Looking for a winter warmer, or just after something more cosy and hearty coming into the cooler months? This watercress and Wensleydale soup will hit the spot.
Watercress has a lovely fresh and peppery taste and pairs brilliantly with savoury cheese like Wensleydale or even a stronger blue cheese like Stilton.
We've also blended it with onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potato and plenty of hot chicken or vegetable stock but you can use up any leftover veg you might have at home so nothing goes to waste!
Serve piping hot with some crusty bread on the side.
For more vegetarian recipes, check out our gallery which will give you endless inspiration.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
50 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Cal/Serv:
268
Ingredients
3Tbsp.
olive oil
1
large onion, finely chopped
2
fat garlic cloves, chopped
1
celery stalk, finely chopped
1
small carrot, finely chopped
350g
floury potatoes, diced
1l
hot chicken or vegetable stock
3
large bunches watercress, stalks removed
225g
Wensleydale or Lancashire cheese, crumbled, plus extra to serve
Directions
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook, stirring, for 10min over a medium heat until the onion is soft but not coloured. Add the potatoes and stock, cover and simmer for 20min.
Step 2
Set aside a few watercress sprigs for garnish, then add remainder to the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2min. Cool a little, then purée in a blender or food processor.
Step 3
Return soup to the pan and whisk in the Wensleydale or Lancashire cheese. Reheat, without boiling, then taste for seasoning. Serve immediately, topping each bowl with a small handful of toasted breadcrumbs, a little grated cheese and a small sprig of watercress.
Step 4
To serve -
Toasted breadcrumbs, made with soda bread, are a good alternative to croûtons. Whiz a thick slice of soda bread in a food processor to make rough crumbs, then toast on a lipped baking sheet at 220°C (200°C Fan) mark 7 for 8-10min until golden. Cool and store in an airtight container until needed.
Adding flavour
This soup has a mild, creamy flavour. For more bite, use a blue cheese such as Shropshire Blue or Stilton.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).