Green Minestrone Soup (One pot, vegetarian)
I've always been a 'soup season is 4 seasons' kind of gal. But soup in the fall is a particular brand of lovely because we are looking for warmth but the stores and markets are still full of fresh beautiful vegetables. So while green minestrone soup sounds like it belongs in the spring, green is very much for the fall season too. I was lucky on this particular day to have so much bright produce, but I kept the final dish so vibrant with a little soup trick I'm sharing with you today. I did cheat and add polenta, which is not green, but we'll allow it for the convenience of the polenta tube (a dinnertime hero).
The final dish has 5 different plant foods, plus hydrating and comforting broth and lots of flavour. It's such a gut comforting dish, your digestion will thank you. Plus all these veggies are on the softer side meaning there's not too much simmering, keeping it a quick diner.
Ingredients:
olive oil
1 medium- large leek, dark green tops removed, washed thoroughly and sliced thinly into half moons
4 stalks of celery, washed well and diced (there's a lot of celery in this because I had a lot I wanted to use up)
2 medium sized zucchini, diced
chicken or vegetable broth, or water + bouillon cube
1 parmesan rind, optional but lovely
1 can white navy beans or cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen spinach
1-2 cup diced premade polenta, this is acting like pastina (small pasta) so you can be flexible with how much you like here
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot and add the leeks and celery. Add a heavy pinch of salt to start drawing the moisture out of the vegetables and season right from the start. Allow to soften before adding the zucchini, the parmesan rind, cracked black pepper, and enough broth to cover the vegetables. Allow to simmer until the zucchini has softened. Next add the white beans and the peas. The peas only need a few minutes to heat through. Remove a cup and add to a blender or a container safe for an immersion blender. To that container, add some additional broth or water, and frozen spinach. Blend until you're left with a smooth, vibrant green liquid. Especially if you've made this soup in advance and it's been simmering a while on the stove, this will save the colour of the final dish. Green veggies will dull as they cook, but this bright spinach will keep the whole thing bright green - so add it back to the pot just before serving. Add the polenta cubes and cook to warm them through. Stir everything together and taste for seasoning. Service with some grated parmigiano if you'd like and a drizzle of fresh olive oil. A squeeze of lemon or pinch of sumac would be another nice way to finish off the final dish.
Save the leftovers for lunch or freeze for a future quick dinner.
-olivia
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