Italian Style Veggie Soup
Knowing how to make a really great vegetable soup can be very beneficial, not just if you’re vegetarian but also if you’re looking to get more vegetables in your diet, or just want a light and comforting dish that can make your body feel good as you eat it.
These days with modern cuisine and fancy techniques, it seems like some chefs like to put their own fancy twists on a typical veggie soup like caramelizing shallots for 20 minutes or using homemade stock/broth or doing that thing where you put the broth into those little serving jugs and pour it tableside for your guests.
This recipe is not that at all, this recipe will take simple ingredients and flavors and highlight them in a delicious way. This recipe is based on a shocking veggie soup from YouTube star, Adam Ragusea, but with a little personal twist.
This recipe has no stock or broth whatsoever, but rather it allows the natural flavors of the vegetables to seep into water to create a tasty veggie broth of their own. It also has the addition of white wine for some acidity and a bit of soy sauce at the end to add umami richness that will really enhance the flavor of the soup.
Makes 4 servings
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 medium sized carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 large bulb of fennel, cored and finely chopped, plus 2 tbsp of chopped fennel fronds.
1 large tomato, cored and chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine*
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 bunch of Tuscan kale, stemmed and leaves roughly chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
4 cloves of minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
*Don’t have white wine or don’t want the alcohol? Then add a splash of white balsamic vinegar right at the end…or do both if you like your food on the acidic side.
Place the onion, carrot and fennel into a large saucepan or small stock pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Let the veggies boil for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies soften.
Add the chopped tomato, wine, and rosemary then boil for another 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to break down.
Add the kale, and cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until the kale becomes very tender. Remove from heat, then stir in the frozen peas*, garlic, soy, and season with salt and pepper until you like how it tastes. You may also want to add some cold water to help cool down the soup to eating temperature and if you like it more brothy.
Divide the soup among bowls, then top with fennel fronds and a drizzle of olive oil.
*Adding frozen peas to the hot soup might sound odd, but it’s quite genius. The soup will heat up the peas and the coldness of the peas will help to cool down the soup a bit to an eating temperature, which is great if you don’t want to risk burning your mouth as you try to eat the soup.
