As summer falls away into autumn, I am already excited at the prospect of warming, hearty comfort foods. There is something about the cooler days that brings back memories of childhood, don’t you think? Well, for me those memories include the comforting soups that my mum used to make to defrost cold noses after chilly playtimes.
My reworking of goulash soup has replaced the potato staple with butter beans – similar in texture and just as fulfilling but nutritionally far superior. Packed with fibre, magnesium and folate, a serving of butter beans also provides more than a quarter of our daily iron needs, as well as being a source of protein and anti-oxidants.
Ingredients
- 2-3 inches of chorizo sausage* – sliced in half lengthways and then sliced into small chunks
- A can or pack or ready cooked butter beans, drained
- 1 onion – quartered and sliced
- 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1inch strips and these finely sliced
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 courgette (zuchini), thinly sliced or spiralised
- 1 large handful Kale, chopped
- 1 pack of tomato passata (I used half of a 700gram bottle)
- 1 pint stock
* As I have a sensitivity to gluten rather than full blown celiac disease, I can eat many good quality brands of chorizo providing they do not contain gluten in their ingredients. If you need to be absolutely sure your chorizo is gluten-free, there are specialist suppliers such as the Yorkshire Chorizo Company
Put It All Together
- In a large saucepan, gently saute the onion, peppers, garlic and chorizo on a medium heat. You shouldn’t need any extra oil, as the oil from the chorizo will be enough.
- When the onions and peppers are softened, add the passata and stock and gently heat to a simmer.
- Add the kale and butter beans and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the courgette and simmering for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened but still have some ‘bite’ to them.
- Season with sea salt and pepper to taste