Leftover Vegetable "First Day of Spring" Soup 🥕🍅 🌸

Looking for something to share for #wellnesswednesday, I am excited to share with you a soup that is literally made of 7 vegetables that I had in the fridge/on the counter and two cans that I had in my pantry. It is just cool enough for us to still be in soup season, but it is now officially spring, so I called this kitchen sink soup an “officially first day of spring” soup. My favorite season is here. 🌸

Wellness and healthy food does not have to consist of complicated, expensive ingredients. I absolutely love using what I have (and so does my budget). Vegetables are great because you can pretty much add all of them together and as long as they’re cooked, you’re good. It’s actually how I got my start to healthy cooking, with a white bean and kale soup. Add in your lighter, water based vegetables first into oil with some spices, then add in your starchier veggies such as carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash. Cover with vegetable broth, bring to a boil, simmer on low until cooked, and then add your canned items. Voilà: a vegetable soup (and plenty of it). I wrote a blog in 2021 about soup ratios, if you’re ever interested in how to make soup at home - which is one of the cheapest and most nutrient dense meals.

The things in my kitchen that I needed to use were parsnips, celery, a sweet potato, yellow onion, half of a red onion, delicata squash, and a small handful of arugulaI used some of my favorite spices I had in the drawer, then added canned chili beans and diced tomatoes after it simmered in the broth. That’s it. You can use what you have in the fridge, or if you want to follow my recipe below, the soup turned out SO tasty. It last for days, and makes your gut feel so good.

If weight loss is your goal, I’m currently diving into The Proof is In the Plants, and he really discusses how eating plenty of whole vegetables is the key to long term weight loss, not restriction. This soup is perfect in supporting that, and plenty of nutrient dense food is my type of wellness.

Please enjoy, and happy Spring. Tag me in your recipes if you make them, I love to see it. 🥣

Xx,
B

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• 5 stalks celery, thinly diced

• 1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly chopped

• 1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly chopped

• 1 tablespoon turmeric, smoked paprika, and dried sweet basil

• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper

• 1 small delicata squash, skin on, seeded, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

• 3 parsnips, skin on, diced roughly into small 1/4 inch pieces

• 1 sweet potato, skin on, diced roughly into 1/2 inch pieces

• 1 32-ounce container vegetable broth, no salt added

• 1 15-ounce can chili beans, liquid left in

• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, no salt added

• 1/2 cup fresh arugula.

• Optional add ons: Siete chips, sour cream/greek yogurt, avocado, bread, tortillas, organic Parmesan

Recipe:

• Add avocado oil to medium-high heat in a stock pot. Add celery, yellow onion, and red onion with the spices, stirring until translucent (about 3-4 minutes)

• Add in squash, parsnips, and sweet potato to the stock pot. Cover with the veggies with the broth, then bring to a boil with the lid on. Once at a boil, lower to a medium simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.

• Remove the lid, and add the beans, tomatoes, and fresh arugula. Stir and cook for 5 more minutes.

• Enjoy hot with toppings, or store in the fridge for up to a week.