Spring Vegetable Soup
The fresh taste of garden vegetables can be hard to showcase in a cooked dish like soup. Their delicate flavors become diluted by liquid or the vegetables themselves get overcooked and turn to mush. We got around these concerns by cooking our soup only briefly after first sautéing our vegetables in some olive oil.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and cut into ½-inch lengths
- 12 ounces zucchini cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 cups 8 ounces chopped green cabbage
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup Basil Pesto this page
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese grated (½ cup)
- 2 ounces snap peas strings removed, sliced thin on bias
- 2 radishes 2 ounces, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin
Instructions
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add asparagus, zucchini, cabbage, salt, and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in broth and water, bring to simmer, and cook until vegetables are tender and bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dollop each portion with 1 tablespoon pesto and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan, snap peas, and radishes.