Olga’s Italian Vegetable Soup

During the winter, I make a lot of soups.  This recipe was posted in Men's Health magazine several years ago.  The first time I made this, I knew it was a winner.  It's amazingly flavorful, but the only seasoning you use is salt & pepper.  All the flavor comes from the vegetables themselves! It's a staple in my "winter soup rotation."

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup olive oil (more or less)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
•  Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch parsley, washed and chopped, thick stems discarded
• 4 or 5  cabbage leaves, chopped
• 1 bunch chard, washed and chopped (use white or red chard)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 to 4  cups cooked white beans, such as cannellini, with their liquid if possible

DIRECTIONS

1. Put about a third of the olive oil in the bottom of a deep pot over medium heat. Add half each of the chopped onions, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften (about 10 minutes). Add half of the remaining oil and repeat the process, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Add the last of the oil with the parsley, cabbage, and chard, and cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is softened but not browned. Adjust the heat as necessary.
2. Add the tomato paste and stir. Partially mash the beans, leaving some of them more or less whole; add them to the pot, along with any bean-cooking liquid and enough water to make the whole mixture stewy but not too watery.
3. Keep cooking, tasting, and seasoning as necessary, until all the vegetables are tender and the soup is hot.