By Lindsey, Contributing Writer
Summer is winding down, and my favorite season, Autumn, is upon us. Yay for crunchy leaves, bonfires, apples, pumpkins, sweaters, baking, and soup!
Soup like this one, brimming with the last of the garden’s bounty. Tomatoes, zucchini, onions, wax beans, and basil combine to make a nutritious chunky soup that’s perfect for this transitional weather – warm enough ward off the slight chill in the air, yet light enough to not be overwhelmingly hot. A spoonful of pesto (use Katie’s dairy-free pesto recipe, linked to in this post, if you need to keep it vegan/dairy-free) in each bowl makes the perfect finishing touch, and of course, a piece of crusty sourdough bread rounds it out and makes a great late-summer meal.
I created this recipe with one of my favorite (but sadly, not real food!) soups in mind – Panera Bread’s Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto. I love that soup, and I really wanted to create a real-food version of it so I could enjoy it at home. While I didn’t succeed in recreating that “pizza in a bowl” taste the original version has, I do believe I like my version better, even though it turned out very different from it’s inspiration. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it just as much!
- 4 cups peeled diced tomatoes (Romas or other meatier-type tomatoes suggested)
- 2 cups water
- 2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 cups yellow wax beans
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 TB rapadura sugar
- 1 TB Italian seasoning
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- In a large stock pot, combine tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until tomatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Process tomatoes in a blender until they are smooth. If desired, strain out seeds. Set aside.
- Heat oil in the bottom of the pan, add onions and peppers. Cook until onions are translucent and peppers are soft. Add garlic and basil, cook until garlic is translucent.
- Add tomato broth, beans, zucchini, sugar, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 30 minutes. Garnish each bowl with a spoonful of pesto, if desired. Serve hot with crusty sourdough bread and enjoy!
Lindsey Proctor is a twenty-something foodie, with an emphasis on great tasting real food. She lives with her parents and sister on Hickory Cove Farm, a small, natural and sustainable farm in South-Central Pennsylvania where they raise Alpine and Nubian dairy goats, and a flock of pastured laying hens and a few roosters. Her favorite place to be is out in the pasture with her goats, but she also enjoys spending time in the kitchen cooking, baking, preserving food, and cheese making. She also enjoys photography, music, and a really good cup of coffee, and blogging at The Life Of Linz. She views her life in the country as a great blessing and it is her firm belief that she has been placed there for a purpose; to help others get back to living and eating the way she think God intended us to – a simple, fresh, local, and seasonal way of life.
Latest posts by Lindsey Proctor (see all)
- Coconut Orange Ginger Beef Stir-fry - July 18, 2014
- Why We Drink Raw Goat’s Milk - January 27, 2014
- Apple Oatmeal Mini Loaves (Soaked whole grain and naturally sweetened!) - December 7, 2013
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