Been kind of a crazy winter around here. This past weekend it was in the 60’s, tomorrow it’s supposed to snow. Who knows what to wear, let aIone eat! But the calendar says it’s mid-January, which means I’m still in full winter mode and so I’ve been ignoring the lack of freezing temps and churning out hot, stick-to-the-ribs, cold weather dishes, like this Winter Vegetable Soup. Thankfully, I haven’t heard any complaints!

That’s because this soup, really vegetarian meal-in-a-bowl, is just so homey and delicious. If you love soup as much as all of us around here do, I think you’re going to really be happy with this new addition to the collection, snow storm or not. It comes together fairly quickly, makes a big batch (great for freezing for quickie meals) and is very versatile.

I used cannellini beans, tomatoes, carrots, leeks, kale, butternut squash and peas, but you could really sub in or out anything you like or have on hand.

And to give it a little bit more of that meal-like oomph, I also added pastina, because of the adorable starry factor (and the fact that there was half a box of it in the pantry and cleaning out my pantry is at the top of my priorities now), but you could really add any kind of noodle, rice or grain that you love or even leave out the extra carbs altogether. No matter what, every bite will be flavorful, comforting and oh, so warming, whether you need it or not!

Winter Vegetable Soup

Makes about 3 quarts

Prep Time: About 1 hour, most of this is for the soup to cook though

Ingredients

• Two 15-ounce cans beans (you can pretty much use any kind, I used cannellini beans), drained and rinsed

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1-2 leeks, split down the middle lengthwise, cut into thinnish half moons and rinsed well

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 large ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

• 4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds or other bite-sized shapes

• 2 quarts water or chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped

• 2 cups frozen peas

• 1 cup small pasta (I used pastina but you can use macaroni or whatever else you like)

• Salt and black pepper

• Grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

The Recipe

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt and pepper and let cook for a few minutes to allow them to soften. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute or two. Toss in the tomatoes, squash and carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes.

2. Add in the beans and water or stock, stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so that the soup just simmers, cover partially and let cook for at least 30 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta al dente according to the package directions. You can also cook the pasta in the soup, but it absorbs a lot of the liquid that way and you will have to add a lot more water and/or broth to keep it soupy. Drain pasta and set aside.

4. Add the kale, peas and cooked pasta to the soup pot now and let cook for another 10 minutes or so, until peas and kale are cooked. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately as is or topped with grated cheese. Soup can also be made ahead and kept covered and chilled in the fridge for up to 1 week until ready to be reheated.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from The Art of Home Cooking by Kate McDermott. I tinkered a lot with this and you should too—toss in whatever veggies/herbs you have have around. Think of this as just a guide.