Vegetable Soup

Because it's cold outside...

I refuse to eat soup from a can. It's way to easy to make. I wanted something really healthy so I decided on a garden vegetable soup. I made a huge pot, and I'm sure that this soup, oatmeal, fruit, and veggies will all get me through my exams.

The recipe called for only a few vegetables, so I added all of the vegetables I had laying around--zucchini, yellow squash, corn, and roma tomatoes. I'd recommend following the recipe. If you add more vegetables, you'll need to add a little more water.

I had never cooked with saffron before, but I like it!

Recipe- Vegetable Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 leeks, white and green parts, chopped
1 pound diced, unpeeled boiling potatoes
1 pound diced carrots
1 tablespoon kosher salt (omit if you are on a low-sodium diet!)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 quarts chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 pound green beans
4 oz. spaghetti, broken into pieces
1 cup pistou

Pistou recipe
4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
24 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Saute onions in large pot in olive oil for 10 minutes over low heat. Add the leeks, potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add vegetable stock and saffron, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add the green beans and spaghetti, and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
2. Puree all of the pistou ingredients in a food processor to make a paste. Whisk 1/4 cup of the pistou into the soup. Serve the soup with more pistou, if desired. Store remaining pistou in air tight container.

The next soup I'm making will be lentil soup. Stay tuned! (And subscribe if you haven't already. )