White bean, vegetable & gnocchi soup

After a good month of eating our way through what feels like gallons of cream, tons of butter and mounds of cheese, lighter but still comforting recipes are surely very welcome for most of us throughout January, right? This soup hits all the notes on the scale as it were, because it’s full of vegetables but is also hearty and comforting.

When we think of creamy, velvety soups, we tend to think of double/heavy cream, and while I’m known for throwing cream into any dish I can, the ingredient that transforms this soup into a velvety, creamy one is lighter and probably unexpected. Greek yoghurt, when added to soups, provides a creaminess with a slight tanginess to keep the dish light and zippy tasting. It’s also a nice way of adding more protein into your soups. So, if you’re looking for healthy, high protein easy recipes to begin 2025 with, this gnocchi soup seems like an excellent idea!

Note for if you plan to reheat the soup: to stabilise the yoghurt and prevent it from curdling, add 1tsp to the yoghurt mixture before adding to the soup off the heat.

Ingredients (2 large or 4 small portions)

500g pre-made/shop bought gnocchi

1litre stock (I used homemade chicken bone broth but of course, you can swap this for vegetable stock)

2tbsp olive oil

1/2 white onion finely chopped

1 large carrot finely diced

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 jarred roasted red peppers (you could switch this out for approximately 8 sun dried tomatoes if you prefer this flavour or if sun dried tomatoes are more accessible)

400g can cannellini beans (you could use butter beans)

1tsp paprika

2 large handfuls kale

Yoghurt mixture:

125g greek yoghurt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 grated garlic clove

Parmesan for topping

Method:

In a large pot or casserole dish, sweat the onion, 2 cloves of garlic and carrot in the olive for a couple of minutes until softened.

Add the paprika and cook for another 30 seconds before adding the peppers and beans.

Add the stock and leave the soup to simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, garlic and lemon. Season to taste with salt and set aside.

Add the gnocchi to the soup and leave to simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Add the kale towards the last couple of minutes here.

Remove the soup from the heat or switch off the gas/heat and add the yoghurt mixture (remember: if you plan on reheating this soup for other days, add 1tsp cornstarch to the yoghurt mixture before adding to the soup). Stir quickly and thoroughly.