Vegan Italian Penicillin Soup (Printable Version)
Healing plant-based Italian soup packed with vegetables, chickpeas, and aromatic herbs for ultimate comfort.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
03 - 2 celery stalks, diced
04 - 3 medium carrots, sliced
05 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium fennel bulb, diced (optional)
07 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
08 - 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
09 - 1 cup baby spinach or chopped kale
→ Broth and Legumes
10 - 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
11 - 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
12 - 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
13 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
17 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
18 - 1 bay leaf
→ Finishing Touches
19 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
20 - Zest of 1 lemon
21 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
22 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
# Directions:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and fennel if using. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until softened and fragrant.
02 - Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the diced zucchini and continue sautéing for 2 more minutes.
03 - Add the chopped fresh tomatoes (or canned diced tomatoes) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they begin to break down and soften.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth. Add the drained chickpeas, salt, pepper, dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Bring to a rolling boil.
05 - Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the flavors to meld together.
06 - Stir in the baby spinach or chopped kale during the last 3 to 4 minutes of simmering. Cook until wilted and vibrant green.
07 - Remove the pot from heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast if using. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle into bowls and serve hot. Accompany with crusty bread if desired.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The lemon juice added at the end tricks your brain into thinking the broth is richer than it actually is.
- It freezes beautifully, so you can stockpile it like the comfort currency it is.
02 -
- Add the lemon juice off the heat or it will turn bitter and flatten the broth you just spent building.
- Dried herbs need those full twenty minutes of simmering to rehydrate and release their oils, so do not rush this step.
03 -
- Let the soup cool completely before freezing, and store it in flat bags so it thaws quickly when you need it most.
- Nutritional yeast might sound optional but it is the ingredient that makes this taste like actual penicillin and not just vegetable water.