♥ a delicious fall soup.

with the weather already getting chilly-what better way to warm up

than with a hot and simmering soup, made with just about every veggie?

i tried a variation on this late summer vegetable minestrone by martha stewart and

i am happy to add it to my repertoire before things start getting really frigid in new england!

ingredients:

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 small onions chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced 

3 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds

2 celery stalks, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces

1 bunch of red swiss chard- leaves torn into 4 cups & stems cut to 1.5 cups

4 medium ripe tomatoes, diced

coarse salts and freshly ground pepper

2 medium zucchini or yellow squashes, diced

1 parmesan rind or 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese plus more for topping

1 can of butter or cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

directions:

1) heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. add onions and garlic, stirring occasionally

until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

2) add carrots, celery and chard stems and leaves- stir and cook another 10 minutes

3) add tomatoes and 2 tsp of salt. cook another 5 minutes

4) add zucchini, 5 cups of water, parmesan and beans

5) bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer

6) cook until vegetables are softened, about 25 minutes

7) season with salt and pepper and serve immediately,

topped with parmesan cheese.

8) freeze for up to 3 months :)

* be aware that swiss chard has a very strong, singular flavor- so if you

are not a fan, you may want to swap them for greens with a more subtle flavor,

like baby spinach or kale!