Red Velvet Soup with Corn & Creamy Cheese
Dairy Diary
4
30 minutes
20 minutes
120
Soups, Lunch
A velvety smooth and delicious soup that will have you guessing the ingredients with every spoonful – so many earthy flavours and a wonderful depth of colour, with beetroot being an obvious participant!
Recipe taken from the Healthier Comfort Food Cookbook - Shop here
Ingredients
Butternut squash 275g (10oz) peeled and cut into large chunks
Beetroot 3, halved
Tomato 2 large, halved
Onion 1 large, peeled and quartered
Red pepper, 1, halved, and deseeded
Olive Oil spray
Ground Cumin 1 tsp
Chilli powder, mild, ½ tsp
Ground Cinnamon ½ tsp
Vegetable stock 900ml (1½ pints), hot
Tomato puree 2 tbsp
Reduced fat cream cheese 75g (3oz)
Frozen sweetcorn 4 tbsp, thawed
Snipped fresh Chives, 1 tbsp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 220C / 200 fan/ Gas 7. Line two baking sheets with foil.
Put all the vegetables except the sweetcorn in a large bowl. Sprinkle in the cumin, cinnamon and chilli powder and season with salt and pepper. Lightly spray with olive oil and toss the vegetables to coat. Spread the vegetables over the baking sheets. Roast for 15-20 minutes until starting to soften and turn golden brown. Set aside and leave to cool enough to handle.
Rub off the beetroot skins. Tip the vegetables and any roasting juices into a large saucepan.
Add the hot stock and stir in the the tomato puree. Bring to the boil then reduce to the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Using a stick blender, whizz until smooth, adding a little more hot stock or water to adjust the consistency if needed. Season to taste.
Blend 1-2 tablespoons cold water with the soft cheese. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls then swirl the creamy cheese into the soup and garnish with sweetcorn and fresh chives. Serve piping hot.