Recipe courtesy of Wolfgang Puck

Vegetable Soup with Sweet Basil

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: : 6 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 10 min
  • Prep: 25 min
  • Cook: 45 min
The simple soup my mother makes from the vegetables she grows in her own garden next to the house where I grew up in St. Viet, Carinthia, Austria, is very little different from the following traditional French recipe: just lots of good, fresh vegetables and some liquid to cook them in.
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Ingredients

2 small leeks, white part only

1 large potato, peeled

1 small onion

2 stalks celery

1 medium zucchini

12 green beans

2 medium carrots, peeled

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons water

1/2 gallon chicken stock (or 1/2 gallon water, 4 bouillon cubes, a pinch of thyme, and 1/2 bay leaf)

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded

4 medium garlic cloves

30 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried

Salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Cut the leeks, potato, onion, celery, zucchini, green beans, and carrots into 1/4-inch dice.
  2. In a 6-quart stockpot, combine 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the water. Add the vegetables and saute over medium-low heat until all the water evaporates. Do not brown the vegetables.
  3. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook at a gentle boil for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, put the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pulse until pureed.
  5. Stir the puree into the cooked soup. Do not let the soup return to a boil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve the soup hot or cold from a tureen or in individual bowls.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Mona W.

This soup is bursting with vibrant flavors of tomato and basil. It's simply beautiful! As a vegan, I just sub the chicken stock with "Not-Chicken" Bouillon by Edward & Sons or "No-Chicken Broth" by Imagine Foods. I also like to make half as the recipe makes quite a lot and bulk up a bit on the potato, zucchini, and carrots as the soup is very brothy. I prefer something a little more substantial. I also like to add a can of drained and rinsed great northern or cannellini beans when I want to add some protein to a meal. Delicious!

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