Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup diced) (Approximately 150g)
  • 1 medium leek, sliced thinly (white and light green parts only, about 1 cup sliced) (Approximately 100g)
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced (no need to peel) (Approximately 200g)
  • 2 sticks celery, sliced (Approximately 100g)
  • 1 small parsnip, peeled and sliced (Approximately 75g)
  • 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped into 1cm / ½ inch cubes (Approximately 200g)
  • 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock (made with a cube is fine, good quality stock recommended)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan over low heat. Add the diced onion and sliced leek. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 5 minutes). Don't let them brown!
  2. Add the sliced carrots, celery, parsnip, and chopped potato to the saucepan. Stir well to combine.
  3. Pour in the vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are completely tender and easily pierced with a fork.
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Use an immersion blender to blitz the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, carefully transfer the hot soup in batches to the blender and blend until smooth (be careful of steam!).
  5. If the soup is too thick, add a little extra boiling water from a kettle until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste the soup and add more salt and/or pepper, if needed.
  6. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately.