Spring Green Minestrone

Every year I get totally inspired by all the fresh green vegetables that show up in Spring.

I think that after a few months of grey and gloom, and root vegetables, to see the bright greens of asparagus, ramps, sugar peas, artichokes etc, just makes me feel so alive again.

Here is one of the fastest ways you can get the most out of all the Spring bounty showing up at the markets.

Minestrone is classically a loaded vegetable soup with the added bonus of hearty beans and/or pasta.  Usually it is a tomato base, and sometimes there may be some added protein like ground beef or shredded chicken.  

Today it is all about the greens though.

What Goes in This Spring Minestrone?

Here is my simple method for making any minestrone soup.  You will start with sautéeing your aromatics.  Most likely onions or leeks, along with garlic. Once softened, season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and then add the liquid.  Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a rolling simmer. For every cup of liquid, you will want a cup of cut vegetables.  Which vegetables is up to you.  So if you are using 4 cups of broth, you will want 4 cups of cut vegetables. Etc. It can be any combination of the ones listed below.  Have a bit more stock on hand to thin it out if desired.

The sky is the limit, if you see it at the market and like it, go for it.  I do try to keep the green theme alive, and stick to green or greenish vegetables.  So here are some options for you:

Asparagus, trimmed and cut into small lengths

Broad beans, chopped

Spring Peas, even frozen peas

Zucchini, cut into quarter moons

Celery, chopped, added with the garlic

Leeks, trimmed, cleaned, sliced into half moons, added when you add the garlic

Fennel, trimmed, cut into small pieces

Kale, thick ribs removed, chopped

Baby Spinach

Broccoli, cut into bite sized florets

Scallions, chopped

Fresh herbs like dill, parsley, basil, thyme, even mint at the very end!

For broth, you can use good quality homemade or purchased vegetable broth, chicken broth.  If you have a carton which is roughly four cups, and want to supplement it, why not turn to my Faux Chicken Bouillon to flavour some water, this is the perfect time to pull out that great recipe!

Chop everything into bite sized pieces. All you really need to remember for a quick and easy soup like this is to add the vegetables in the order where the ones that need the longest time to cook first, finishing with the ones that are really ready with a quick heat through in the broth.  Broccoli or zucchini will get a minute or so longer than asparagus or kale.  Seriously, in the end, just giving each of the veggies listed above not even a minute in the simmering broth, by the time you add the final spinach and fresh peas, everything else will be ready. I like the vegetables to have a bit of crunch still, not over cooked to death.

Adding Beans or Pasta

If you are adding a can of drained beans, add them with the thicker vegetables in the first round, to give them an extra minute or so to heat through. 

If you want your soup to have pasta, like macaroni, ditalini, shells, or orzo; or even something heartier like stuffed tortellini, cook them separately in a different pot, and add them to the serving bowls, pouring the soup over the cooked pasta.  This way you won’t have  pasta thickening up in the soup if there is leftovers in the pot.  Store them separately in the fridge, and when it is time to reheat the soup, you can then combine them the next day in the pot.

Final Thoughts

Finish this bright, fresh, light but substantial soup with fresh herbs, and some pesto and lemon juice.  Here is my go-to Pesto recipe. It gives directions for customizing it with your favourite herbs and nuts. You will want to make a batch anyway, it’s perfect tossed with pasta, spread on crusty sourdough, or added to labneh etc to create a wondrous dip! Adding pesto will flavour the broth most deliciously and give it extra depth.  Feel free to use purchased pesto with great results as well.

Add a generous sprinkling of grated cheese, whether Parmesan, Grana Padano, or Pecorino Romano.  You could also use homemade garlic croutons, torn burrata or creamy ricotta to finish this soup. And you will realize that cutting the vegetables was the longest part of making this lovely way to celebrate Spring!