Soup for Sick Students

This week I've felt like Patient Zero for some previously unknown influenza, transmitted via students and causing widespread headaches and sniffly noses.

Okay, a bit of an exaggeration - I've got Freshers' Flu, and it's been going from person to person in my house and making us all feel a bit ill and groggy and generally sorry for ourselves. If I was at home I know exactly what I would do: steal all the tissue boxes from around the house, build myself a little fort with them while vegging out on the sofa or in bed and whine at my mum to make me magic soup to cure my many ailments.

But part of going to university is about growing up and learning to take care of yourself, so amongst the numerous trips I've made to the shops to stock up on tissues I bought myself a massive butternut squash (googly eyes not included).

Whenever I'm ill my mum always offers me something with squash in it, and this oddly-shaped vegetable works miracles, so I decided rather than wait for my mum to hand-deliver a bowl-full of soup - I'd probably be waiting a while to be honest - I would make my own.

Red Pepper and Squash Soup

Time to make: 45 minutes
Calories per portion: 119
Portions of you 5 a day: 2+
Cost per portion: £2.60

You will need:

• 1/2 a butternut squash, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 red pepper, chopped into chunks
• 2 sticks of celery, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 Tbsp smoked Paprika
• Oil, for frying
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Blender

Preheat the oven to 200c. Place the squash chunks, pepper and celery onto a baking tray and drizzle with oil and a tablespoon of paprika. You can also add cumin seeds, or teaspoon of cayenne pepper or crushed chilli flakes if you like a little extra kick. Roast the veggies in the oven for 30 minutes, or until soft.

While the veggies are roasting, fry the onion in a saucepan until golden (you can of course fry it in a frying pan, but to save on washing up I fried mine in a saucepan) and make up your vegetable stock.

When the veggies are done take them out of the oven and place them in a saucepan with the onions, stock and the rest of the paprika. Bring it to the boil and then allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add everything to a blender or blend with a hand blender in the saucepan until smooth - if it's too thick add a little more water. You can blend hot foods in a blender as long as you remove the stopper, as the steam can cause a mini-explosion in the blender if you try to blend it with the stopper still on. Just cover the hole with a kitchen towl first! Add salt and pepper to taste, then you're ready to serve.

This recipe makes enough for one big bowl if you're feeling particularly sniffly, or some to put in the fridge for the next day. I planned to save some, and then I ate it all. Whoops.

The paprika adds a little kick that helps clear out your sinuses and I ate mine topped with black pepper and a spoonful of sour cream. If you've never tried squash before, it's so worth buying on just to try this soup - I may even head back to the store later on to get another squash for more.