A Soup Formula

In Rio, where it never really gets cold, we don’t delegate soups to certain months. Year-round soup is my best-kept kitchen secret for balance.

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I love to go out to eat. Eating a soup for dinner is my go-to recovery method for catching up after an indulgent weekend or to even out a day when I had a big lunch. In Rio, where it never really gets cold, we don’t delegate soups to certain months. I eat soup year-round, even in warmer months. PS, if it’s eating a hot thing on a hot day that bothers you, a gazpacho is a perfectly valid soup dinner for summer, although it’s a tad more complicated to make than this formula.

Eating soup with joy is… an acquired taste. Some people think it is a food to be eaten only when you are sick, others argue that it is not satisfying enough to be a meal. This method for a single-vegetable soup is straightforward to make and flexible, allowing you to work with what’s in your pantry. It’s also nourishing, includes protein, and delivers the final dash of satiety with a flavor bomb.

Soup does not have to feel like punishment, and after trying one of these combinations, it may be a game changer in your repertoire as well.

Staple Ingredients

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 8-14 ounce block of tofu, crumbled

Vegetables (Choose One, these are in my regular rotation)

Broccoli (2 heads, florets broken up)
Cauliflower (1 head broken up)
Butternut Squash (a medium, about 2 cups diced)
Sweet Potatoes (2-3, about 2 cups diced)
Mushrooms (1 pound, trimmed and roughly chopped)
Asparagus (1 bunch, trimmed and chopped into thirds)

Flavor Bombs (Choose 1-3 and add 1-2 tablespoons)

Blue cheese crumbles
Freshly grated parmesan
Pan-fried bacon bits
Pan-fried pancetta
Diced and pan-fried linguica
Truffle Oil
Sriracha
Savory granola
Parsley
Cilantro
Pan-fried sage in butter
Curry powder (this is the only one that should get added at the start, while sauteeing onions and garlic)
Big Night Glitter
Spicy Fried Shallots and Garlic

Carb Add-Ons (if you’d like)

A slice of buttered sourdough on the side
Toasted pita bread topped with Maldon flakes on the side
¼ cup of cooked pasta added to the soup

Combinations I love

Cauliflower + Truffle Oil + Parmesan
Squash + Curry Powder + Savory Granola
Squash + Blue Cheese
Asparagus + Bacon
Mushrooms + Pancetta + Glitter
Cauliflower + Pasta + Linguica

To Prepare

Saute onions and garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes

*If using curry powder, add it here

Add your vegetable plus just enough water to cover them into the pot (err on less water, you can always add water later if the soup is too thick)

Simmer for 15 minutes

Crumble the tofu into the pot

Blend using an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender, being careful with holding the lid so the hot liquid doesn’t pop it off!)

Serve three ladles of soup into a bowl and top with your flavor bombs. Save the rest for another night or freeze in two batches for future soup bliss.