Chesapeake Vegetable Soup

Dreary December weather makes me want to eat nothing but soup every day! This week, I made a hearty mixed vegetable soup with chickpeas, using a mix of fresh vegetables and ones we froze or canned over the summer. The soup gets its complex and slightly spicy flavor from Z&B’s Chesapeake Blend, a bold mix of spices and herbs including paprika, celery seed, mustard seed, nutmeg, pepper, bay leaves, ginger, allspice, and more. The Chesapeake harmonizes particularly well with the tomato and chickpeas, creating a well-rounded soup. This recipe is super flexible; feel free to swap out the veggies I used for whatever you happen to have on hand! It’s a great way to use up leftovers!

Here’s how I made it:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 pound of butternut squash, sweet potato, or potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1½ tablespoons Z&B Chesapeake Blend
• 6 cups unsalted vegetable stock (or use some of the liquid from cooking your chickpeas)
• 1½ cups cooked chickpeas (or a 15.5 oz can, drained and rinsed)
• 1½ cups diced tomato (fresh or a 15.5 oz can)
• ½ pound green beans (fresh, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces, or frozen)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2-3 leaves kale, destemmed and chopped

I warmed the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then sautéed the onions and garlic until they started to soften. I added the carrots, celery, butternut, and Z&B Chesapeake Blend, stirred well, and cooked for 5 to 10 minutes. I then added the stock, chickpeas, and tomato, and brought the soup to a boil. I let it simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes or so, until the vegetables were soft. I added the green beans and salt and cooked a few minutes more, until the beans were cooked. I stirred in the kale and took the pot off the heat.

This recipe serves 8. Serve with a crusty piece of bread for a simple, nourishing, and belly-warming lunch!

Until next time, folks, stay cozy!

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