Gordon Ramsay’s vegetable soup is chunky, warming and loaded with root veg, celery and butter beans in a rich vegetable broth. It takes about 30 minutes and the whole pot costs less than £5 to make, which is hard to beat for a meal that feeds six.
This is his Chunky Vegetable Soup from Make It Easy, where he writes it for kids coming home from school: “Even a child who hates veggies may be tempted.” The trick is butter beans, which give the soup real body and protein so it feels like a proper meal rather than flavoured water. He uses a similar base-building approach in his Quick Minestrone in Fast Food, where he adds broken spaghetti and savoy cabbage instead.
The other thing he does that most people skip is a quick partial blend at the end. A few pulses with a stick blender thickens the broth by breaking down some of the veg, but leaves most of the chunks intact. You get a soup that coats the spoon without losing the texture.
Gordon Ramsay’s Vegetable Soup
Course: Soup, Main4-6
10
minutes30
minutes195
kcal40
minutesEasy
Gordon Ramsay’s chunky vegetable soup from Make It Easy, packed with carrots, sweet potato, turnip and butter beans in vegetable stock. Partially blended for a thick broth with proper chunks. Finished with parsley, olive oil and Parmesan. About £4.70 to make, ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
1.2L (5 cups) vegetable stock
4 celery sticks, finely sliced
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 turnip, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
400g (14 oz) tin butter beans, drained
Sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
Directions
- Heat the stock: Pour the vegetable stock into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Add the vegetables: Tip in the celery, onion, carrots, turnip and sweet potato. Bring back to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until all the veg are soft.
- Add the butter beans: Stir in the drained butter beans and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Partially blend: Season with salt and pepper. Use a stick blender to give the soup a few quick pulses. You want to thicken the broth by breaking down some of the veg, but keep most of the chunks intact.
- Finish and serve: Stir in the chopped parsley and check the seasoning. Ladle into warm bowls, drizzle with olive oil and finish with a generous grating of Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay add butter beans?
The starch from the beans thickens the broth as they simmer, and they add protein that turns this from a light starter into a proper meal. Without them you’d have veg floating in thin stock.
Can I add chicken to this soup?
Yes. Shred leftover roast chicken and stir it in with the butter beans during the last 10 minutes. Ramsay keeps this recipe vegetarian in the book, but it takes chicken well if you want more protein.
Can I swap the vegetables?
The technique works with whatever you have. Ramsay uses turnip and sweet potato because they hold their shape and add sweetness, but parsnip, courgette or butternut squash all work. For a more Italian take, add broken spaghetti and savoy cabbage like Ramsay does in his Quick Minestrone from Fast Food.
How much does this soup cost to make?
About £4.70 for 4 to 6 bowls. The sweet potato is about £0.30, carrots and turnip roughly £0.85 together, celery £0.65, butter beans £0.55 a tin, and an onion £0.20. The Parmesan is the priciest bit at around £1.50 for a small block, but you only need a small grating per bowl.
It goes well alongside slow-braised oxtail or with a quick air fryer steak if you want something more filling.
Does vegetable soup freeze well?
This veg soup freezes brilliantly. No dairy or fish to worry about, so it keeps for up to three months. It actually tastes better the next day because the flavours develop as it sits.
