Hearty Vegetable Soup, Easy Minestrone

Your comments leave me inspired. Keep them coming! This soup was inspired because Stella of The Witchy Kitchen left a comment at my Chicken Daikon Soup post, asking if I have a recipe for clear vegetable soup.

Actually...I do, but it is not in any published post yet as I have only cooked them (with photos taken) quite recently. So in my email reply to Stella, I told her briefly the combination of my more recent vegetable soup: Daikon - Edamame - Cabbage - Tomatoes etc.

The use of tomatoes usually leave the soup more brothy than clear. But to me, still a clear soup vs the creamy type - such as pumpkin or mushroom.

Days after I made that daikon-based vegetable soup (that post...? another day perhaps), I decided to make another one. A vegetable soup that bears a close resemblance to minestrone. I am a fan of minestrone.

Vegetable Soup (Minestrone)
Ingredients: pinch of cumin; 1/4 red onion, finely diced; 1-cm knob ginger slightly crushed, whole (Note: this will be removed from the soup before serving); pinch of ground coriander and turmeric; 1/2 tomato, diced; 1/2 small carrot, finely diced; 1/4 head of cabbage, finely diced; 1/2 zucchini, finely cubed; 1/2 yellow bell peppers, finely cubed; salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Add a little olive oil to the pot, add cumin and toast slightly. Add red onion, ginger and fry them briskly, adding coriander and turmeric to combine well. Add tomatoes, then carrot, mix well; then add in cabbage. Cover the pot and allow mixture to mixture. When cabbage start to reduce in volume, open the lid, combine the vegetables well and add the zucchini and peppers. Combine well again. Add water to partially immerse all the vegetables in the pot (Note1: Do not add too much as the vegetables will produce some moisture as well which goes into the soup liquid). At the end, salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

This soup can be part of a great holiday meal. Traditionally, the Chinese (especially Cantonese) food culture includes one soup-dish as part of the entire meal deal. Why not for a Western-inspired celebration meal?


Of course, such hearty soups are always welcomed for the cold days and nights.


The soup is also for Souper Sunday at Kahakai Kitchen, My Meatless Mondays and Hearth and Soul.

Tag: minestrone, soup, vegetable soup

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