Spring Minestrone Soup with Vibrant Green Veggies!

Minestrone soup is a popular Italian soup, but there's no set recipe because the vegetables used change with the season. You can count on the soup having a tomato base and usually a yummy bean.

The most common vegetables used are onion, carrot, and celery, but it's totally up to the cook and what produce is available.

I filled this Spring Minestrone Soup with lots of green veggies, including asparagus, swiss chard, sweet green peas!

Spring Minestrone Soup

By Chef Katie Mae

Makes about 2½ quarts | Ready in 25 minutes | Stores 5 days in fridge

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stalk green garlic (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of green onion (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 14 oz canned diced tomato, no salt added
• 1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 bunch of asparagus (8 oz)
• 2 cups thinly sliced swiss chard
• 1 cup green peas
• 1 packed cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• ¼ cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges

DIRECTIONS

1. Add onion, garlic, potatoes, and diced to tomatoes to a pan over medium-high heat. Dry-sauté for a for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the vegetable broth and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low-medium. Let the vegetables cook with a strong simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are close to fully tender.
3. When the potatoes are almost cooked to your liking, add the asparagus, swiss chard, and green peas. Simmer for a few more minutes, until the asparagus is bright green and tender.
4. Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh basil and black pepper.
5. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice in each and sprinkle the chopped pine nuts over top.