Summer Vegetable Soup

This summer vegetable soup is inspired by the garden harvest! Lots of heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, baby zucchini, and roasted corn make this soup bright and refreshing. No cream, potatoes, or meat - just flavors of the summer garden.

bouquet garni: oregano, basil, thyme, all wrapped together with twine

Since I was three years old, my dad and I have made it a tradition to plant tomatoes in the spring. We go to an annual tomato seedling pop-up called Tomatomania!, which has hundreds of varieties of tomatoes, and fill up our garden. Vibrant colors, offbeat names, and funky shapes - the three pillars of heirlooms!

These tomatoes bring sweetness and acidity, alongside the tomato paste, which gives a little extra color and flavor to the broth.

I ended up picking out yellow crookneck squash and some cute little baby zucchini. Just look at those little disks of green! This soup is all about summer vegetables, so paddy pan squash, green summer squash, and zucchini make great substitutions. Check out your local farmers' market, or your garden, and see what you can find!

Leeks, pearl onions, baby zucchini, garlic, cannellini beans, heirloom tomatoes, yellow crookneck squash, and bouquet garni

Since this dish is centered around vegetables, infusing flavor every step of the way helps create a delicious broth. Start off by adding corn, rosemary, salt, pepper, and butter to your aluminum foil package. Roasting corn this way makes a tasty side dish, so I opted for this method instead of steamed or canned corn.

Wrap corn, butter, rosemary, salt, and pepper in aluminum foil

Roast for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F

Let cool, and remove kernels

Serve alongside some toast to soak up the broth, and finish off with a sprinkle of grated parmesan!

summer vegetable soup

Summer Vegetable Soup

ingredients

• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, cubed

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 leek, thinly sliced

• 1 zucchini (or about 6 baby zucchini), thinly sliced

• 2 yellow crookneck squash, cubed

• 1 cup of cannellini beans (one can)

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 bunch of thyme, oregano, basil (a few sprigs of each), tied together with twine (bouquet garni)

• 4 cups water or vegetable broth (if using vegetable broth, use less salt)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

• ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)

  For the Roasted Corn

• 3 cobs of corn

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 4 sprigs of rosemary

• 2 pinches salt and pepper

method

For the Roasted Corn

1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees F. Place the corn on a large piece of aluminum foil. Divide the butter evenly on top of the corn, tuck the sprigs of rosemary between each ear, and top with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

2. Once the corn is cooled, unwrap the aluminum foil and carefully cut the kernels off of the cob. Set aside for later use in the vegetable soup.

For the Soup

1. In a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks to the pan, and sauté until softened. Add a 1/2 cup of water or broth to deglaze the pan, then add the tomato paste, herbs, and garlic. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the squash and zucchini, and enough water to the pan so that the zucchini and squash are covered completely. Cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes, so that the vegetables begin to soften.

3. Uncover, and add the tomatoes, corn, and beans to the pot, as well as the remainder of the water/broth. Cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let cook for 30 minutes, until reduced and thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste, and remove the bouquet garni.

4. Optional: Top with grated parmesan and serve with toast!