- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 courgettes
- 400g tin of butter beans
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- ½ x 200ml crème fraîche
- 1 lemon
- A handful of chervil
- Sea salt
- Frestly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 600ml boiling water
- Large pan
- Measuring jug
- Blender, stick blender or masher
- 1.
Fill and boil your kettle. Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Trim the tops off the courgettes and chop the courgettes into small chunks.
- 2.
Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a large pan and warm to a medium heat. Slide in the onion, garlic and courgettes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and fry the veg for 8-10 mins, stirring every now and then, till softened.
- 3.
Drain the butter beans and rinse them with cold water. Add the beans to the veg. Pour in 600ml boiling water. Crumble in the stock cube and stir. Bring the soup to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 10 mins.
- 4.
Use a hand-held blender to whizz roughly half the soup smooth, leaving some bits of chunky veg and beans. No hand-held blender? You can use a masher to crush up some of the veg and beans. Add half the pot of crème fraîche to the pan and squeeze in half of the lemon juice. Stir well, adding more salt or pepper if needed.
- 5.
Finely chop the chervil leaves and stalks. Ladle the soup into a couple of bowls and serve topped with the chervil and a dollop of crème fraîche.
- Tip
Crème of the crop
You can use the rest of the pot of crème fraîche to dollop over the soup, though this will affect the nutritional information. Otherwise, the extra will keep in the fridge for a few days, and is ideal for spooning over warm puddings, spicy bowls of chilli or fluffy baked spuds. - Tip
Eat & Keep
This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Stir the chervil into the soup, then divide it into containers, cool completely, seal and chill or freeze. Defrost overnight, and reheat till piping hot all the way through.