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.