Donal's Family Kitchen40 Minutes

Irish Farmhouse Vegetable Soup

Name: Irish Farmhouse Vegetable Soup
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 25g unsalted butter; 1 large onion, sliced; 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced; 2 leeks, sliced; 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped; 1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped; 400g floury potatoes, diced; 600ml vegetable stock; 120g frozen peas; Good drizzle of double (heavy) cream; Good grating of fresh nutmeg; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; For the croutons:; 2 tbsp olive oil; 20g unsalted butter; 2 sprigs of rosemary; 2-3 slices of white or sourdough bread, diced

This version is as true to the vegetable soup I grew up with, even though it sometimes came from a carton! It's a real bowl of comfort, particularly if you choose to add the seriously good rosemary croutons - they keep well in an airtight container and are also lovely added to a salad for flavour and crunch.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Donal's Family Kitchen

40 min totalServes 6Medium

Time40 min

Serves6

SkillMedium

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and leeks and cook for 10 minutes until softened down. Season well.

Add the rest of the veggies and cook for a few minutes more, then pour in the stock. Season well and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 20 minutes until the veggies are all tender, adding the peas for the last few minutes. Spoon out one-third of the veggies with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Blitz the rest of the soup with a stick blender until smooth, then remove from the heat. Stir in the reserved whole veggies.

To make the croutons, heat the oil and butter with the rosemary sprigs in a large pan. When hot, add the cubes of bread, toss well then cook for 5-6 minutes until golden and crisp on all sides. Season with sea salt.

Add the cream to the soup and a good grating of nutmeg and serve with the rosemary croutons.

To freeze: Allow to cool completely. Once cool, transfer to a sturdy freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost slowly in a pan over a low heat.

Cook's notes

Give the onion, leek, garlic and celery a full 10 minutes to soften before the stock goes in — that gentle sweating is where the depth comes from.
Floury potatoes (like Roosters) are what make it silky when blended; waxy ones stay firm and won't thicken the soup the same way.
Spoon out a third of the veg with a slotted spoon before you blitz, then stir it back in at the end to chunk it up — it saves the soup from being baby-food smooth.
Add the peas only for the last few minutes so they keep their colour and bite.
For the croutons, get the oil, butter and rosemary properly up to temperature before the bread goes in, and season with sea salt the moment they come out of the pan.

Serve with A hunk of buttered brown soda bread turns this into lunch, and the rosemary croutons and a swirl of cream on top are all the garnish it needs.

Make ahead & storage It keeps in the fridge for 2–3 days and freezes beautifully for up to 6 months — cool fully, then defrost slowly in a pan over low heat. Fry the croutons fresh, as they go soft once stored.

40 MinutesVegetarian

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Donal's Family Kitchen · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

315kcal

5gprotein

33gcarbs

19gfat

Approximate — calculated from the ingredient list using USDA food data. A guide, not a medical figure.

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