Curried Fava Bean and Salad Soup

You can make a soup out of almost anything – as this simple soup amply demonstrates.

It takes something of a leap of faith to believe that such unpromising ingredients as the tired outer leaves of a lettuce, and cucumber and tomatoes that are no longer fresh enough to serve in a salad can produce something even vaguely edible, let alone delicious, but this soup proves that you really can.

Soups are often thickened with potato but this recipe uses split fava beans, which add protein and boost the nutritional content of the soup. With a lower GI value than potatoes they also keep you feeling fuller for longer. And, unlike a lot of pulses, fava beans are grown in Britain.

So next time you find that, despite your best intentions, you discover salad ingredients lurking at the bottom of the fridge that are more than a little past their best give this soup a go. After all, what have you got to lose since most of the ingredients would otherwise be destined for the compost bin!

Makes 2 servings (just double, quadruple, etc depending on what you find in the fridge)

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