A big, generous pot of vegetable soup that proves meatless never means flavourless: potatoes, green beans, carrots, celery, and tomatoes simmer into a savoury broth, then sweet corn, peas, and fresh herbs are stirred in at the end. It is ready in under an hour, tastes far better than anything from a tin, and makes enough to feed the whole table.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion, chopped; 2 large carrots, chopped; 1 cup chopped celery; 28 oz canned diced tomatoes, with their juice; 60 oz low-sodium vegetable broth; 3 medium potatoes, diced; 1 cup green beans, chopped; 3 bay leaves; 2 tsp salt, or to taste; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1 cup frozen sweet corn; 1 cup frozen sweet peas; 1/2 cup green onions, chopped; 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped.
Method
Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the chopped onion and carrots, and sauté for 6–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the celery, the diced tomatoes with their juice, the vegetable broth, the diced potatoes, the green beans, the bay leaves, the salt, and the black pepper, then bring everything to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, until the potatoes and green beans are tender. Stir in the frozen corn, the frozen peas, the green onions, and the parsley, check the seasoning and add a little more salt if it needs it, and simmer for another 5–8 minutes until the corn and peas are heated through and bright. Fish out the bay leaves, ladle the soup into deep bowls, and serve hot.
Tips
Chop every vegetable into bite-size pieces so they cook evenly and fit on a spoon; use whatever vegetables are in season or lingering in the fridge — zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, or sweet potato all work beautifully; fresh herbs make a real difference, but dried herbs are fine added to taste; for a gentle kick stir in red pepper flakes, a dash of hot sauce, or chopped jalapeño; to make it in the slow cooker, sauté the onion and carrots first, then cook everything except the corn, peas, and herbs on low for 4–5 hours and stir those in for the last 20 minutes; leftovers keep 5 days in the fridge and freeze for up to 6 months; serve with dinner rolls, crusty French bread, or garlic bread for dunking.
