Nonni's Vegetable Soup
The season is nigh!
At the risk of hyperbole, I feel strongly that there are few moments better than those first days of pre-fall, when it’s still technically summer and you’re sick of the mosquitoes and the heat and humidity, but suddenly there is a chill in the air. It’s not quite necessary to wear a light jacket, but you could for style-sake if you wanted. More likely though, you’re not in that headspace yet, so you embrace the chill for the pure enjoyment of savoring the feeling of perfect fall weather—no jacket between you and the breeze—transitional seasons normally so fleeting.
This moment also signals for me a sudden interest in making soups and stews. Pots of beans bubbling away on the stove. A sudden willingness to embark on hours-long cooking projects that warm up the kitchen. I also appreciate this moment for its crossover with summer produce. The squash and potatoes and tomatoes and sturdy greens still abundant—and what better than a vegetable stew for an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink style meal? Do not underestimate how much CSA kale I have in my fridge (4 bunches if you really want to know).
For ages I’ve had my grandmother’s recipe for Vegetable Soup affixed to the fridge, but hadn’t gotten around to trying it. There were always more exciting recipes to try. These days I’m pretty behind keeping tabs on all of my favorite recipe creators. I haven’t looked at NYT Cooking in months (sad) and my substack queue is long (even more sad—don’t worry I’ll catch up). So while considering the enormous amount of veggies that needed using I finally took a look at the index card written in Nonni’s hand. I deviated quite a bit from her recipe to factor in the produce I was using, so the one I’ve included here is my version. My first pot of this soup was made on kind of a weird day, “Soup Mother” style, in fits and starts (and I didn’t take a single photo). I began on a Friday evening after a rough afternoon, perhaps too late considering the dried beans that need to simmer in the broth, and truthfully there was a Promises Kept pop-up happening at our local bar, so instead of having soup that night, I popped over there to pick up a Clam Pie and a Sausage Pie to-go once Reed got home from work. We never eat out, but the pizza was so worth it.
I left the mostly-finished soup in its pot overnight with the lid partially on. The following morning I brought it back to a full boil, added another two cups of water, and added my cabbage. The result was of course much starchier than if we had had it the night before—overnight the potatoes absorbed a lot of liquid—but I like that. It’s a different vibe. You’ll get a clearer broth if you make yours in a less chaotic manner from start to finish, and have it the same day.
After it boiled for about 10-15 minutes Tycho and I ate some for an early lunch before I had to be at the bookstore. I ate it as a soup, but strained chunks of veggies of the soup liquid for him. This soup is perfect for a toddler, given its hearty chunks of potatoes and beans, having simmered in a tomatoey broth. I never refridgerated the soup, instead opting to leave it on the stove and bring it back up to a rolling boil before each meal.
I made it again a few days later, swapping the buckeye beans for white beans, and the cabbage for kale and getting a clearer soup broth as opposed to the starchy stew. I love both! I hope you give this recipe a try, employing whatever veggies you happen to have on hand, and enjoy.
xo AV
Nonni’s Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
1/4 c olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4-5 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
Better than Bouillon (about 1 tbsp plus more, to taste)
1/2 can San Marzano tomatoes, chopped (or passata)
1/2 bag of dried beans, soaked (like Buckeye or Cannellini)
4-5 potatoes, cubed
1/2-1 head of cabbage, shredded (or substitute kale or other sturdy greens)
Method
Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until oftened. Add celery and carrots and cook until crisp-tender.
Add 6 cups of water, and 1 tbsp of Better than Bouillon. Add the tomatoes to the pot, cutting them up with kitchen scissors as they go in the pot, along with some of their liquid. Bring to a simmer, and add the beans. Simmer until the beans are al dente (30 minutes-1 hour, but taste them and continue to simmer until they are done).
If the soup seems thick, add 1-2 cups of water, along with the potatoes, and simmer until they are tender.
Add shredded cabbage (or kale) and continue to simmer until wilted (another 10-15 minutes or so).
Check for seasoning, and serve with toasted, buttered bread (homemade sourdough, perhaps??).
Cutting board looking good
yes yes yes to leaving the pot on the stovetop. the best way.