Kitchen sink soup

 

Many years ago  when I was about eighteen I had lunch at a restaurant and ordered "The Peasant Lunch".  It was a bowl of homemade soup, green salad and hearty bread. Believe it or not I had never had homemade soup before. Soup from a can was the only soup I knew. What a yummy surprise!  "Peasant Lunch" soon became a favorite.  At my house we now often have "Peasant Lunch" for dinner. Fortunately I live in a temperate climate here on the Central Coast of California so I make soup almost year round. Kitchen Sink Soup is definitely one of my  favorites. I hope it is for you too. Packed with a variety of grains and beans its hearty and nutrient dense.

 

 

 KITCHEN SINK SOUP

1-2 Tablespoons avocado oil

1 diced onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup yukon gold or red potatoes, diced but not peeled

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

8 cups vegetable broth (I use half mushroom broth and half vegetable)

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup of canned kidney beans, drained

1/2 cup canned cannellini beans, drained (or other white beans)

1/2 cup whole wheat macaroni or other small pasta

1/2 cup green lentils

1/2 cup pearled barley

1 1/2 cups shredded or chopped green cabbage

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

DIRECTIONS:

In a large soup pot, heat oil and saute onions until soft.  Add carrots, garlic and potatoes and saute 10 minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. 

Add all the ingredients except the cabbage and spinach. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a low simmer for  about 40 minutes until lentils, barley, potatoes and pasta are cooked.  Add the spinach and cabbage and cook about another 10 minutes until cabbage is soft and spinach is wilted.

Adjust seasonings as needed.

The leftover soup will be thick so you may want to add more broth the next day.  This soup freezes well and makes a big batch. 

Enjoy!

Tenli