best ever vegetable soup

 As you all know, I love soup!  I particularly love it because it's easy to make.  But with this soup I tried something different.  Rather than bung it all in a pot and walk away, as is my usual style, I read somewhere about cooking the vegetables separately and then just adding stock at the end.  It was amazing, and it didn't really add any extra cooking time either.  I'm converted!!  It was just divine and made the flavour all the more delicate.  It felt like a luxury meal, not something I'd made up to clear out the fridge!

Best ever vegetable soup

You can use whatever vegetables you have handy, it's great for cleaning out the fridge.  This was the combination I used.

2 leeks, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 courgette, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large handful of chard, washed and chopped
1 large handful of fresh basil, torn
Olive oil (or cooking spray if you don't want to use oil - but have some stock to cook the veggies in)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1 litre vegetable stock (plus a cup or so extra)
200g pasta suitable for soup (fusili, macaroni, risoni)

In a large stockpot, heat some olive oil over medium heat.  Add leeks and garlic, then carrots and potato.  Add some stock or water to prevent them from sticking, and cover and cook for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add courgette and cook for another 5 minutes.

While the potatoes and carrots are cooking, place vegetable stock in a large pan, bring to the boil and then add the pasta.  Cook until pasta is al dente.

Check the vegetables for done-ness and seasoning.

When the pasta is just about ready, add the chard and basil to the sauteed vegetables.  Stir until the green vegetables are wilted and tender.  Add the entire pan of stock and pasta.

Stir well.  Once everything is hot and combined, serve in deep bowls with salt, pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil on the top.  A dollop of green pesto would be very very nice as well.

You can always add more stock if you want more broth.  I'm a huge fan of thick, chunky stew-like soups which are meals in themselves, so kept the liquid at the bare minimum - you might prefer it differently so do please yourself!

This was absolutely delicious.  Cooking the pasta in the stock made it very savoury and unctuous, and sauteeing the vegetables rather than boiling them was such a great idea, as there was just so much more depth to the flavour.

Perfect for a chilly evening!

What's your favourite soup?