It’s Spring – yippee! In warmer weather I often feel weird eating soup because it seems like such a “cold weather thing.” However I’d like to keep up my soup consumption because doing so is great for weight management. Studies show that people who sip on soup before their meal are more likely eat fewer calories at their meal. Better yet, soup eaters often skip on dessert because they feel full.
Unfortunately, I can’t get down with most Spring inspired cold soups like gazpacho and chilled veggie puree concoctions – just not my thing. So I researched some nutritious and delicious, hot “Spring Soup” recipes to share with you guys. The following Spring Minestrone by Hank Shaw intrigued me because it’s low in fat yet high in protein. More importantly it sounds light and tasty and seems pretty simple to prepare. If you don’t spend much time in the kitchen (no judgement here) I highly recommend the soup bar at Whole Foods – particularly the Moroccan Lentil and White Bean Kale. Try to avoid cream based soups since they are higher in calories and fat.
Hope you like – let me know! xoxo, Brit
Spring Minestrone Soup from Simply Recipes
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6.
You can either make fresh pesto for this recipe, or you can just buy some high-quality pesto in the market.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 green onions
- 2 green garlic stalks, or 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 pound baby potatoes, or Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
- Salt
- 1/2 pound artichoke hearts (fresh or frozen), chopped roughly
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
- 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 cups greens (dandelion, chard, spinach, kale, arugula, etc), sliced into thin ribbons
- Up to 1/4 cup pesto
- Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish
METHOD
1 Chop the green onions and green garlic and separate the white and light green parts from the green tops. If you are using regular garlic cloves, put them with the white parts of the green onions. Slice the potatoes and artichoke hearts into chunks you would want to eat with a spoon.
2 In a large pot set over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the white parts of the green onions as well as the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, stir to combine and cook 1 minute.
3 Add the diced tomatoes with their liquid and the quart of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
4 Add the artichoke hearts and cook another 5 minutes, then add the chickpeas and green peas and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the cover from the soup and add the asparagus. Cook 2 minutes. Add the greens and the green parts from the green onions and green garlic, if using. Stir well to combine and cook 1 minute.
5 Turn off the heat and stir in the pesto. Serve topped with grated cheese.