HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP

The bout of cold weather that recently hit the East Coast has me reaching for familiar comfort food--polenta, mac and cheese and lasagna are my favorites, but not the best choice when you're still trying to work off several rounds of holiday peppermint martinis.  A bowl of rich, hearty soup can fill the comfort food void and my vegetable soup is a healthy and delicious choice.  This recipe can be adapted to include your favorite vegetables-add some tubettini or other small pasta and a flourish of parmigiano cheese and you have a one pot meal full of comfort without the calories!

Hearty Vegetable Soup

 One small onion chopped

1 cup of fennel chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1 large carrot chopped

1 clove of garlic minced

1 28 0z. can of Italian style diced tomatoes (San Marzano is best)

2 quarts of chicken stock

1 can of cannelli beans, drained

1 tablespoons of olive oil

tubettini pasta

parmigiano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, fennel and carrots and saute for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini to the pot and saute for an additional 3-4 minutes.  

Increase heat to medium-high and add stock and diced tomatoes. Once the soup begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for  20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large pot cook tubettini pasta according to directions-if you are serving the soup immediately, add the cooked pasta to the soup.  Don't add the pasta to the soup if you plan to serve later-the pasta will absorb all the liquid and become mushy.  

Garnish soup with freshly grated parmigiano cheese.

 

A vibrant medely of fresh vegetables

 

Simmering pot-delicious!