Spring Vegetable Soup

This is a very flexible vegetable soup recipe, beautiful, simple to make, and a great way to use all of those long-awaited vegetables of spring.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: People

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Katie Workman

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks cleaned, trimmed, white and light green parts diced
4 medium carrots peeled and diced
3 stalks celery diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 28-ounce can pureed tomatoes
1 pound very small red new potatoes quartered or cut into eighths, or regular new potatoes, cut into 1-inch dice
2 cups frozen peas
1 ½ cups trimmed and sliced asparagus
2 cups chopped Napa cabbage
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the leeks, carrots and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and sauté for another minute, then add the broth and tomatoes, raise the heat to medium high, and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and lower to heat to medium, keeping the broth at a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they start to soften, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the pesto if using. Place the basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt in a food processor or blender. Puree until well blended. Add the Parmesan and pulse to combine.
Add the peas, asparagus, cabbage and thyme and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Ladle into bowls and serve hot or warm, with a dollop of the pesto swirled in if desired.