Spring Vegetable Soup
This is a very flexible vegetable soup recipe, beautiful, simple to make, and a great way to use all of those long-awaited vegetables of spring.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 leeks cleaned, trimmed; white and light green parts diced
- 4 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups less-sodium vegetable or chicken broth use vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup
- 1 28-ounce can pureed tomatoes
- 1 pound very small red new potatoes quartered or cut into eighths, or regular new potatoes; cut into 1-inch dice
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 1/2 cups trimmed and sliced asparagus
- 2 cups chopped Napa cabbage
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the leeks, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and sauté for another minute, then add the broth and tomatoes, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and lower to heat to medium, keeping the broth at a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they start to soften, about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto if using. Place the basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor or blender. Puree until well blended. Add the Parmesan and pulse to combine.
- Add the peas, asparagus, cabbage, and thyme and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Ladle into bowls and serve hot or warm, with a dollop of the pesto swirled in if desired.
Notes
This is a very flexible vegetable soup recipe, beautiful, simple to make, and a great way to use all of those long-awaited vegetables of spring.