Cheap, easy, delicious and filling. It’s as simple as that. Autumn is here and the evenings are drawing in. The girls come home from school tired and hungry, and I’m trying to plan dairy-free meals on a budget. So this warming, dairy-free sweet potato and carrot soup is a winner. I use wonky vegetables where possible because they are cheaper and nobody will notice anyway. You can cook this on the hob, or use a slow cooker if you have one, as I read it is cheaper to cook in one.
- Cheap ingredients
- Quick to prepare
- Can be made in advance
- Can be made as vegan
- Serves 4-6 people as a main meal
- Can be frozen
- Cooks in less than 30 minutes on a hob
- Can be cooked in a slow cooker
Wonky Veg for your dairy-free soup!
The great thing about vegetables is they make great budget-friendly dairy-free soup. Check out supermarkets for wonky veg which are perfectly acceptable and cheaper. Most supermarkets offer wonky veg these days which can offer savings over other vegetables. I usually keep bags of wonky carrots and onions in our refrigerator drawer. You can easily make soup in less than an hour if you are stuck for a dairy-free meal. I usually buy my wonky vegetables in Aldi but Lidl also have a good choice of vegetables at reasonable prices too.
Soup is also a great way to use up veg those not-so-fresh pieces of vegetables at the bottom of the refrigerator. With the cost of living as it is, making the most of what you have is more important than ever, so don’t ditch the veg, add it to some dairy-free soup.
Dairy-Free Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- Approx 1 kilo sweet potatoes
- Approx 500g carrots
- 1 large onion
- 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic salt or 1 clove of garlic
- 2 litres of chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or substitute with brown sugar, honey or even golden syrup.
Method
Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut them into small chunks. Peel and dice the onion. Add the sweet potato, carrots and onion to a large saucepan together with the garlic granules and stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. It may look as if you have too much stock but it does make quite a thick soup. If you prefer, add less stock (enough to cover) and adjust with the remaining stock at the end. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Using an immersion blender, blitz to a smooth soup, being careful not to splash yourself. If you feel the soup is too thick, thin down with any remaining stock or a dash of water. Stir in one or two tablespoons of maple syrup which really rounds out the flavour of the carrots. Taste after the first tablespoon to see if you are happy. Add another tablespoon if you prefer. Season with salt and pepper.
If you don’t have any maple syrup which can be pricey then substitute it with a tablespoon of brown sugar, honey or even golden syrup. Taste after the first tablespoon to see if you are happy with it. The maple syrup should enhance the flavour of the potatoes and carrots, it should not make it overwhelmingly sweet so always taste as you go when adding it.
Serve with some crusty bread and a spoonful of dairy-free natural yoghurt. My husband always prefers spicy food. The great thing about this soup is that it is well suited to adding a pinch of chilli flakes on the top for those that prefer their food spicy!
Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
Ingredients
- 1 kg Sweet potatoes
- 500 g carrots
- 1 large onion
- ½ tsp garlic salt (or 1clove garlic)
- 2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or substitute with brown sugar or golden syrup)
- Dairy Free natural yoghurt to serve (optional)
- Chilli flakes to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut them into small chunks.
- Peel and dice the onion.
- Add the sweet potato, carrots and onion to a large saucepan together with ½ teaspoon of garlic granules and the stock.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- At this stage it may look like a lot of stock but it does make a thick soup.
- Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Using an immersion blender, blitz to a smooth soup, being careful not to splash yourself.
- If you feel the soup is too thick, thin down with any remaining stock or a dash of water.
- Stir in one or two tablespoons of maple syrup which really rounds out the flavour of the carrot, but taste after the first tablespoon to see if you are happy with the flavour or add the second tablespoon. Substitute maple syrup with 1-2 tablespoons of golden syrup or brown sugar.
- Season with salt and pepper if required.
- Serve with a spoonful of dairy-free natural yoghurt for a touch of creaminess and a pinch of chilli flakes if you like a little heat.
Notes
