Recipe
Step Up Your Soup Game with BOU Bouillon Cubes
Curling up on the couch with a warm bowl of soup is one of the most comforting things to do in the winter. Whether it's classic chicken noodle soup or a unique combination of potato soup with bacon and scallions, it's an easy dish to make and can be paired with anything from crackers to a grilled cheese sandwich.
As a vegetarian, I often find the most difficult part of the process, for me at least, is finding a vegetarian base that is full of flavor. Many store-bought vegetable broths are tasteless and high in sodium, which subtracts from most soup recipes. It wasn't until I discovered BOU Boullion and Gravy Cubes that I stepped up my soup-game and never fumbled over veggie broth again.
I discovered BOU Bouillon and Gravy Cubes at Brainfood in NYC in October 2017 and instantly fell in love with their products. BOU products are sold at grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Plum Market and are available online on websites like Amazon or Fresh Direct. BOU’s bouillon cubes come in three varieties—chicken, beef, and vegetable—and there are four types of gravy cubes—mushroom, turkey, brown, and chicken. Being a vegetarian, I have only tried, but have become obsessed with, BOU’s vegetable bouillon cubes and mushroom gravy cubes. However, members of my family, who are not vegetarian, adore the meat flavored bouillon and gravy cubes, as well.
Launched by innovative food entrepreneurs Robert Jakobi and Kunal Kohli, BOU Bouillon and Gravy cubes are an incredibly delicious and nutritious product. BOU’s slogan is the “better for you cube,” which is a perfect description of what both the gravy and bouillon cubes are; they're better for you because they are low in salt content, contain no artificial ingredients or GMO’s, and are gluten-free. Other leading brands of bouillon and gravy cubes depend on MSG and even hydrogenated oils to derive the products’ intended flavor, sacrificing the health of those who consume it. However, BOU strives to “recreate timeless kitchen staples by packing better for you ingredients into easy to use cubes," which is exactly what its products do.
BOU bouillon cubes are so easy to prepare into a broth. I usually make a large batch of BOU vegetable broth on Sunday nights to use in the dishes I make for dinner during the week. Making BOU bouillon cubes of any flavor into a broth only takes a few steps. The process follows the ratio of one bouillon cube to two cups of boiling water, which is noted on the product's packaging. Of course, if you need to make more than two cups of soup, simply increase the ratio. To prepare, place an unwrapped cube in a bowl and add two cups of boiling water. Then, stir the mixture continuously until the bouillon cube completely dissolves. You can use the broth right away or store it in the refrigerator or freezer to use at a later time.
My favorite BOU product is the vegetable bouillon cubes. They’re versatile and can amplify the savoriness of all of the dishes I add them to. The vegetable BOU bouillon cubes are perfect for a variety of recipes such as mac and cheese, quinoa salad, and spinach and artichoke dip, but I usually use them to make vegetable broth for the base of my favorite vegetarian and gluten free soups.
Below are two of the soup recipes I created after discovering BOU Vegetable Bouillon cubes at Brainfood in October of 2017. I have made these recipes constantly ever since because of their high nutritional value, as well as the extent to which the use of BOU bouillon cubes adds to the soups' delectability.
Spiced Sweet Potato Soup
This recipe takes less than an hour to put together and can be made solely in a blender or food processor. It is a great post-workout meal because it contains sweet potatoes, which are high in fiber, vitamin A, and potassium. These are all essential nutrients that your body needs to refuel after a long run or weight routine. I use BOU vegetable bouillon cubes to create the vegetable broth for the base of this soup, which enhances the warmth of the spices listed in the recipe.
Spiced Sweet Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 BOU Vegetable Bouillon cube
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. allspice
- a dash salt and pepper
- 1 tsp. rosemary
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
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Red Lentil, Quinoa, and Collard Greens Soup
While this recipe is a bit more hands-on and takes longer to prepare, it is totally worth it. The quinoa and lentils pack this soup with vegetarian-friendly protein and the collard greens, carrots, celery, and onions cover your necessary vegetable intake for lunch or dinner. The recipe specifically calls for red lentils and collard greens, but you can substitute these ingredients with any type of lentils and kale. Additionally, you can even swap out the quinoa for rice! While baking requires exact measurements, cooking give you the opportunity to tweak the recipe to fit your liking.
Red Lentil, Quinoa, and Collard Greens Soup
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
- Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 BOU vegetable bouillon cubes
- 6 cups boiling water
- 1 onion
- 3 large carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup dry red lentils
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped collard greens
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If you fall in love with BOU products as much as I have-- and trust me, you will-- check out additional dishes centered around BOU Bullion and Gravy Cubes on BOU's website under "recipes." BOU Bullion and Gravy Cubes are now a staple ingredient in my kitchen and have forever transformed my enjoyment of homemade, gluten free, vegetarian soups.