Inviting kids in to the kitchen is about lots of things: developing a relationship with food, seeing how meals are prepared and learning lots of important skills. This recipe for vegetable soup is delicious and healthy but it also gives children a chance to build their confidence in cooking because they are the ones who decide which ingredients to use. It encourages them to use their own taste buds and try out making a recipe of their very own.
Customised soup recipe
The great thing about this vegetable soup recipe is that there isn’t really a recipe at all- just suggestions for your children to help them create a signature dish of their own. Whatever combination of vegetables you choose, a ratio of around 10 veggies to 2 pints stock is a rough guide – but have some extra stock ready just in case you need it. We went with 1 onion, 2 celery sticks, half a bulb of fennel, 3 carrots, 3 parsnips and 1 sweet potato, together with 2 pints of chicken stock. This made enough for two lunches for four.
Vegetable soup basic principles:
1. Fry some base vegetables in oil in a really big pan: onions, garlic, celery
2. Peel and chop some root vegetables and add them to your pan: potato, carrots, sweet potato, parsnips, swede and fennel are all good. We always add fennel as our secret ingredient as a little of it makes the soup delicious. Use a child-friendly peeler to make it easier and don’t worry too much about all the vegetables being chopped to the same size.
3. Add some herbs for extra flavour: take a pick from cumin, coriander, oregano, thyme, caraway, parsley or rosemary
4. Add chicken, turkey or vegetable stock to cover the vegetables and simmer away for around 20-30 minutes
5. Once the vegetables are soft you can blend the soup, adding more stock or water if you like to get the thickness you prefer
6. We love to serve our customised soup with Parmesan cheese and pine nut kernels on top. The soup freezes really well too
More kids in the kitchen ideas
:: do your kids know how to crack an egg?
:: ever made mini meringues?
:: ever eaten a snowman?
:: ever made edible snowflakes?
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What a wonderful idea. My son and I bake each week and we love spending that time together creating something we can enjoy as a family. I really like the soup idea and we’ll be trying it out
I’ve also just started a link up for people to share what they bake with their kids. If you would like to join the fun by linking this post that would be great, http://happywhimsicalhearts.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-lil-s-are-baking-2.html, warmly Kelly
Your soup looks delicious – it is making me hungry. My eldest likes to make soup with me but she won’t eat it. She is suspicious of vegetables.
I have never tried adding pine nuts to soup, and your recipe sounds amazing. Will have to try it with my family!
What a wonderful idea to let children help pick out what to put in the soup. Our family loves soup, we could have it any day, I love coming up with many different recipes, probably one of my favorite things to cook. Love all of the pretty veggies in your soup, great way to get veggies in the children’s diet.
Miss E has just starting becoming interested in vegetable noodle soups, so I need to try this with her.
We recently made soup in our Little Hands That Cook with Books class. They loved it and I had no idea how books there are out there about soup. Can’t wait to use your recipe. http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2011/11/little-hands-that-cook-with-books.html
I wonder how much of the vitamins remain in the veg after cooking it o such a long period…any idea?
Nope Christina, I don’t know. How would you measure? One thought though is that as it’s a soup you’re eating all the broth along with the veggies. You can cook for a much reduced time if you want too – maybe just 10 minutes/until the vegetables are soft.
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