Simple Fennel Soup
This simple fennel soup is creamy, nutritious and made using a handful of ingredients. It’s a delicious way of enjoying this vegetable, incredibly easy to make and perfect as a light meal.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 90kcal
Ingredients
- 1.1 pounds fennel bulbs rinsed, trimmed weight, see Instructions for preparation tips
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1.76 ounces baby spinach handful
- 1 tablespoon butter regular or plant-based
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2½ cups vegetable stock
- Sea salt and white pepper to taste
Instructions
- To prepare the fennel start by rinsing the bulbs thoroughly. Cut off the roots (if present) and trim off the green stalks 1-2 inches above the bulb (they are quite tough and fibrous). You don't need to cut out the core.Cut the bulb lengthwise then cut the halves again so that you end up with 4 parts. Slice each part across quite thinly (into approx. 5mm strips).
- In a large pot heat up the oil, butter and fennel seeds and cook gently until the butter has melted.
- Add the onion, garlic, celery and fennel, season lightly, stir and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring often.
- Cover, lower the heat and ‘sweat’ the vegetable mixture for about10 minutes or until the fennel is tender, stirring often (do not let the vegetables brown).
- Add most of the stock, cover and bring to the boil then lower the heat and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and continue cooking for another minute.
- Remove from the heat and puree the soup. Top up with the remaining stock if needed, adjust the seasoning and serve.
Notes
- If your fennel comes with long stalks you can add these into a soup (such as chicken broth) or stew for a hint of aniseed flavour.
- Once you’ve prepared the fennel bulbs use them immediately as fennel discolours quickly.
- ‘Sweat’ the vegetable mixture (fennel plus the rest of the vegetables) with a bit of seasoning before adding the stock. This will help the fennel release more flavour.
- Use hot stock – the soup will cook faster.
- It is important to cook the soup very briefly once you’ve added the spinach (so it retains its bright green colour).
- Reserve some of the stock to add later (after you’ve pureed the soup) if necessary. This fennel soup should be quite thick (adding too much stock may mask the flavour of the fennel or lessen its intensity).
- To make your soup exceptionally creamy I recommend pureeing it (in batches) in a high-speed blender.
- Best served hot.
- Serve with fresh chives, dill, grated parmesan, crumbled feta, a dollop of yogurt, garlic bread or croutons.
- I like to use a generous amount of white pepper in this soup but black pepper will work too.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 955IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg