One year, almost 20 years ago, I hand wrote recipe cards for friends and family over the holidays. I can’t believe how many people still have and use those cards. This soup was in the stack- it’s the one I hear people are still making the most.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon organic avocado oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano, basil, or marjoram (or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh)
½ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth (optional)
1 small (about 14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 14-oz can beans, drained and rinsed — cannellini or Great Northern (any beans work)
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock (or water if you don't have homemade stock)
a couple handfuls of small shaped pasta (about a cup)
2 cups vegetables (broccoli, green beans, zucchini, peeled + diced winter squash, and/or kale, etc. — whatever is in season)
1 bay leaf
1 whole small dried red chile
1 parmesan rind, optional
Pesto, optional
Sea Salt
Instructions
Cut up all of your vegetables before you start. Peeling the strings off the outside of the celery stalk is a small thing that keeps them from showing up later in the bowl.
Over medium heat, sauté the onion, carrot and celery in the oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the dried herbs and sauté another minute.
Add the wine or vermouth and tomatoes let it reduce for a few minutes.
Add the beans, stock, bay leaf, chile, and parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Add any hardy vegetables now — like winter squash. Taste and salt.
Simmer at least 30 minutes. Add tender vegetables — broccoli, green beans, zucchini, kale — in the last 10 minutes so they stay themselves. In general, the longer the base simmers the better it tastes.
Add the pasta and cook until al dente. If you plan to eat leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to the bowls just before serving.
Fish out the bay leaf, chile, and rind. If using fresh herbs, chop and add to the bowl just before eating. To raise this soup to the next level, add a big dollop of pesto just before serving.
