Vibrant Spring Minestrone Soup #SoupSaturdaySwappers

Welcome to Soup Saturday Swappers - our event is led by Wendy of A Day in the Life on Farm! Are you interested in joining this great group of Soup Swappers? Request to join our Facebook group here. 

This month Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla said "For March's #SoupSwappers let's put a little Spring in our minestrone by adding in Spring veggies or eschewing the traditional tomato-based broth. Be creative...anything goes!"

Look at all these delicious springy soups!

• Classic Minestrone Soup by Sneha's Recipe
• Green Vegetable Minestrone by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Kale and Pasta Minestrone by Magical Ingredients
• Minestrone Napoletana by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Putting Some Spring in My Minestrone + Bouza 2017 Albariño by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Vibrant Spring Minestrone Soup by Making Miracles

This is like heavy duty STOUP. Veggie stew. Thick and hearty. And utterly pleasing and delicious - and honestly it's all tender veggies so it's light too! There is so much green goodness in this bowl. And definitely the cherry on top is the subtle flavor and texture the fresh grated parmesan adds to the dish. It all works together in a lovely spring symphony. 

If you want it a little "brothier" I'd add another 2 cups of liquid in there, or if you like the tomato "base", maybe a can of V-8 juice to change things up a little. I didn't think it needed more liquid, but everything was just BARELY covered by the broth while it simmered, so a little extra surely wouldn't hurt.

Vibrant Spring Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 TBS minced garlic (jarred)

1 medium onion, diced

1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes

5 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock

1 pound potatoes, scrubbed and diced

1 tsp salt, more to taste

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp parsley, dried

1 tsp oregano, dried

1/2 tsp thyme

1 15-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 cups fresh spinach

Grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot and add the onion, sautéing until tender (about 6-8 minutes). Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more until fragrant.
2. Add in diced tomatoes, stock, potatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, thyme, and artichoke hearts. Cover and bring to a low simmer for 15 minutes. Add in chickpeas, frozen peas, diced asparagus, and spinach. Stir to gently blend in the vegetables, cover and simmer another 8-10 minutes, until asparagus and potatoes are tender.
3. Taste test, and adjust the seasonings to taste.
4. Serve with a generous grating of fresh parmesan cheese over the top!

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes