Hearty Vegetable Soup with Kale Pesto

SERVES 4 TO 6 · GF, DF, VEGAN ADAPTABLE, VEGETARIAN ADAPTABLE

A basic vegetable soup recipe is easy to master and great to have in your back pocket for those times you need to clean out the crisper drawer (or the freezer—frozen veggies are fine here!). By no means do you need to follow this recipe exactly. I have used everything from turnips to fennel in this soup. If you are struggling with consuming enough vegetables, this soup can help. In addition, cooked vegetables are easier for many people to digest than raw. You certainly don’t need to top this soup with pesto, but it does add a fantastic punch of flavor. If you can’t have dairy, make the pesto without the cheese and it will still taste great here. This is definitely the time to use that homemade broth you have been saving!

3 tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 carrots, diced

4 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped

2 cups red potatoes, chopped

4 cups green cabbage, chopped, or 3 cups cabbage plus 1 cup cauliflower

1 large Parmesan rind (optional, but it gives great flavor; omit for DF)

1 bay leaf

6 cups vegetable or chicken stock (not vegan), preferably homemade (here)

2 teaspoons sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

½ cup Kale Pesto, or more as desired (recipe follows), or Basil-Parsley Pesto (here)

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Sauté until the onion is tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.

2. Add the potatoes and cabbage. Sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add the Parmesan rind, if using, bay leaf, stock, salt, and pepper to taste and increase the heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Add the green beans and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

5. Ladle the soup into bowls and dollop with a spoonful of kale pesto.

Kale Pesto

MAKES JUST UNDER 2 CUPS

½ cup blanched almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, or a combination (or raw sunflower seeds for a nut-free pesto)

1 large garlic clove, smashed

3 cups dinosaur or curly green kale, stemmed and torn into large pieces (so it’s easier to measure)

2 cups fresh basil leaves (or use all kale)

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

¾ cup unrefined, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil

⅓ cup grated pecorino or Parmigiano cheese (omit for vegan/DF)

1. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently, in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly golden. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. You can also skip this step and put them in the food processor raw. If using sunflower seeds, do not toast.

2. Place the nuts and garlic in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until very finely chopped.

3. Add the kale, basil, salt, pepper to taste, and lemon juice and pulse until chopped.

4. With the food processor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until you achieve a smooth texture. Add the cheese and process until well combined.

5. Taste for seasoning and add additional olive oil to make a looser pesto.

6. Store in the fridge for up to seven days; pesto also freezes really well!