There’s nothing more cheering on a chilly night than a hearty, warming bowl of soup. It almost makes the cold and dark worthwhile!
The Watercress Company has cooked up a range of delicious, healthy soups to warm the cockles of the heart while boosting your nutrient intake, packed full of tasty, peppery watercress of course.
The ANDI (aggregate nutrient density index) measures the amount of nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals) in a food-related to the amount of energy (calories). The ANDI score is based on a scale of 1 to 1000 with 1000 being the highest nutrient density possible. Watercress scored the maximum 1000 making it among the most nutrient-dense veg around.
What’s more, watercress also contains over 50 vital vitamins and minerals; in fact, gramme for gramme, this leafy powerhouse contains more calcium than milk, more Vitamin C than an orange, more folate than a banana and more Vitamin E than broccoli. But it is also rich in iron (nearly twice as much as spinach) and in Vitamin A, and because of the high levels of vitamin C and A it possesses this iron is more easily absorbed than most other plant-based irons, making watercress an essential addition to any vegetarian or vegan diet.
But whatever diet you follow, soup is a great solution for a simple lunch, or, accompanied by lots of mouth-watering crusty bread it can make a delicious, filling supper. Any of these scrumptious options would be ideal:
Watercress Soup with an Egg
Serves 2
Prep time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Ingredients
- 60g watercress
- 30g spinach
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 large potato, chopped small approx. 150g
- 50ml crème fraiche
- 2 eggs
Method
- In a pan, gently soften the shallot in a little oil before setting aside.
- In a pot, boil the chopped potato until soft. Add the watercress and spinach at the last moment, allow to cook for no more than a minute. Strain the mixture but reserve the cooking liquid.
- Add the shallot to the potato mixture and, using a hand blender, blitz everything together. Add the reserved cooking liquid a little at a time to thin it out to your desired texture.
- Stir though the crème fraiche and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To serve, poach 2 eggs for 2-3 minutes in boiling water, until the whites are cooked but the yolk is runny. Serve the soup in 2 bowls and place an egg in each.
- Enjoy piping hot with crusty bread.
Watercress, Pea & Parsley Soup
Serves 2
Prep time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Ingredients
- 60g watercress
- 80g peas
- 20g parsley, chopped, plus extra for serving
- 1 large potato, chopped small approx. 150g
- Crème Fraiche, for drizzling
Method
1. In a pot, boil the potato until soft before adding the peas. As the peas are nearly cooked through, add the watercress, and allow to wilt for 30-60 seconds. Strain the mixture, retaining the cooking liquid.
2. Add the parsley to the mixture and, using a hand blender, blend everything together. Thin to desired consistency with the retained cooking liquid and season to taste.
3. Serve with croutons or crusty bread.
Easy Pho Bowl
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 200g Rice noodles
- 60g mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Spring Onions, sliced
- 50g watercress, chopped
- 1 red chilli, sliced
- ½ savoy cabbage, chopped
- 2tbsp soy sauce
- Thumb size piece of ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 vegetable stock cube
Method
1. In a heatproof bowl, add boiling water to your noodles to cook them through before preparing your stock cube with 500ml boiling water.
2. In a wok or similar, over a medium heat fry off the mushrooms, onion and ginger until softened.
3. Add the chilli and cabbage and allow to wilt before adding your stock to the pan. Then add the soy sauce, cooked noodles and watercress.
4. Serve in a bowl – you can add extra fresh chillies or herbs if you fancy!
Watercress, Carrot & Turmeric Soup (vegan)
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 x 85g watercress
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil or vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric (or use 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric)
- 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 litre hot vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
To serve (optional)
- Small handful pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 50ml dairy free yoghurt alternative
- 4 pitta breads
Method
- Take a large saucepan and place it over a medium-high heat. Add in the oil then throw in the diced onions and chopped carrots along with a good pinch of salt. Fry for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions are slightly coloured and soft and the carrots have begun to cook on the outside. Add in the garlic, ginger and turmeric and fry for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the hot stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid is boiling turn down the heat to low (ensuring that the soup continues to simmer) and place a lid on top. Leave to cook for around 20 minutes, or until the carrots are soft and cooked through.
- Once the vegetables are cooked through, add in the watercress and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the soup from the heat and use a ladle or small jug to tip it into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend thoroughly. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Be careful not to over fill!
- Once the soup is blended thoroughly tip it back into the sauce pan. Taste and add more salt and some black pepper to taste. Finally serve into bowls and finish with the pumpkin seeds and yoghurt along with some toasted pitta breads.
Watercress Mulligatawny Soup
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hr and 5 mins
Ingredients
- 100g bag of watercress
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 apple, cored and chopped
- 5cm piece of root ginger
- 225g split yellow peas, soaked overnight in water and drained
- 900ml vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon medium curry paste
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and apple for 4 minutes until they have softened. Add the ginger, curry paste and peas and stir together well.
2. Add the stock and bring the soup to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 1 hour until the peas are tender. Pour the soup into a food processor, add the watercress and blend until the soup is smooth.
3. Season with salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread.
Spiced Squash and Watercress Soup
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 20 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 900g butternut squash, wash, deseeded and cut into chunks
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 600ml vegetable stock
- 1 (100g) pack watercress, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp creme fraiche
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and sauté for 2 mins. Add the squash, stir well then cover with a lid. Cook for 2 mins.
- Stir in the chilli and stock, then bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15mins or until the butternut squash is tender.
- Transfer to a blender and whizz until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and add the watercress and creme fraiche. Season to taste. Gently reheat before serving with crusty bread.
Watercress and Salmon Soup
Preparation: 20 mins
Cooking: 40 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
· 1tbsp sunflower oil
· 1 large onion, finely chopped
· 350g potatoes, peeled and cut into rough cubes
· 1.5 litres vegetable stock or water
· 225g watercress, roughly chopped
· 3tbsp single cream or reduced fat creme fraiche
· 175g salmon, skinned and cut into cubes
· salt and ground black pepper
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions and potatoes. Cook gently for 10 minutes until softened.
2. Add the stock or water and bring up to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the watercress and cook for a further 5 minutes. Let the soup cool a little before liquidising it in batches. Return the soup to the pan and stir in the cream or creme fraiche. Taste and season with salt and ground black pepper.
3. When you are ready to serve the soup, heat it to a low simmer. Add the salmon cubes and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
Watercress Spiced Tomato and Chickpea Soup
Preparation: 10 mins
Cooking: 15 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2-1 tsp crushed flaked chilli
- 2 (397g) cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 (400g) can chickpeas, drained then a few reserved for garnish
- 750ml/11/4pt vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 (100g) bag watercress
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and saute for 4 mins until soft. Stir in the garlic and chilli and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, chick peas, stock and puree, stir well and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 mins.
- Transfer to food processor, add the watercress, then blend until just smooth. Return to the pan, add the lemon juice, then season to taste. Gently reheat then serve in bowls. Decorate with the reserved chickpeas and more watercress if liked.
Beat the winter chill with a warming bowl of soup, packed full of the ‘souper-food’ watercress!
To discover more about the health benefits of watercress, visit www.thewatercresscompany.com or for more recipe inspiration go to www.watercress.co.uk or https://www.facebook.com/LoveWatercress/ or https://www.instagram.com/lovewatercress/
