Hearty and Wholesome Seasonal Vegetable Soup

College students are typically known for strange meals at strange times, especially during the colder months of finals season. We get it; between late-night study sessions, and early morning classes, sometimes a hearty meal is not the first thing on the mind. Unfortunately though, a hearty and wholesome meal is often what we need the most. 

As a senior, I can attest to the lack of time to grocery shop and cook, having to resort to rice cakes and peanut butter for dinner. I can also say for certain that the time I do set aside to prepare healthy and filling meals makes stressful times just that much easier. 

For those staring blankly at the produce section in the grocery store, unsure of where to begin, I have the perfect recipe for you; hearty, wholesome, and easy Seasonal Vegetable Soup. 

As a pro-tip, I recommend buying the beans, frozen peas, vegetable broth, and couscous from Trader Joe’s. It will save you some cash, which is always an added bonus. 

Seasonal Vegetable Soup

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 40 minutesTotal time: 55 minutesServings:4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 head green kale
• 1 white onion – diced
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 2 large carrots – peeled u0026 chopped
• 1 medium orange sweet potato – peeled and diced
• 3 stocks celery – chopped
• 1 bag frozen peas
• 1 can no salt added Northern White Beans – drained
• 3/4 cup Israeli couscous
• 1 carton low sodium vegetable broth
• salt u0026 pepper to taste
• 3 TBS. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. 
   

   Begin by prepping your ingredients – dice the onion, peel and cut the carrots and sweet potato, chop the celery, mince the garlic and chop the kale.

2. 
   

   Next, heat a large pot on high heat. Add in the olive oil, and allow that to heat up as well.

3. 
   

   Add in onion and celery, and simmer on high for about 3 minutes. Then, add the garlic with some salt and ground black pepper, and repeat.

4. 
   

   Once the onion is translucent, add the carrots and sweet potato. Sauté for another 5 minutes on high heat.

5. 
   

   In the meantime, cook the couscous so it can be added in towards the end.

6. 
   

   Next, pour in the vegetable broth, and bring the heat down to a medium simmer. Allow it to cook like this four about 10 minutes.

7. 
   

   Add in the beans and peas, and turn down to a low simmer. Allow this to cook for about another 10-15 minutes, or until the sweet potato is easily cut.

8. 
   

   At the very end, add in the couscous and kale, allowing the kale to wilt into the soup. Heat on low for another 5 minutes until everything is cohesive.

Another great perk of this recipe is that it can be stored for up to three months in the freezer for when it really is crunch time. Make your roommate munching on cereal for dinner jealous, while filling your body with this nutritious and delicious seasonal soup. 

• Dinner
• Nutrition