Sometimes you need a healing meal to make your spirit and body feel good. For me, this Healing Vegetable Soup does just that.
Before we all go pumpkin, apple and Halloween crazy, I want to pay 1 last tribute to the awesomeness of summer!
Summer 2017 was an awesome summer of firsts. It was my first full summer being pregnant. First summer with a 2 year old (entering the terrible 2s). First summer fully moved in, settled and enjoying our new house/neighborhood.
It was the first summer in which we weren’t always going going going. Instead we took a lot more time to enjoy the little pleasures of season. Some of my favorite summer highlights were:
- Poppy eating her first sprinkle donuts
- Savoring every moment of our kid-free anniversary while our toddler attended abuelos’ spanish camp
- Watching Poppy pick and eat mulberries off the tree in our back yard
- Poppy’s first trip to the splash pad with my dad
- Poppy meeting her great grandpa for the first time
- The birth of our precious Cora
Seriously this list could go on for days! Not to mention the countless dinners al fresco, popcorn movie nights, grandma dates, and fun date night adventures.
Now it’s time to welcome the fall with 1 more family member and all of the fun that this cooler colorful season brings.
Today’s recipe is a bit of a fridge clean out meal. Specifically the last of the summer veggies. Time to use up those last few zucchinis, green beans, pretty rainbow carrots and left over potatoes to create a feel good soup.
My healing vegetable soup is a kind combination of gently cooked veggies in an herby broth with fun slurpy noodles!
Now if you don’t’ have one of the veggies in this soup, don’t worry! This recipe is very adaptable to what you have on hand. This means you can swap in different leafy greens, vegetables or different shaped pasta/grains.
So if you are in need of some healing, hydration or just want to clean out your fridge, this is the delicious recipe for you.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion (yellow, white or purple), thinly diced
- 3 carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
- 1 zucchini, diced small
- 2 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- 2 bay leaf
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6 oz thin spaghetti or 1 ½ cup pasta
- 2 cups (or one 15-ounce can) cooked chickpeas or white beans
- shredded parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large dutch-oven or stock pot over medium heat. Cook the onions for 3-5 minutes until translucent.
- Add carrots, celery, leeks, zucchini, and cauliflower. Cook until they have softened. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Add in garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and bring to a quick simmer. Add the green beans and cook until the green beans are cooked yet still a little firm.
- Add beans and pasta. I like breaking the spaghetti in half before adding it, that way it’s easier to eat. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, then give the soup a taste. Make sure the veggies are cooked well and that pasta is ready. Also taste for salt.
- Serve soup with a good amount of parmesan cheese.
Notes
Leftovers will keep refrigerated for one week. You can add different leafy greens, vegetables and pastas/grains if desired.
Recipe loosely inspired by TheKitchn.
Originally posted 2017-09-15 06:00:00.
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