Chicken and leek barley soup
A warm chicken soup with soft leeks, carrots and pearl barley.
About 55 min · 405 kcal · 36 g protein per serving
Sweet potato and tofu ginger soup
A silky sweet potato soup with tofu and a restrained ginger finish.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the sweet potato is tender in 15 to 18 minutes
- Photograph the finished bowls
- Time
- About 35 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 290 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 15 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains soya. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- vegetable stock. Vegetable stock often contains celery, and some contain milk or gluten; check the label, especially if you need it vegan.
Cooking steps
Warm the oil in a large pan and cook the onion and ginger for 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potato and stock and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, until completely tender.
Take the pan off the heat, add the silken tofu and blend until smooth, filling the blender no more than half full.
Warm it through gently without boiling. Taste it before adding more ginger: 5 g is already noticeable, and it grows stronger as the soup stands.
Serve with the coriander scattered over.
The useful detail
Start with the stated ginger amount and adjust only after tasting. Ginger keeps developing in a hot soup, so what tastes mild in the pan can be sharp by the time it reaches the table.
Make it work for you
One serving is A large bowl, half the pan. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Butternut squash instead of sweet potato
Less sweet and a little thinner when blended.
Per serving: about 70 kcal less, about 1 g less protein, about the same fat.
Milk instead of silken tofu
Thinner and lower in protein. Use about 250 ml.
Per serving: about 30 kcal less, about 7 g less protein, about 3 g less fat.
Allergens: Removes soya; adds milk.
Parsley instead of coriander
For anyone who finds coriander soapy.
Per serving: about the same energy, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A smooth vegan soup where the tofu supplies protein a sweet potato soup would otherwise lack. It is the lightest bowl in this group.
| Energy | 290 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 15 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| of which saturates | 1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 43 g |
| of which sugars | 11 g |
| Fibre | 6 g |
| Sodium | 980 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rapeseed or other neutral oil | 4.5 g | FDC 172336Oil, canola | 41 kcal | 0.0 g |
| onion | 60 g | FDC 170000Onions, raw | 24 kcal | 0.7 g |
| fresh ginger | 5 g | FDC 169231Ginger root, raw | 4 kcal | 0.1 g |
| sweet potatoes | 350 g | FDC 168482Sweet potato, raw, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | 301 kcal | 5.5 g |
| vegetable stock | 590 g | FDC 171583Soup, vegetable broth, ready to serve | 29 kcal | 1.4 g |
| silken tofu | 300 g | FDC 172449Tofu, soft, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)Calculated with FoodData Central's soft tofu record, the closest it holds to silken tofu. | 183 kcal | 21.5 g |
| fresh coriander | 5 g | FDC 169997Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw | 1 kcal | 0.1 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 583 kcal | 29.3 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool it quickly, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. The FDA chart gives soups and stews 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently; silken tofu splits at a boil.
- In the freezer
- The same chart gives soups and stews 2 to 3 months in the freezer for best quality.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout, stirring so it heats evenly.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Butternut, white bean and sage soup
Roasted squash and white beans blended into a smooth sage soup.
About 50 min · 345 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian