce on the table for people to help themselves.

  7. Soup can be cooled and stored in the fridge for 2 days. If the grains have absorbed a lot of the liquid, thin with a little stock or water before reheating.

    Freezing not recommended.

Recipe Notes

Soy sauce. For the best results, use a good quality light soy sauce that isn't overly salty. I recommend this one (affiliate link). If yours is salty use sparingly in the recipe, adding a little at a time and tasting before adding more.