This is the vegetable soup my Nonna created. It is based loosely on a northern Italian recipe. This recipe is very flexible — add or omit based on what you have in the fridge!

Total Time: 1:15

Ingredients

• Soup
  • Barley
  • 1 onion
  • 3 carrots
  • Handful frozen corn and/or peas (optional)
  • 3 sticks celery
  • Handful chopped spinach
  • 540 g (19 oz) can Cannellini beans
  • 1 large Russet potato
  • Tomato paste
  • 1 small green zucchini
  • 1 small yellow zucchini
  • 80 mL olive oil
  • 1 packet Lipton Noodle Soup Mix (Vegan substitute: 2-3 vegan chicken flavor bouillon cubes, ground cumin to taste, thin spaghetti ripped to pieces ~1-3 cm length)
• Meatballs (optional)
  • 0.5 kg (1/4 lb) ground beef
  • Salt, Pepper
  • Minced garlic
  • 1-1.5 eggs
  • Bread crumbs
  • Parsley
  • Broth

The Soup

While cooking, stir occasionally and add water as necessary to keep the vegetables just covered.

• Put about 2 cm of water in a pot on medium heat
• Add the barley
  
• Wait ~40 minutes to let the barley cook a bit
• Add 1 chopped onion
  
• Add 3 chopped carrots
  
• Add a handful of frozen corn and/or peas (optional)
• Add 3 sticks of chopped celery (including the leaves)
• Add a healthy handful of chopped spinach
  
• Add 1/2 of a 540 g (19 oz) can of Cannellini beans
• Add 1 large Russet potato, diced
• Add tomato paste until the broth is pink
  
• Add 1 small yellow and 1 small green zucchini, diced
  
• Add 80 mL of olive oil
• For reference, this should be about the 40 minute mark right now.
• Cook with lid on for about 30 minutes. Make the tiny meatballs in the meantime (if you want them).
• Add the rest of the can of beans, pureed. You need to stir very frequently once this is added, lest it clump at the bottom.
  
• Add 1 bag Lipton Noodle Soup Mix (Vegans: add 2-3 chicken flavor bouillon cubes, ground cumin to taste, and ripped up thin spaghetti)
  
• Cook until the noodles are done
• Add tiny meatballs (optional)
• Add broth until soup is desired consistency
  
• Eat 🙂

Tiny Meatballs

• 0.5 kg (1/4 lb) ground beef
• Salt, pepper
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1-1.5 eggs
• Bread crumbs
• Parsley
  
• Form into tiny balls (1-2 cm diameter) and add to simmering broth until cooked. They will float when they are cooked. Wash your hands repeatedly while doing this to keep the meatballs smooth (don’t laugh; this is a serious matter according to Nonna!)
  
• Turn off the heat and wait for the appropriate time to add them to the vegetable soup using a perforated spoon.