Quick and easy winter soup recipes

IOL News

20-05-2025

Winter soups are the perfect comfort food, offering a blend of nourishing ingredients and rich flavours.
Whether you're craving a fragrant Moroccan-style lentil soup, a wholesome chicken and barley soup, a comforting chicken ravioli soup, or a velvety roasted carrot soup, our collection of winter soup recipes will keep you cosy and satisfied all season long.
Grab your ladle and get ready to discover new favourites that will make your kitchen the heart of your home this winter.
Moroccan-style Lentil Soup
Serves 6
Moroccan-style Lentil Soup. Picture: Independent Media
Ingredients:
30ml olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled, chopped
5ml chopped garlic
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground turmeric
3ml ground cinnamon
3ml pepper
375ml lentils
2 litres of vegetable stock
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
30ml tomato paste
300g cauliflower, cut in florets
100g baby spinach, chopped
125ml chopped fresh coriander
30ml fresh lemon juice
Method:
Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion, carrots and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the spices and pepper and fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add the lentils and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Stir in the stock, chopped tomatoes and tomato paste.
Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until lentils are almost tender.
Add the cauliflower and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the spinach, coriander and lemon juice and heat through for 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Serve.
Chicken and barley soup
Serves 6
Chicken and barley soup.Picture: Independent Media
Ingredients
30ml olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
10ml chopped garlic
250ml chopped celery
3 carrots, diced
500g chicken thigh fillets, sliced
125ml pearl barley
2 litres of chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
60ml parsley, chopped
Method:
Heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic, celery and carrots and fry for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and fry for another 5 minutes.
Add the barley, stock and seasoning and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes until the barley is tender.
Stir in the parsley and serve
Chicken ravioli soup
Serves 4-6
Chicken Ravioli soup: Picture: Independent Media
Ingredients
500g chicken breast fillets
2 litres of chicken stock
30g butter
1 onion, chopped
5ml chopped garlic
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
salt and pepper
5ml ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
250g spinach and ricotta ravioli
60ml finely chopped parsley
Method
Poach the chicken fillets in the chicken stock over a low heat for 10 minutes. Remove and shred chicken.
Reserve the stock. Heat the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion, garlic and carrots for a few minutes. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and bay leaf and stir to combine.
Add the stock used to poach the chicken and bring to the boil.
Add the chicken.
Reduce heat and add the ravioli.
Simmer until al dente.
Add the parsley and serve.
Roasted carrot soup
Serves 6-8
Roasted Carrot Soup. Picture: Independent Media
Ingredients
8-10 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
60ml olive oil
salt and pepper
10ml ground cumin
5ml chilli flakes
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml chopped garlic
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 litres of vegetable stock
125ml orange juice
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place carrots on an oven tray. Drizzle with half the oil. Add salt, pepper, cumin and chilli flakes.
Cover with tinfoil and roast for 10 minutes.
Remove the foil and roast for a further 20 minutes
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large pot.
Fry the onion, garlic and potato for five minutes.
Add the roasted carrots and stock and simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Purée with a hand blender until smooth. Add the orange juice and adjust seasoning if necessary.
IOL Lifestyle