Creamy Bacon and Vegetable Soup – Use Up Your Leftovers!
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How can you make the most of every meal you cook? Use up the leftovers!
Making meals with the leftovers from last night’s dinner really is a great way to create quick, simple and budget-friendly variety in the kitchen. Sometimes the best meals I make include the leftovers from another meal! I often wish I’d written out what I did, because I never seem to be able to make it quite the same again. Know that feeling?
That quote there? That’s me. Queen of leftovers. Ha!
Thankfully, this recipe for Creamy Bacon and Vegetable Soup is so simple that it works perfectly every time, whether you use leftovers or start from scratch. It’s a family favourite around here, so tasty and filling, and perfect for those days when you don’t have lots of time to cook.
To make this soup, you can use leftover veges and cauliflower-leek mash from my Chicken Pot Pie recipe, here; or if you don’t have leftovers, it’s super easy to make a batch of cauliflower and leek mash, just check out the ingredients and instructions here. Or if you like, you can simply steam some cauliflower and leek and blend it with some coconut oil, herb salt and pepper. Raw veges can either be steamed while the soup cooks (Thermomix version) or cooked in the soup (stovetop version) if you are starting from scratch.
I’ve added a vegetarian version (in the notes) for those of you who prefer not to have bacon, and this recipe is dairy free, grain free, egg free and nut free too!
Just a note about the bacon – I buy grass fed, nitrate free, locally grown bacon from my local butchers (Sunnyville Free Range Pigs). If you don’t know where to get good quality, ethically raised, nitrate free bacon in your area, just ask in my chat group and someone will be sure to help you.
Ok, I’m going to get some broth cooking and then we’re off to the library – it’s very wet and windy here, so it’s definitely soup and book-reading weather, yay!!
Have a great weekend, everyone! x
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 brown onion, halved
- 50g duck fat, ghee or coconut oil
- 150g free range, nitrate free bacon (weigh after removing bacon rind)
- 3 cups chicken broth (or water with 2 Tbspn chicken or vege stock paste)
- 4 cups mixed veges (approx) - eg. sliced carrots, broccoli florets, brussel sprouts halved, sliced zucchini, peas (see variation below for using leftover cooked veges)
- 2 cups (600g) leftover cauliflower mash (approx)
- Place garlic into Thermomix bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7.
- Add onion and bacon and chop 2 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula.
- Add fat (or ghee or oil), and broth (or water and paste). Place Varoma on top and add veges to Varoma.
- Cook 20 mins/Varoma/rev/sp 1, or until veges are soft.
- Set Varoma aside, and add cauliflower mash to bowl. Cook 5 mins/Varoma/rev/sp 1.
- Mix soup and veges together in large serving bowl and season to taste. (If you don't have a bowl big enough, spoon veges into bowls, and pour over soup.)
- Mince garlic, chop bacon and onion, and place all into a large pot on stove.
- Add fat (or ghee or oil) and broth (or water and stock paste) and cook for about 10 mins, covered, or until meat is cooked and onion is soft.
- Add cauliflower mash and veges, and simmer until heated through, stirring now and then, for about 15 more mins. (If using leftover veges, simmer for 5-10 mins, or until warmed through.)
- Season to taste.
- To use leftover veges, place them into the Varoma after soup has cooked for 10 mins, so they warm up in the last 10 mins of cooking time.
- You can use as many veges as you like in this soup, whatever fits into the Varoma. Just remember to poke a hole in the middle of the veges before cooking, so that the steam can get through.
- Swap the bacon for about 2 cups of sliced mushrooms. After chopping the onion and garlic, add mushrooms with ghee or coconut oil and cook 3 mins /Varoma/reverse/speed 1 (or sauté in pan for stovetop method), then add broth and continue with recipe.
19 Comments
OMG! This is to die for! Bacon free Thermi method. so delicious. Thank you for another yummy recipe Jo.
Oh yay!! You’re welcome!
I love this soup! One of my fav! So creamy and full of flavour! xx
I’ve made this twice now. Both times it has been amazing! Always used the cauli and leek mash as left over from both paprika chicken meal and chicken pot pie. Thanks for the recipe, my family loves it!
I just wanted to write and say thank you.
I just ate this amazing soup and for the first time in many months, I felt like I had eaten something with flavour and nourishment.
I have been struggling with nerve pain from my neck arthritis (at only 35 years of age) and have noticed that my sense of taste was disappearing.
Well…tonight it cane back.
This soup tasted like something my dear old departed Gran would have made me.
I have frozen the rest so that I can have this feeling again and again.
Thanks Jo xxx
Oh that’s great!! I’m so happy to hear that. xxxx
Just made this and it’s delish!.. Thanks for the fab recipe ????
I just listened to 3 deffirent podcasts (love y’all!) so I’m hoping my question is being posted on the correct one. Basically I was listening to the part about liquid food and it makes sense to me, but also makes me sad because I love post workout smoothies! Pre- paleo I would frequently do smoothies for breakfast, but I now only have one on workout days and I add kale & spinach to make it a green smoothie. I felt like I was doing a service to myself, getting those dark leafy greens in- but now should I assume that’s not the case? I guess it’s just so much easier for me to suck it down rather than sit and eat fruit and greens and a glass of coconut milk. Thanks so much! Y’all have been a huge help for me and my paleo journey.
Just wondering if there’s anything I can use instead of mashed cauliflower?
Thanks x
Mashed potato?
Quirky Jo, I’ve only got about a cup of cauliflower mash left over, can I add anything else?
I thought your coconut chicken soup was amazing but this is too! Well done!
I just made this recipe (and the Cauliflower & Leek Mash) for the first time. It reminds me of leek and potato soup, but healthier and tastier. Thank you Jo for another delicious meal that is sure to become a family favourite.
Thank you so very much! My fussy big child (husband) had one spoonful and said that it was amazing! It’s hard to keep everyone happy with a quick meal after work but this was so delicious, even without the mash. Going to be a regular go to meal! Thank you again.
How many does this serve?
Where is the leek mentioned in the mash? I can only see cauliflower mash?
Hi Mary-Ellen! The link to the Cauliflower Leek Mash is in the blurb above. 🙂
I made the Cauliflower Leek Mash the other night, for the first time, to use with our sausages and veg and instead of potato, it was so delicious and I decided to put some aside to try your Creamy Bacon and Vegetable Soup OMG I have just had to portion it out in meals to freeze and in the fridge for lunches before I eat it all in one sitting LOL… Thank you so much, I am not much of a soup eater but this was divine!!!
Yay Wanda! Glad you loved the mash and soup…both very yummy! 🙂 xx