This golden fall vegetable soup couldn’t be easier to make. It’s just vegetables, herbs, and water, and once the prep is done, there’s really not much cooking to do at all. Add some wonderful flavor to the soup by using a smoky dried chipotle pod at the beginning, and stir in a fresh infusion of herbs for added depth.

8 servings

15 ingredients

20 min prep

Ingredients
  • 1 whole dried chipotle pepper pod, or ½ teaspoon of dried chipotle
  • 1-pound kabocha or butternut squash, seeded, and diced
  • ½-pound onions or leeks, finely sliced
  • 2 carrots, scrubbed and diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
  • 1-pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, quartered lengthwise, and sliced to form a dice
  • ½-pound green beans, topped, tailed, cut into ¾-inch lengths
  • ½-pound zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thickly sliced to form a dice (optional)
  • 1 bouquet garni (see Chef Tips)
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup small whole wheat elbow macaroni
  • Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste (optional)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1 recipe Spicy Gremolata (see Chef Tips)

Directions
  1. Place all of the soup vegetables into a large pot, except for the canned beans and the macaroni.
  2. Add the bouquet garni and 3 quarts of water, or enough to cover the vegetables by 1-inch. Add the salt. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer gently for an hour or until the vegetables are tender and the squash can be mashed against the sides of the pan. While the soup is cooking, prepare the Spicy Gremolata.
  3. Remove the bouquet garni. Mash some of the squash against the pan to thicken the broth. Add the beans, cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt. Add the macaroni. Cook until al dente. Stir in the gremolata and serve immediately with the grated cheese.

Chef Tips

Traditional Basil Pesto is also delicious stirred into this soup.

A bouquet garni is basically a bundle of herbs that is added to soups and stews to add flavor. They are particularly useful in vegetarian cooking. If herbs are not available at all,  it’s not the end of the world. Just use fresh parsley, bay leaf and dried rosemary. If using cheesecloth for a wrapper, add ½ teaspoon of whole black peppercorns.

To make a bouquet garni: Lay 3 to 4 stems of flat leaf parsley together on a cutting board. On the leafy end, lay a bay leaf, a sprig of fresh thyme, a couple of sage leaves and a small sprig of fresh rosemary. Roll the leaves together so that they end up wrapped in the parsley stems. Wrap in cheesecloth or tie with kitchen twine to secure the bundle. That’s it.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 270; Fat: 1g; Saturated Fat: 0g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Carbohydrates: 56g; Sugar: 5g; Fiber: 10g; Protein: 12g; Sodium: 605mg

Registered Dietitian Approved

Your recipes, articles, videos, and more content are reviewed by our Registered Dietitian Kate Ueland, MS, RD, CSO, a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition, to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society.

This recipe was originally published on Cook for Your Life. It is used by permission.

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