When you have an abundance of vegetables coming at you, making a soup out of them is a great, delicious use up. I may have been a little over-zealous this week getting my CSA box, ordering two boxes from another farm with meats, veggies, and fruits, as well as having my own garden producing a bit. I definitely had a full fridge! So, I chose some veggies that I thought would go wonderfully together, as well as considering their shelf lives, and put together this delicious soup- Summer Vegetable Soup with a loaf of bread was our dinner on a busy Thursday night.
Cook– 1 hour- only 20 minutes active (unless making beans from scratch- add 90 minutes inactive prep)
1 large onion, diced
1 large or two small carrots, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2-1T red pepper flakes, depending on their spice level
1 zucchini, cut into 1″ pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 1″ pieces
1 large or 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, chopped
4C vegetable stock
1 parm or pecorino rind
2C cannellini beans
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped
1 bunch of baby arugula, big stems removed
Using a large dutch oven, turn the heat on to medium and add a coating of olive oil. When the pot is warm, add in the onion, carrots and garlic with some s and p, and let them soften, stirring to ensure nothing burns. Add in the red pepper flakes, the squash and the zucchini, seasoning again, and let it all cook together for a couple of minutes. Add in the chopped tomatoes, the stock and the white beans and bury your cheese rind in the soup. If you don’t have cheese rind, buy a hunk of parmesano reggiano and cut off the rind and put it in your soup. I save my rinds from each hunk of cheese in the freezer in a storage jar. Each time I make a soup, stew, or sauce that could benefit from the nutty, cheesy flavor, I toss one in. Let this cook together for about 30 minutes on low.
About 20 minutes before you want to serve the soup, toss in your greens. They will initially thin your soup a bit, so turn up the heat to medium and let them braise away in the liquid while the soup reduces. When the soup is done, fish out your rind (or even leave it in there if you want to give someone a wonderful bonus bite). We cut it up and share it to be fair. Taste your soup and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
The Finish
Ladle up the soup, top with a nice grating of parmesan cheese, and serve with a loaf of crusty bread for dunking.
The Feedback
The night I made this soup it was rainy and cool, so it really hit the spot! What I love most about soups, especially with our busy lives, is they can be done ahead and reheated later to fit into any schedule. This soup can use up any vegetables you want, so follow the method and throw in what you have. I thought about adding in swiss chard, green beans and fennel, but had to pare down the soup and eliminate some items so it wasn’t a complete “kitchen sink” pot. I saved the items that would hold up for another few days and could be used in other dishes. Give the soup time to cook; after the first 20 minutes I began to question the end result, but as the soup cooked down, the flavors married, and the beans created a hearty thick texture, it turned into a soul-warming pot. Soup needs some time and a lot of love. I hope you get a bunch of fresh summer veggies and create your own Summer Vegetable Soup!
always time for food 