I’ve previously called this soup “Clean Out the Fridge Vegetable Soup” which is a little more accurate to the situation at hand when I made this. The process of choosing what to put in this soup mostly consisted of grabbing all the veggies from the fridge that needed to be cooked immediately and layering them into a deliciously tasty (and warming soup). I also bulked it up with some barley (you can use rice if you’re gluten free) and chickpeas. This is a soup with all the comfort of a winter meal that is healthy to boot. The best part is, it really can be made with whatever you have on hand. Feel free to substitute potatoes for the sweet potato, or squash if that’s what you have. Add spinach instead of the cabbage, and maybe some bell pepper instead of the tomato. Really, it’s up to you!
Topped with some techina and cilantro
Recently, I haven’t been using premade broth in my soups, rather, I’ve just been adding water and seasoning well with herbs, spices and salt. This way, the flavors of the vegetables you use really come through, and you have even more control over the amount of sodium in your food.
Bubbling away
Any Veggie Minestrone
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 c carrot, finely chopped
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1/2 c mushrooms, sliced
- 4 small to medium tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 stalk of celery, quartered (for easy removal. Chop if you actually like celery)
- 1/2 of a cabbage, shredded
- 3/4 c chickpeas, soaked and drained
- 3/4 c barley
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tbsp oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Add the carrot and the sweet potato and sauté another 5-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sautee until slightly reduced, then add the tomatoes and do the same. Season each layer with a little salt as you go. Add the rest of the ingredients and the cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about an hour, or until the chickpeas are tender and the barley is cooked. Adjust seasonings and serve.