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Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach

A simple root vegetable and spinach soup with sweetness from carrot and sweet potato and a warmth from spices.

Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach


The days started to stretch out, the sun came out and I thought I was over soup. 

I thought salads were the what it was all about, but the weather has been all over the place here in Scotland with some hot sunny, days and other bright days where there's still a bite of cold in the air. Soup is definitely still on the menu.


Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach


The soup I'm sharing with you today is another of my fridge soups, where I check out what I have in the vegetable drawer and team the flavours with some spices to make an interesting and healthy soup.

The main flavours of the soup are carrots, sweet potato and spinach.


5:2 diet Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach

Smooth soup vs chunky soup


We don't eat many smooth soups in this house. My husband and son both prefer a chunky soup and I can see why that is their preference, although there are some soups like my tomato and red pepper soup, my yellow split pea soup or my roast onion soup, which are definitely better smooth.

I do mash my chunky soups to give it a bit of thickness, but only a little, leaving lots of big bits of vegetable to wrap your mouth around for that full comfort and a really filling meal.


Which do you prefer? A smooth soup or a chunky soup?







Pot of Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach

Slow cooker soup


I make most of my soups in a cast iron pot on the cooker top and this soup is no different, but you could make this soup in your slow cooker.




Remember if you're making soup in a slow cooker, you need to cut down the liquid by a third.

You could cook it on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours and if you slow cooker has a saute function, you can cook your onion and garlic in a little oil before adding the other ingredients. 

I have to admit sometimes when I make a slow cooker soup, I skip this part and just throw it all in, with no pre-cooking.



Carrot, Parsnip, Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup

5:2 Diet Soup


Soup is the perfect meal if you are following a calorie controlled diet like the 5:2 diet. It ticks all the boxes for low calorie and it also leaves you full and satisfied.

A generous bowl of this soup has 144 calories.

When following the 5:2 diet, you can have 800 calories on the new style of 5:2 diet revised in 2017 or 500 calories per day for a woman and 600 calories for a man on the original 5:2 diet fast plan.

I served my soup with buttered bloomers bread. I made the bread myself and I'll share that recipe with you soon. It has the most amazing crust!

Just remember to add the extra calories for bread if you add it.



cherry tomatoes

5:2 Diet Tips


  1. Plan the week ahead and keep meals simple.
  2. Keep a note of ready made meals, 5:2 diet recipes and shop bought snacks that are low calorie to help with planning.
  3. Drink lots of water on a fast day.
  4. Start with a positive attitude and feel good about what you are doing, you are far more likely to succeed.
  5. If you have a bad fast day and go way over your calorie limit, don't worry, there are other days.
  6. If you're only a little over your fast, don't worry. An extra 50 or 60 calories won't stop the fast working. 500 calories (women), 600 (men), 800 (new fast diet) is just a number to aim for, not a magic number.
  7. Download an app onto your phone and enter what you are eating and drinking. It lets you know how many calories you've had and really keeps you on track.
  8. Keep busy. It's easier to fast on a day where you have lots to do as you aren't thinking about it all day.
  9. Try not to overeat on the days between your fast. Your app will help you with this
  10. Tell friends, families or a colleague you are fasting on your fast day. It's really encouraging and you are more likely to stick to your fast.

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A simple root vegetable and spinach soup with sweetness from carrot and sweet potato and a warmth from spices. #52diet #52dietrecipe #52soup #soup #vegetablesoup #carrotsoup #parsnipsoup #sweetpotatosoup #lowcaloriesoup #dietsoup #vegansoup



Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach


Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach  - vegan recipe
Yield: 6-8
Author:
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 40 M
A simple root vegetable and spinach soup with sweetness from carrot and sweet potato and a warmth from spices.

ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 4 large carrots, chopped
  • 4 large parsnips, chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato, chopped
  • 100g fresh spinach 
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 1/2 pints/1 1/4 litre/5 cups vegetable stock  (4 cubes)
  • a good grinding of salt and pepper

instructions:

How to cook Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach

  1. In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.
  2. Add the vegetables and spices and cook gently for a few minutes.
  3. Add the stock and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Use a potato masher to mash some of the veg, leaving plenty of vegetable chunks.
  6. Serve and enjoy!
Calories
143.90
Fat (grams)
3.00
Sat. Fat (grams)
0.43
Carbs (grams)
28.68
Fiber (grams)
6.29
Net carbs
22.38
Sugar (grams)
8.53
Protein (grams)
2.98
Sodium (milligrams)
127.57
Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
soup, 5:2 diet recipe, 5:2 diet soup, fast diet soup, fast diet recipe, intermittent fasting recipes, 5:2 diet, fast diet, vegetable soup, root vegetable soup, sweet potato soup, carrot soup, parsnip soup, slow cooker soup
dinner
British, vegan
Created using The Recipes Generator


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16 comments

  1. Love these sorts of chunky broth soups. They seem a bit more substantial somehow than a blended soup and perfect for the 5:2 too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes me too and they are more satisfying, well I think so.

      Delete
  2. I love hearty soups that have lots of vegetable chunks and a thick broth. This looks great for those "cold" day... I live in Miami, so there a 2-3 days per year that are "cold"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Geoffrey you wouldn't survive in Scotland at all. Most of the year is soup weather.

      Delete
  3. I love all the flavors in this soup; this will make an excellent dinner for busy weeknights!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes the flavours are great and it is one of the soups I make midweek. Easy to make, healthy and filling.

      Delete
  4. What a tasty looking fridge raider soup! I am a year round soup sorta gal and I like both smooth and chunky!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I do like the phrase fridge raider. I must use that. Yes soup is rather fabulous!

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  5. This recipe has everything I love about a soup! I can't wait to try this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jessica and yes it is good. I hope you enjoy it!

      Delete
  6. This looks and sounds scrumptious! I LOVE the sweet potato, parsnip, and carrot combo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jennifer and yes they are great flavour combos.

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  7. I'm a big fan of hearty, chunky soups like this. It looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes me too Nickki, they are good. Hope you try this one.

      Delete
  8. The weather has turned very cold here but I am happy it is soup weather - even though I will eat soup in hot and cold weather and either chunky or smooth. Any soup is great and this one is just my sort of soup.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This soup sounds amazing, love all the veggies in it! Delicious and healthy a win/win!

    ReplyDelete

I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x