A beginner's guide to getting soupy!
Now it’s autumn we have shared a few delicious and healthy soups on our Instagram account.
A fancy soup maker is a nice addition to your meal plan efforts.
You may prefer a simple saucepan but if time is of the essence and you like to batch cook and prep ahead, a soup maker could be a great option to have a bowl of soup at your fingertips whenever you reach for the junk food options and need to snap out of it.
Soup is a great option for reducing food waste and saving you money. Chucking in your vegetable leftovers and turning them into delicious soups and sauces will have you discovering all kinds of soup sensations.
Homemade leftover chicken soup for example can be made with just a few ingredients that meet your protein needs.
We have included five fantastic soups to discover this autumn but before we get down to the recipes a few questions to clear up…
exactly what is a soup maker, why do you need one, and how to use it?!
What is a soup maker?
Exactly that!
A one-pot stop, just put your ingredients in and a soup maker will do the rest.
Most have various functions to create chunky or smooth soups, and all you need to do is chuck in your vegetables and stock, your protein, add a few spices and away you go.
Just press a button and enjoy a bowl of soup much healthier, cheaper, and tastier than shop-bought tins.
Is it worth buying a soup maker?
We certainly think so! Nothing keeps you motivated than a sexy-looking new kitchen gadget to get you making delicious, cheap, and healthy meal prep.
The Autumn go-to lunch is a warm bowl of soup but if you are pressed for time and want more than a bog-standard tin of cream of tomato with all the added sugar and preservatives, then look no further than a handy soup maker.
You won’t need to hover over a pan stirring and adjusting the heat.
Do soup makers cook the soup?
Your soup maker will do it for you, simply slice or dice your ingredients and press play.
No tending (other than maybe adjusting your temperature setting), then blending once cooled a bit, a good soup maker will take you from raw ingredients to cooked and desired soup consistency in as little as 20 minutes depending on the model you go for.
Not only that, most have a keep-warm setting so whenever you are ready, you can enjoy homemade nutrient-rich soup which beats any shop-bought tin.
Do you cook veg before putting it in the soup maker?
As mentioned above there is no need to pre-cook your veg.
Simply chop your ingredients, add your liquid base and press a button. It's quick and easy to enjoy healthy soup.
The great thing about soup is not only is it packed with healthy veg, but it’s also filling too and great for portioning off into meal prep containers and reheating during the week.
You can even freeze your soups to enjoy for the weeks ahead so there is no need for repetitive meals as part of your meal prep.
What is the best soup maker to buy?
When it comes to budget and features, here are the best soup makers on the market.
When shopping around it’s worth noting price, jug size (do you need a family-sized capacity for your meal prep or your family to enjoy delicious soups too?), and if your chosen model is dishwasher safe.
Here are the ones worth considering for quick and easy soup-making!
Tefal easy soup and smoothie maker
An excellent entry-level soup maker although not as large as its competitors at 1.2 litres and not the cheapest still a fantastic soup maker for your healthy meal prep efforts.
Price: £120
Features:
- 1.2 litre capacity.
- Stainless steel jug.
- Create different texture soups.
- Manual and automatic settings.
- Cold blend function for healthy smoothies and smoothie bowl recipes.
Score: 8/10
Morphy Richards Soup Maker
The Morphy Richards soup maker offers incredible value and is easy to use, what are you waiting for at this price!
Price: £47
Features:
- 1.6 litre capacity.
- Stainless steel, easy to clean.
- 4 different functions (smooth, chunky, juice, blend).
Score: 8/10
Ninja Soup Maker (and Blender)
The Ninja soup maker is a very nice gadget for meal prep needs, one downside is it’s quite heavy but if that’s not an issue a smart, sexy, soupy best friend.
Price: £129.99
Features:
- Glass jug.
- Cleaning tool included.
- Features: 1.7 litre capacity.
- 10 automatic program options.
- Suitable for hot and cold recipes.
- Chop, saute, blend and cook functions.
Score: 9/10
Tower Soup and Smoothie Maker
Excellent value, 1.6 litre soup maker with a 500ml flask for meal prepping on the go! Not the nicest-looking model on the market but a good one.
Price: £52
Features:
- Stainless steel jug.
- Easy clean and rinse feature.
- 500ml flask for on-the-go cheap and healthy meal prep.
- Safety feature to prevent burns so ideal for families with young children.
Score: 7/10
Daewoo Family Sized Soup and Smoothie Maker
Another good budget starter option when getting soupy, however, it’s worth noting you cannot submerge the unit in water so it is a bit fiddly when it comes to cleaning.
Price: £43.99
Features:
- Overfill indicator.
- 1.6 litre capacity.
- Beep warm function.
- Burn prevention technology.
Score: 6/10
Soup maker recipes
Make life easier with our favourite flavourful soup recipes.
You don’t need a soup maker, you could even use a slow cooker if you are busy and need to not have to tend a saucepan. Soups are a great way to avoid the bog-standard tin of tomato soup and get some fresh, healthy vegetables in your diet.
Here are some hearty soup recipes that will blow your socks off…
Chicken and Chorizo Soup
Shredded chicken heaven! You have not had a chicken soup as good as this one!
Serves: 4
- 275 calories
- 13.5g fat
- 7.5g carbs
- 24g protein
Ingredients:
- 1 onion
- 2 peppers
- 100g chorizo
- 300g chicken
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1tsp each of paprika, cumin, chillies, oregano, curry powder.
Cheeseburger Soup
Yes, you read that right, simply the most indulgent bowl of cheesy, saucy goodness!
Serves 4
- 350 calories
- 18g fat
- 10g carbs
- 33g protein
Ingredients:
- 1 onion
- 20g plain flour
- 1 beef stock pot
- 100g spicy cheese
- 500g lean steak mince
- 3 tins volume of hot water
- 1 tin tomato (condensed) soup
Chicken and Mental Lentil Soup
A filling hearty soup packed full of goodness. Plus a large bowl for everyone or if you prefer not to share, batch cooking for the week ahead.
Serves 5 (large bowls)
- 275 calories
- 4g fat
- 29g carbs
- 26g protein
Ingredients:
- 5 carrots
- 1 large leek
- 300g chicken
- 240g red lentils
- 240g red lentils
- Salt and pepper
- 1 litre water (from boiling chicken)
- 500ml chicken stock (simmer for 15-20 mins)
Chorizo and Sweet Potato Soup
A low-calorie, easy recipe for sweet potato lovers.
Serves 4
- 200 calories
Ingredients:
- 1 onion
- 3 carrots
- 80g chorizo
- 1 red pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 300g sweet tattie (potato)
- 1 tbsp each curry powder, chilli powder
Chicken Orzo Soup
This is an easy recipe to suit the whole family. Absolutely banging!
Serves 4
- 24g protein per serving
Ingredients:
- 1 leek
- 2 carrots
- 150g orzo
- 250g chicken
- 1.5 litres of hot water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 chicken stock pot/cubes
Chicken and Rice Soup
Mum’s recipe! We couldn’t leave this one out!
Serves 4
- 383 calories
- 5.3g fat
- 69g carbs
- 24g protein
Ingredients:
- 2 leeks
- 5-6 carrots
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 chicken breasts
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 3 chicken stock cubes
- 200g white rice (cooked)
- 500-800 mls chicken (veg)
- 1 litre chicken stock (chicken)
Follow our Instagram or Facebook for more delicious soup recipes this season to suit your budget, your taste buds, and your weight loss goals. Don’t forget to tag us and tell us which soup maker recipe you enjoyed the most.