Power up your winter soup: recipe for people living with neurological conditions
While vegetable soups are packed with fibre, they often fall short on protein. Protein is essential for muscle growth and repair, maintaining skin, hair and nail health, hormone production and immune support. Without enough protein, these vital functions can be affected. Not only that, but it can also help keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer. As the cooler months approach, here are some simple ideas to boost up the protein content of your soup! This hearty, winter soup recipe has been developed by the MSWA Dietetics Team for people living with a neurological condition including multiple sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson's disease and more.
Spiced vegetable soup
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion, diced
- ½ red chilli (or 1tsp of chilli flakes)
- 2 celery sticks, roughly sliced
- 3 cloves of crushed garlic
- 1 medium sweet potato cubed
- 1 medium carrot roughly chopped
- 1 medium capsicum
- 3 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
- 3 cups spinach leaves
- 1.5 tsp of ground turmeric
- 1.5 tsp of ground cumin
- 600ml reduced salt vegetable stock
- 400ml water
- Fresh parsley and Greek yoghurt to serve
- 2 cans x 400g of brown lentils, drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Boost up the protein by picking one of the below additions
- Serve with a slice of a high protein bread (i.e. Herman Brot Complete Protein Bread, Macro High Protein Lower Carb or Burgen Soy-Lin Bread)
- Add 1 cup of a high protein pasta (i.e. Vetta Smart Protein Pasta or San Remo Pulse Pasta) and extra 250mL of water
- Add extra tin of beans (drained and rinsed) (Ie four bean mix or kidney beans)
Method
- Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, garlic and celery and cook until softened (around 2 minutes). Add spices (turmeric and cumin) and chilli (if using) and stir until fragrant.
- Add all the vegetables (except spinach), lentils, vegetable stock and water. Add the extra tin of beans here too if you are using this.
- Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 25 minutes until sweet potato has softened (If adding protein pasta. Add this after 15 minutes with an extra 250ml of water)
- Stir through spinach and cook for a further couple of minutes until wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve soup, top with chopped parsley and dollop of Greek yoghurt.
