Italian Harvest Vegetable Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped celery (4-5 stalks)
• 2 large carrots, peeled
• 1 large sweet onion, such as vidalia
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (or safflower oil)
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1/2 bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 6 cups water
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup corn kernel (frozen and thawed, or fresh)
• 1 cup fennel bulb, chopped (or 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 4 -5 ounces baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

Recipe

• 1 chop celery, carrots, and onion into 1/2-inch dice.
• 2 heat oil on medium-high in a large, heavy-bottom stockpot. add celery, carrots, and onion. sauté until edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• 3 reduce heat to medium and add garlic and bell peppers. stir frequently for 1–2 minutes, then add water, tomatoes, corn, fennel, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
• 4 bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30–40 minutes. add spinach and zucchini, simmer another 5 minutes, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.