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Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Jamie Oliver Spring Vegetable and Bean Soup
I made this Vegetable Soup with Beans recently. It is from Jamie Oliver’s cookbook, Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals (affiliate link). He describes it as a “lovely soup—very simple and traditional.”
I don’t know about simple. This vegetable soup requires a lot of chopping! But these days it’s easy enough to find broccoli and cauliflower florets along with already chopped veggies in most supermarkets.
But it is delicious. And very Weight Watchers friendly too. Soups are my all-time favorite strategy for slimming down deliciously.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Vegetarian Vegetable Bean Soup?
Each generous 2-cup serving has about 154 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
3 SmartPoints (Green plan)
1 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
1 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 PointsPlus (Old plan)
And it is WW Simply Filling too!
How Does Jamie Make Vegetable Soup?
In the introduction to his chapter on soups, Jamie explains that the key to a good soup is cooking the vegetables for the shortest amount of time that they need in order to be soft enough to be pureed or eaten, which will give better flavor and nutritional value.
Is that why my previous vegetable soups weren’t as great as this one—I simmered them too long? Who knew?
I hope you will give this Spring Vegetable Soup recipe a try and then pass it on by sharing it with, or teaching it to, at least two more people, which is what Jamie’s Food Revolution is all about!
Substitutions and Variations
This is the kind of soup recipe that can be varied all kinds of ways to suit your tastes and what you have on hand.
Vegetarian/Vegan
Use vegetable broth (affiliate link).
Italian-Style
Add a can of diced tomatoes, fresh basil and some broken spaghetti or other pasta.
Mexican-Style
Add diced tomatoes with chiles, substitute black or pinto beans for the cannellini beans, substitute zucchini for the broccoli and add some corn.
Heartier
Add cooked chicken, turkey or shrimp.
Starchier
Add potatoes and/or pasta, rice, barley or quinoa.
More Veg
Zucchini, peas, corn, potatoes, asparagus, whatever is in season and looks good.
Fancier
Swirl a dollop of prepared pesto into each bowl. Or add a sprinkling of fresh grated Parmesan or crispy croutons
How Can I Add More Flavor to Vegetable Soup?
I love the pure unadulterated flavor of this soup that really allows the flavors of the vegetables to shine. But everyone’s tastebuds are different. I’ve observed through the years that one person’s spicy is another person’s bland.
So here are some tried and true ways to add more flavor to your soup:
- Fresh or dried herbs. Try adding basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano or marjoram or some combination.
- Dried herb blends. Two of my favorites are Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence (affiliate link).
- Chile paste (such as Harissa), crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or chopped fresh chiles are great ways to add a spicy kick.
- Curry powder, paprika or smoked paprika
- Add a Parmesan rind while the soup is simmering.
- Curry Paste (Red or green.) Thai curry paste is a great way to add flavor to soup! Mix it early on in cooking to give the flavors more time to develop.
- Vinegar or lemon juice. A tiny amount of acid will instantly brighten up the flavors of most any dish. Try adding a spoonful of lemon juice or vinegar vinegar to a bowl of dull, flat-tasting soup to perk it up.
- Pesto. Stir a spoonful of jarred or frozen pesto into a chunky vegetable soup, or swirl it on as a garnish to fancy up pureed soups.
Serving Suggestions
Ideas from Jamie for “pimping up your soup”:
- Try grilling, toasting or baking chunky croutons or slices of ciabatta bread.
- Tear in soft fresh herbs like basil, parsley and mint.
- All sorts of different cheeses can be crumbled and grated over, or stirred in.
- Try a nice dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream on top.
If you’ve made this Vegetable Bean Soup, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Jamie Oliver Vegetable Soup with Beans Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 cups chicken or vegetable broth (affiliate link)
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes (optional)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 celery stalks, peeled and sliced
- 2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 can (14 to 15 ounces) cannellini beans
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 2 cups small cauliflower florets
- 7 cups spinach leaves (about 7 ounces)
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil (affiliate link) and freshly ground Parmesan for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Put the broth and canned tomatoes, if using, in a saucepan and heat until boiling.
- Meanwhile, Put a large deep soup pot on medium heat and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and stir them together with a wooden spoon (affiliate link). Place the lid on askew and cook them until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape and the onion is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. (You’ll want to give them a stir every so often so they don’t begin to stick or burn.)
- Add the boiling broth to the vegetables in the soup pot. Add the beans, broccoli, cauliflower and chopped fresh tomatoes. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook for 30 seconds more, then remove pot from the heat.
- Ladle into serving bowls and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (affiliate link) and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 3 SmartPoints (Green plan) 1 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 1 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 4 PointsPlus (Old plan) Ideas from Jamie for “pimping up your soup”
- Try grilling, toasting or baking chunky croutons or slices of ciabatta bread
- Tear in soft fresh herbs like basil, parsley and mint
- All sorts of different cheeses can be crumbled and grated over, or stirred in
- Try a nice dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream on top
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: adapted from Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals (affiliate link) by Jamie Oliver.
Very tasty, I did add a small amount of cabbage.
So many ads nearly impossible to find the actual recipe
Love this soup – have made it several times and it never ceases to please . Always blitz half and return to the chunky remainder as it gives a lovely thick texture. Would highly recommend.