Italian Vegetable Soup

Yes, I know it’s almost summer, but it’s been ridiculously cold in Central Oregon this week. Definitely soup weather. Besides, this soup employs tons of vegetables, has a bright, spicy flavor and makes use of my fresh basil so it’s a very good fit for late spring. Surprisingly hearty and delicious, it’s also a nutritional powerhouse. Besides the obvious benefits of the vegetables, the cannellini beans are high in magnesium, iron, fiber and protein and the tomato paste is an excellent source of the powerful antioxident, lycopene. Best of all, it’s so low in calories and high in fiber you don’t have to feel at all guilty about the crusty, butter slathered bread you choose to enjoy it with. As long as you don’t have three or four servings, of course. I used to dip countless dinner rolls stuffed with about a tablespoon of butter in this soup when we made it at the restaurant, but I was in my twenties then and working on my feet 50+ hours a week so I could swing it… those were the days! (they really weren’t though, I was 20 lbs lighter but my body image was way worse than it is now, go figure) 

Freezes beautifully, so go ahead and make a big ol’ batch.

1 TB olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

3 cups celery, chopped

3 cups bell peppers (yellow/red/orange), chopped

2 cups carrots, chopped

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground Greek oregano

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

salt and fresh ground pepper

1 bay leaf

6 cups cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, grated or minced

32 oz vegetable broth

14 oz canned diced tomatoes

28 oz canned cannelini beans (aka white kidney beans), rinsed and drained

6 oz tomato paste

fresh basil chiffonade (sliced in long, thin strips) for garnish

parmigiano reggiano, for garnish

Begin by sharpening your knife, if possible, as you have a lot of chopping to do. You might notice the knife I’m using in the photo is much smaller than my favorite chef’s knife. Funny story (and by funny, I mean irritating), I almost had a panic attack last week because I could not find my knife anywhere in my kitchen, and I mean anywhere! I even looked in the dishwasher in case someone accidentally put it in there (the horror!). It’s a bit unsettling to have lost a very large knife in a home with two 5 year old’s in residence.  The only thing that kept me from a full panic was that I knew my brother, Billy, the chef, was in town for the annual cousin’s golf tournament and was going to cook dinner for all of them that night. Come to find out, he, indeed, snuck in to my house while I was out and stole my knife. Okay, he told Bob he was going to, like that did any good, like he ever uses the knife! He was in the golf tournament as well and has the memory of a goldfish so he wasn’t going to tell me. Luckily, I was able to collect myself enough to realize that I could, in fact, use a different knife to chop my vegetables but, I have to admit, it took awhile. Bully big brother. He did give it back…. whatever.

Chop your onions in @ 1/4 inch pieces. Over medium heat, pour 2 TB olive oil in a large stock pot (3 quart is the size I used) then add chopped onion