Sweet Potato, Pasta and Leek Soup
Cold weather can certainly challenge our commitment to healthy eating. For many people, fresh salads may not be as enticing during the colder winter months. But you can enjoy heartwarming winter meals that are friendly to both your heart and tastebuds. Soup is an excellent convienience food for the winter. Simple and easy to make, and you can even freeze individual tubs.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
100g ditalini (tiny pasta pieces for soup)
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives pinch saffron
1kg orange sweet potato, peeled and Lavash crisps chopped
2 sheets lavash bread
1 litre reduced salt chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
1 bouquet garni (flavouring herbs)
Heat the oil in a large pot, add the leeks and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until the leeks are soft and golden.
Add the saffron and sweet potato and stir for about 5 minutes or until the sweet potato begins to soften.
Stir in the stock, cinnamon stick and bouquet garni. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the sweet potato is very soft. Remove the cinnamon stick and bouquet garni.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of rapidly boiling water until al dente (cooked, but still with a bite to it). Drain well.
Puree the soup in batches until smooth then return to the pot along with the pasta and reheat gently. If it is too thick add a little water.
To make lavash crisps use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the bread, brush lightly with oil, sprinkle with parmesan and place another star on top. Grill until crisp and golden.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, float lavash stars on top and sprinkle with chives.
Nutrients per serve Energy: 1442kJ
Energy: 344cal
Total fat: 6.8g
Saturated fat: 1.4g
Monounsaturated fat: 3.3g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g
Protein: 9.9g
Carbohydrate: 61.0g
Fibre: 5.9g
Sodium: 818mg
Cholesterol: 3mg
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