Greetings Foodies!
Who doesn’t love a warm, hearty, filling soup on a chilly day? I’m sure I am not alone in this, especially this time of year. Nothing sounds more comforting, to me, than a large bowl of home-made soup along side a crusty piece of bread. And when I have a cold? Just hook an IV up to my arm, because I want soup ALL.THE.TIME! I decided to change up our soup routine this winter and created this Vegetable Soup with Israeli Couscous. It’s hearty, delicious and perfect for a chilly day!
What’s Not to Love?
This soup has all our favorite veggies, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and mushrooms. The vegetables are lightly sautéed and then simmered until tender. I add thyme, bay leaves, garlic and lemon juice to give it a signature flavor that’s light and fulfilling. We love to use Israeli Couscous, or “baseball pasta” to my boys (hey it got them to try something other than egg noodles!). Israeli Couscous is a fun alternative to traditional pasta, but you can use any pasta you’d like or skip the pasta and you have a perfectly light gluten-free soup. I cook the pasta separate for this reason, so you can add as little or as much as you’d like. You could also replace the pasta with navy beans (or another small white bean) to bump up the protein and remain gluten-free.
Get It While It’s Hot!
This soup is a perfect for a cold day or when a loved one is feeling under the weather. Serve this soup along side some warm crusty bread or a delicious salad to make it a complete meal. Try this soup ASAP and I hope you and your family love it as much as mine does!
Happy Eating!
Nancy
- 32 oz Vegetable Stock
- 2 cups Isareli Couscous or small pasta
- 2 cups Potatoes, diced
- 1 cup Carrots, 4-5 carrots diced
- 1 cup Celery, diced plus green ends
- 1 White Onion, diced
- 1 cup Cremini or White Mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil or grape seed oil
- ½ Tbsp Sea salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper, ground
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 6-8 Thyme Sprigs
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ½ Lemon, juiced
- Cook Couscous or Pasta in a separate pot, per instructions, set aside
- Heat large pot over med/high heat
- Add Oil
- Add all vegetables except mushrooms, saute for 3-4 minutes
- Add stock, thyme and bay leaves
- Bring to a light simmer, cook uncovered until potatoes and carrots are tender (about 20 min)
- Reduce heat to medium/low
- Add Mushrooms, salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- Stir to combine and taste broth, add more S&P if needed
- Cook for 10 minutes, until mushrooms are tender
- Squeeze ½ lemon into soup, stir to combine
- Ladle soup into a bowl, add desired amount of pasta
- Serve with crusty bread or side salad
- Enjoy
- **you may add beans in place of pasta or couscous to make gluten-free
Hope you enjoyed the soup and I love the quarantine journal!Stay safe and healthy out there!