There is nothing like a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter day. Most Vancouverites, including myself, are babies when the temperature falls below zero. So when it was cold and wet last week  I made this soup and it hit the spot.  Ok, enough about the weather. This soup is hearty, delicious, satisfying and perfect on a cold or dreary  rainy day, oops I did again.

This soup is perfect from a dietitian’s point of view.  Carrots and butternut squash are packed with beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant which plays a protective role against certain cancers and heart disease. Beta Carotene is fat soluble, and needs some heart healthy fats such as olive oil for absorption. Furthermore, beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A which plays a role in immunity and night vision.Kale,  like other green leafy vegetable, is packed with Vitamins A, C, & K as well as phytochemicals, luetin and zeaxanthin.  Eating leafy greens daily, like kale, may reduce your risk  of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

I made it on my meal planning/ prep day and it lasted all week. This hearty vegetable soup is loaded with vegetables. I added grass fed turkey sausage I bought from the farmers market for my carnivore loving husband.  I love farmer’s markets, they make for a great outing and you get to see all the fresh vegetables in season and is my absolute FAVORITE place to buy food. If you are of the vegetarian persuasion feel free to replace the sausage with chickpeas. Also if you have small children that aren’t into spicy food, reduce by half or leave it out completely. You can always add a bit of the cayenne and/or red chili flakes to your own bowl after to give it a kick.

Finally, if you have been over indulging this holiday season and need a recipe to motivate you to make healthy choices, this hearty vegetable soup will do the job.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

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Zest Nutrition

Yields 8

20 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

50 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

• 2Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 carrots, washed, peeled, and sliced
• 2 parsnips, washed and sliced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups of butternut squash
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 4 cups of low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 28 oz low sodium, diced tomatoes
• 6 springs of fresh thyme
• 2 turkey sausages or 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 large bunch of kale washed and chopped kale
• pinch of red chili flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. ). Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add onions , carrots, and parsnips . Heat until soft.
2. ). Add garlic for about 1 minute
3. ). Add squash, allspice, cayenne and Chinese 5 spice and stir.
4. ). Add broth, canned tomatoes , thyme, chili flakes, and salt and pepper, boil and turn down heat and simmer or 20 minutes.
5. ). In the meantime, cook sausage and wash and chop kale.
6. ). Add cooked sausage or chickpeas and kale. Continue to cook until kale has wilted.

Notes

you can substitute the sausage with chickpeas
Chinese 5 spice is a blend of fennel, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and anise seed

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https://www.zestnutrition.ca/hearty-vegetable-soup/