It’s winter!

Today it finally got cold. Really cold. So cold and drizzly that most people were released early from work, to avoid the icy streets. There may not be work or school tomorrow. It’s 28 degrees outside, and it’s sleeting. This is Austin, people! This is the depth of our winter! It cracks me up to see people freaking out, worrying about roads and cancelling all sorts of things, when people up North have to deal with temperatures below zero, with ice and snow and all that coldness. We’re just not used to that here, I guess.

So, in honor of the cold, I made soup for dinner. It was flavorful and full of veggies, comforting and perfectly aromatic. The addition of pesto at the end really brightened up the flavors…I used a fresh pesto from Central Market, and with every spoonful of soup, I could taste the brightness of the basil and the sharpness of the Parmesan cheese.

Italian Wedding Soup

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery ribs
  • 1 cup trimmed green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
  • 1 (15-ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup pesto

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add teh green beans, tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper to taste, zucchini, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Garnish each bowl with a spoonful of pesto.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Adapted from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson.

6 responses to “It’s winter!”

  1. This is going in my “yummies” file 🙂

  2. ooh, this looks so good! and i like the idea of adding pesto….great idea! yum.

  3. tag, youre it! im tagging you for the ten favorite foods meme thats going around. here’s the info if you get a chance to play along: http://fromthepantry.blogspot.com/2005/12/meme-time.html

  4. There’s probably a grand and romantic story behind this soup, don’t you think, with a name like that? Brrr–sounds cold in Austin…when I lived in TX, they were similarly afraid of ice…people from up north who were living there for school just laughed. Of course, here in Southern California, people whine when it’s below 70…or above 80…

  5. D-Lish!

    Great dish to warm up with!

  6. Made the Italian Wedding Soup, it’s posted here. Thanks so much for the inspiration, I was very happy to have such a great way to use up leftover pesto!

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