Monsoon Special: Warm Your Belly With These 6 Hearty Soups

The rainy season calls for simple yet comforting recipes, and these are just that, and more!

The monsoon season in India is magical. But a few days of continuous rainfall and the resultant flooded streets, seemingly never-ending traffic, and WiFi-less hours can induce a chill that only a bowlful of hearty soup (or two) can cure. Hence, it’s only wise to keep a collection of soup recipes handy and stock up the necessary ingredients while you can. Here you’ll find 6 of our favorite nourishing bowls of belly-warming goodness that you can enjoy with a piece of delicious crusty bread.

These comforting recipes are loaded with the goodness of California walnuts, which can easily be described as wonder nuts, thanks to their health benefits. Studies show that walnuts may reduce the risk of heart disease1, improve brain health2, aid gut health3, and may also help in weight management.

Creamy California Walnut And Tomato Soup
This wholesome and delicious recipe takes the classic tomato soup and kicks it up a few notches with the richness of cream and parmesan made using California walnuts. Plus, it’s vegan-friendly!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 chopped cup onion
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes
  • Pepper to taste
  • 2/3 cup California walnut cream
  • 3 tablespoons fresh basil
  • California walnut Parmesan crumbles

Preparation:

  1. Heat oil In a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
  2. Add vegetable stock, salt, sugar, and tomatoes; cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Season with pepper.
  3. Add basil and purée with a stick blender until very smooth.
  4. Stir in walnut cream and garnish with additional basil and shaved walnut Parmesan.

*For California walnut cream, purée 2 cups walnuts and a cup of water in a blender or food processor until very smooth and light and fluffy. Cover and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

* For California walnut Parmesan crumbles toss ½ cup walnuts in 2 teaspoons of olive oil, then sprinkle with 1 ½ tablespoon nutritional yeast and salt in a small bowl. Freeze for 30 minutes and chop them coarsely.

Leeks, Walnut And Lemon Soup
A soup that best can be described as a party in your mouth, the leeks, walnut, and lemon soup makes for a fun weekday dinner. The leeks give a mildly sweet taste to the soup, while walnuts make it creamy, and lemon juice adds a bit of zing!

Ingredients

  • 2 leeks
  • 30g extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemon
  • A pinch of salt
  • A pinch of pepper
  • 1 handful of California walnuts
  • 1 litre of broth or water

Preparation:

  1. Cut the leeks in quarters.
  2. Sauté them in a pot with olive oil.
  3. Add the walnuts and cover them with water or broth. Boil for 15 minutes.
  4. Mash and serve with some chopped walnuts and grated lemon.

Spinach Creamy Soup With Crispy Walnut-Parmesan Biscuits
When the temperature gets too cold, seek comfort in this garlicky spinach cream soup made using fresh spinach, potato, California walnuts, and onion cooked in a flavourful vegetable broth and seasoned with black pepper. The experience of this delectable soup is incomplete without our four-ingredient crispy walnut and parmesan biscuit.

Ingredients
For the spinach cream:

  • 200g of fresh spinach
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 potatoes
  • 1 litre of vegetable stock
  • 50 g of California walnuts
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 30g of extra virgin olive oil

For the Walnut-Parmesan biscuit:

  • 100g shelled California walnuts
  • 100g grated Parmesan cheese
  • Pinch of sweet paprika
  • Aromatic herbs

Preparation:
For the cream:

  1. Fry the onion and garlic and add the potatoes and spinach too.
  2. Cover everything with the vegetable stock, add the walnuts, and season it. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes and mash until getting a cream texture.
  3. Serve the cream very hot with a couple of walnut and parmesan cookies.

For the Walnut-Parmesan biscuit:

  1. Spread a thin layer of parmesan cheese on a baking tray, spread the chopped walnuts on top, and season with paprika and aromatic herbs.
  2. Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes and leave it to cool completely to make it crispy.

Purple Cabbage And Walnut Soup – Chef Neha Deepak Shah

Do you love your soup finished off with more than one delicious topping? Then this herby and spicy purple cabbage, potato, and walnut soup can be your go-to. California walnuts, garlic chips, dehydrated apple chips, and parsley are the preferred toppings here.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 small onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cup celery or coriander roots & stem
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup California walnuts
  • 2-3 cups of vegetable broth or a stock cube with water
  • 1 small potato (boiled and grated)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
  • Salt & black pepper
  • Chopped fresh herbs (parsley, coriander & oregano)
  • 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Topping

  • Apple chips
  • Crushed California walnuts
  • Baked pita chips
  • Garlic Chips
  • Herbs
  • Chilli flakes

Preparation:

  1. Heat the oil or butter in a pan and add the bay leaf, onion, garlic and cook for a few minutes.
  2. Add purple cabbage, salt, California walnuts, vinegar, cook it until the cabbage softens, and then cover it for a few minutes.
  3. Add the vegetable broth and let the veggies simmer for 15 minutes until it has softened really well. Add the grated potato, season with salt, pepper and add herbs of your choice.
  4. Blend this soup into a smooth velvety mix and serve hot with toppings like California walnuts, garlic chips, dehydrated apple chips, and parsley.

Chicken And Walnut Dumpling Soup

The best of two worlds – pillowy dumpling and a broth bursting with flavours – come together to treat you in this chicken and walnut dumpling soup. If you have the time, you can prepare the dumplings beforehand and stick them in the fridge, so it takes fewer minutes to put the soup together later.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 cup diced celery
  • 3/4 cup diced carrots
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels
  • 1 l chicken broth
  • 2 cups small cubes, cooked chicken
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups California walnuts
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/3 cup prepared baking mix
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped California walnuts

Preparation:

  1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Add broth, chicken, and thyme. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, covered.
  3. In a small food processor, place 1 and 1/2 cups of California walnuts and process until smooth. In a small saucepan, bring milk to a simmer and whisk in puréed walnuts. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Add to chicken broth and stir well. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together the baking mix, finely chopped California walnuts, and remaining milk. Roll into 1/2-inch balls and place on the soup. Cover and cook for 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Smoky California Walnut, Parsnip And Pear Soup

Make this fruity soup with walnut, parsnip, and pear for your loved ones and watch their eyes light up at the sight of it. It will not only satisfy their hungry tummies but also provide a break from the everyday fare.

Ingredients
For The Soup:

  • 500g parsnip, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 pears, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
  • 800ml vegetable stock
  • 600ml milk
  • 75g California walnuts, ground in the food processor

For The Smoky Walnuts:

  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 50g California walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives and a drizzle of walnut oil to garnish

Preparation:

  1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the parsnips onto a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle over the thyme, season, and toss everything together. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
  2.  Meanwhile, make the smoky California walnuts. Whisk together the maple syrup, paprika, and soy sauce and drizzle over the 50g of California walnuts, tossing to coat. Place onto a small baking tray and roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Leave to cool before chopping roughly.
  3. Next, place the onion and butter into a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the pear and continue cooking for a further 8-10 minutes.
  4. Add the parsnip and vegetable stock to the saucepan and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes with the lid on. Add the milk and blitz until smooth and silky. Stir in the ground California walnuts and adjust the seasoning to taste.
  5. Ladle the soup into bowls, then sprinkle with the smoky California walnuts and chopped chives, adding a final drizzle of walnut oil to serve.

References:

1Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. (FDA) One ounce of walnuts offers 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13g of polyunsaturated fat, including 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid – the plant-based omega-3.

2Shukitt-Hale/Tufts/Cognitive Health/Apr 2014 and Ros/Hospital Clinic/Cognition/May 11 2015 (citations noted in Health Research section)

3Baer/USDA/Gut Health/Jun 01 2018, Parhofer/Univ Munich/Gut Health/Feb 22 2018, Lamendella/Penn State/Gut Health/Dec 18 2021 (citations noted below in Health Research section)