The vegetable soup recipe

The vegetable soup requires some time because you have to wash and chop all the vegetables; for the first time I suggest to prepare all the vegetables for only one portion (except the peas or beans). The second time you can increase the quantities of the vegetables as your choice and taste.

Ingredients for the vegetable soup

• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 stalk of celery;
• 1 potato;
• 1 zucchini;
• some fresh beans — you can use the dried ones, however they must be soaked in cold water for at least one night or canned beans that are already cooked;
• 1 ripe tomato;
• a sprig of aromatic herbs;
• 5 leaves of basil;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• extra virgin olive oil;
• salt;
• ground pepper;
• a handful of grated Parmesan cheese.

Preparation of the vegetable soup

Peel the onion, cut it in half on cutting board and then cut it againt into thin slices. Then pour the chopped onion in a large salad bowl.

Wash and peel the carrots, remove the tough ends, cut them in half on a cutting board and then cut them again into thin slices. Then add the chopped carrot in the salad bowl.

Wash the celery stalk and eliminate muddy or damaged parts: cut it in two parts, lengthwise and then cut it into thin slices. Then add the chopped celery in the salad bowl.

Take two cloves of garlic, peel them and, for making them more digestible cut them in half and remove their green soul.

Fill a saucepan with a quart of water, put into a vegetable stock cube and turn on the fire.

Take another saucepan and put into a little olive oil and the garlic, turn on the fire and cook for half a minute being careful to do not burn the garlic.

Put all the contents of the salad bowl into the saucepan and mix everything.

Wash, peel, cut in half the potato and then cut the two halves into thin slices, add the chopped potatoes in a pot together with the other vegetables and stir.

Cut both ends of the zucchini, cut them in half, cut the halves into thin slices and add the zucchini into the pot where the other vegetables are browning and stir.

Release the beans from pods and put them into the pot and stir. If dry beans are soaked, put those without their own water; do the same for baked beans.

If you can remove its skin wash and cut the ripe tomato in half, or cut it into small pieces with skin and put it into the pot. Guess what? Stir again. If you see at any point of the preparation of the vegetables that they are sticking to the pot, add some broth.

Now take the aromatic herbs, gather them in a bunch, cut them into thin slices and put them into the pot. Stir, stir, stir again.

Add three basil leaves broken with fingers, salt and pepper and mix.

Add the rest of the stock broth being careful that the soup is not too watery.

Simmer for 45 minutes over medium heat.

When all the vegetables are cooked turn off the fire, add the other two leaves of basil cut with your fingers. And add a little extra virgin olive oil and the grated Parmesan cheese.

The vegetable soup is ready. Enjoy it.