Hearty Manitoba Vegetable Soup

Makes 6-8 servings

Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 45 min

When gardens are full of fresh produce, soups are a wonderful addition to dinnertime. The puree of pumpkin adds a creaminess that is unique to this soup and will help fill those tummies when the hunger hits.

Ingredients

1 tbsp Canola oil 15 mL
Celery stalks, chopped  
Carrots, chopped  
Onions, chopped  
Zucchini, chopped  
Garlic cloves, minced  
Potatoes, peeled and diced  
Tomatoes, chopped  
Bay leaves  
1 1/2 tsp Fresh rosemary 7 mL
1 1/2 tsp Fresh thyme 7 mL
4 cups Vegetable broth 1 L
1 can Red kidney beans 540 mL
2 cups Chopped Swiss chard or spinach leaves 500 mL
1 cup Pumpkin or squash puree 250 mL
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 15 mL
1 tsp Prepared mustard 5 mL
1/2 tsp Pepper 2 mL
1 cup Cooked small pasta or rice (optional) 250 mL
  Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)  

Instructions

Step 1
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat and cook celery, onions, carrot, zucchini and garlic for about 8 minutes or until softened.

Step 2
Stir in potatoes, tomatoes, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Add broth and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Step 3
Stir in Swiss chard, pumpkin puree, Worcestershire, mustard and pepper; simmer about 10 minutes or until chard is wilted. Stir in pasta, if using and heat through.

Step 4
Sprinkle each serving with cheese if desired.

Tips

You can substitute dried herbs for the fresh, simply use 1/2 tsp (2 mL) of each.
 
If the soup becomes too thick for your liking simply add 1 to 2 cups (250 mL to 500 mL) of water.

Nutrition & Notes

Nutrition Information
Valeur nutritive
% Daily Value
% valeur quotidienne
Amount
Teneur
Calories / Calories 277 kcal
Fat / Lipides 4 g
Saturated / saturés
+ Trans / trans
Cholesterol / Cholestérol
Sodium / Sodium 569 mg
Carbohydrates / Glucides 53 g
Fiber / Fibres 10 g
Sugars / Sucres
Protein Protéines 11 g
Vitamin A / Vitamine A
Vitamin C / Vitamine C
Calcium / Calcium
Iron / Fer
When Karen, a dietitian from Beausejour, Manitoba, makes large batches of this soup from her fall vegetables garden and freezes for later.  The flavour tastes even better the next day.