How do I make soup?

Soup is one method with endless variations, not hundreds of recipes. Once you know the structure — aromatic base, main ingredient, liquid, simmer, finish — you can make soup out of whatever is in the fridge without a recipe at all.

What you'll need

• Large saucepan
• Stock or stock cubes
• Onion, and usually carrot and celery
• Oil or butter
• Stick blender (optional)
• Lemon or vinegar for finishing

Step by step

1. Soften a chopped onion in oil or butter over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes.Soft and translucent, not browned. This slow start builds the sweetness the whole soup rests on.
2. Add carrot and celery if using, and cook another 5 minutes.Onion, carrot and celery is the standard aromatic base for a reason — it works under almost anything.
3. Add garlic and any dried spices and cook for one minute only.Garlic burns fast and turns bitter. One minute, stirring, then liquid.
4. Add the main vegetable, chopped to roughly even sizes.Even sizes means everything is done at the same time. Uneven means some is mush and some is raw.
5. Pour in stock to about 2cm above the vegetables.Less than you think. You can always thin a thick soup; you can't easily thicken a watery one.
6. Simmer gently until the vegetables are properly tender — usually 15–25 minutes.Test with a knife. Undercooked vegetables blend grainy rather than smooth.
7. Blend if you want it smooth, adding liquid until it's the consistency you want.A stick blender in the pan is easiest. Fill a jug blender no more than half full with hot liquid and hold the lid with a cloth.
8. Season with salt, then add acid — a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar — and taste again.This is the step that separates good soup from flat soup. It won't taste sour; it'll taste like the flavour finally arrived.

Tips

• If soup tastes dull, it usually needs salt or acid, not more herbs. Add a small amount of each and taste between.
• Roasting the vegetables first instead of boiling them concentrates the flavour dramatically — worth the extra 30 minutes for tomato, squash, or root vegetables.
• A potato blended in adds body without cream. So does a handful of red lentils simmered from the start.
• Soup freezes very well — but freeze before adding cream or dairy, which can split on reheating.

Common mistakes

• Too much liquid — Dilutes everything and can't be undone without cooking it down for ages.
• Rushing the onion — Browned rather than softened onion gives a harsh edge that runs through the whole soup.
• Skipping the acid at the end — It's the most common reason home soup tastes flat despite being well seasoned.
• Filling a jug blender with hot soup — Steam pressure blows the lid off. Half-fill, vent, and hold the lid with a folded cloth.

Questions people ask