Adapted from Giada’s Feel Good Food: My Healthy Recipes and Secrets, this fennel soup recipe has antioxidants, including vitamin C, which help fight disease-causing free radicals…
“Salad isn’t the only way to serve lettuce in a bowl – here, it lightens up pea soup and adds some texture to make every spoonful extra satisfying,” says Giada.
What You Need
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium fennel bulb, chopped, fronds reserved for garnish
2 large shallots, chopped
1 medium head Bibb or butter lettuce, cut into 1cm-wide strips
280g frozen baby peas
1½ cups low-sodium chicken stock
¾ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method
1/ Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel and shallots. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften (about six minutes).
2/ Add lettuce and stir until it wilts (one to two minutes). Mix in peas, stock and one cup water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are just tender (about five minutes).
3/ Transfer to a blender, add fennel seeds and purée until smooth. Return soup to the pot over a low heat. Add the salt and pepper and thin with water if needed. Once heated, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fennel fronds.
SERVES 4. Per serving: 731kJ, 9g fat (5g sat), 18g carbs, 6g sugar, 289mg sodium,
6g fibre, 7g protein.