Lemon + Rosemary Infused Fall Vegetable Soup

Friday, November 7, 2014

The beautiful thing about soup is that it is incredibly forgiving.  You can veer off course, change the path, and, improvise.  It can be a simple and light dish with a few ingredients, or, a colorful medley of produce and textures.  Flavors can be layered for hours to make a Sunday Supper or pulled together in 15-minutes for a bright lunch.  Soups can feed your family, be brought to a sick friend, or, stock your single-lady fridge.

While every pot of soup comes together a little differently, there are a few tips and tricks I would love to share with you!  All of which I used in this filling and nurturing pot of lemon +rosemary infused Fall vegetable soup!

Chop THEN Cook

When making soup, I have found that chopping everything at the beginning makes the entire experience better.  It allows for easier cleanup, proper timing and the ability to enjoy a glass of wine.  To keep it organized, I set out several plates before I start chopping and clump the items together by step.

Infuse The Base

In order to keep things healthy, I try to be mindful of the amount of salt I use.  Because of this, I have taken up infusing flavors into the base of the soup.  For this soup, I infused the butter and olive oil with rosemary.  Then, I added lemons to freshen up this Fall soup.

Salt & Pepper Twice

 While this may seem like a contradiction to my previous statement about sodium, but, I have actually found that this helps bring out flavors and results in less salt overall.  I salt right after the base {onion, carrots, celery etc.} has been sauteed and at the very end.

For those looking for written instructions, feel free to scroll over the photos to the bottom of the post.

Lemon + Rosemary Infused Fall Vegetable Soup

1LB Chicken Sausage {Diced if applicable}

2 Medium Onions

5 Cloves Garlic, Minced

6 Stalks Celery, Diced

4 Carrots, Diced

Olive Oil

4 TBS Butter

3 Springs Fresh Rosemary

1 Carton Button Mushrooms {Sliced}

1.5 Cups White Wine

2 Cans {14 oz} Cannellini Beans {Rinsed}

1 Can{8 oz} Diced Tomatoes

3 Lemons

1 Parmesan Rind {Optional}

2 Boxes {32 oz} Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 LB Macaroni

1 Bunch Kale {Ribs Removed and chopped}

Salt & Pepper

1.  In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-high heat lightly drizzle olive oil and cook sausage.  Once browned, remove from the pan.  Lower heat to medium.  Add butter, a healthy drizzle of olive oil and rosemary.  Let melt and marry together for 1-2 minutes.  Add the onions and garlic, cooking until translucent.  Add celery and carrots.  Saute for 6-8 minutes.  Add mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Lightly salt and pepper.  Let cook for 2 more minutes.

2.  Add white wine.  Meanwhile, cut three lemons almost in half.  Fill a large pot with water and add the lemon.  Bring it to a boil.  Add the macaroni and cook partially.  Drain and toss with a minimal amount of olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking.  Set aside.

3.  In the soup pot, add the beans, tomato, remaining lemons and parmesan rind.  Bring to a boil.  Add one box of chicken broth.  Turn off the heat but do not remove the pot from the heat.  Add the noodles, lemon, sausage and kale.  Stir together and cover the pot.  

4.  Let the mixture sit for one-to-three hours.  Add the remaining broth, and water if needed, and warm the soup.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove the lemons, rosemary and any remaining rind.