When I was a kid, we ate minestrone soup at every family gathering because my aunt made it for every birthday party. She made that and spinach dip. The spinach dip that’s made from frozen spinach and vegetable soup mix. I just made it for St. Patrick’s Day and it was as epic as I remembered as a child.

I’ve made the minestrone in my book - the real original minestrone that my aunt used to make. And I made a version with winter vegetables in the app and you can find the recipe here.

This version is for spring. It’s a celebration of everything at the farmer’s market right now. A celebration of everything that arrives in the CSA box this week. It’s perfect for those spring nights that are a little cool but you’re still looking forward to summer.

The brilliant part of this soup is that it cooks in literally 20 minutes. Once the veggies are softened and a little crispy, it takes a few minutes to bring to a boil, then the tiny little orzo pasta cooks in minutes. Like three. Literally, it cooks so fast.

SPRING MINESTRONE SOUP

serves 4

STEP 1

Chop all vegetables into basically bite sized pieces and cook in a stock pot with olive oil until a little brown on the edges.  Season with salt.  

STEP 2

Pour in garbanzo beans and stock and bring to a boil.  Season with oregano and basil.  

STEP 3

Add asparagus and pasta to the pot and cook 3 minutes until the pasta is done.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

STEP 4

Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

1 zucchini, about 1 cup chopped

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 leek, whites sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 bunch asparagus

2 cups green beans, chopped

2 tbs olive oil

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 can garbanzo beans

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup orzo

2 tbs fresh basil

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper