Kale Zucchini Soup with Millet WFPB
When you need a truly healthy soup that feels like a meal, nothing beats this hearty balanced recipe. Delicately sweet zucchini pairs perfectly with earthy kale and millet. White beans and frozen peas add creaminess while boosting protein. This recipe is plant powered, gluten-free and made without added oil.
Equipment
- large pot or dutch oven (5 to 7 quarts is ideal)
- mug or small pitcher (to hold vegetable broth during oil-free sautéing)
- Immersion Blender (a stand alone blender or food processor would also work)
Ingredients
- 3 low sodium vegetable bouillon cubes or 6 cups of of broth*
- 1 yellow or white onion chopped
- 2 celery stalks (medium size), sliced to ¼ inch pieces (about 1 cup sliced)
- 3 to 5 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
- 2 medium-small zucchini or 1 large, sliced (you need about 1½ to 2 cups sliced zucchini)
- 8 oz frozen kale
- 1½ cup cooked white beans, strained (you can use 15.5 oz can of strained beans such as cannellini)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp shiitake mushroom powder optional
- 1 or 2 handfuls parsley and/or celery leaves optional
- 2 to 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (the juice of ½ to 1 lemon)
- 1½ to 2 cups cooked millet
Instructions
Create Vegetable Broth from Bouillon Cubes (if applicable)
- If you're starting with vegetable bouillon cubes instead of vegetable broth, dissolve bouillon cubes in 6 cups of warm or hot water.
Oil-Free Vegetable Sautéing
- Fill a mug or small pitcher with one cup of the vegetable broth or water and set it close to the stove to use during sautéing.
- Pour about 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth into a large pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Add onions to pot, lower heat to medium-high, and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until onions become translucent, adding very small amounts of liquid as needed, to keep onions from burning and sticking, about 1 or 2 teaspoons at a time.
- Add zucchini, celery and garlic to the onions in the pot and sauté for another 5 to 7 minutes until zucchini becomes soft, adding very small amounts of liquid as needed to prevent burning and/ or sticking.
Simmering Phase
- To the sautéd vegetables in the pot add 4 cups of vegetable broth, kale, beans, peas, nutritional yeast, thyme and shiitake mushroom powder (if using).
- Bring contents of the pot to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 15 minutes until the zucchini becomes very soft. You can cover the pot if you like.
- If using fresh parsley and/or celery leaves, now's the time to stir them into the soup. Wait for leaves to wilt before going onto the next step.
Blitzing Phase
- If Using an Immersion Blender: Leave heat on low and dip the immersion blender into soup and process until you achieve a slightly creamy, slightly chunky, texture. Refer to the main recipe text to see photos of how I do it.
- If Using a Food Processor or a Regular Blender: For this method you'll have to turn off the stove and remove the vegetables from the broth and partially process them outside the pot, then return them to the pot and reheat before going on to the next step.
Final Steps
- To the partially blended soup add the cooked millet and about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (or the juice of ½ lemon) and stir over low heat until thoroughly combined and heated through.
- If the soup seems too thick add more vegetable broth or water, a little at a time until you achieve the consistency you prefer.
- When the thickness is to your liking, taste the soup and decide if you want to add more lemon juice. Once the acidity is also to your liking, you can season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and Store
- This soup should be served piping hot.
- You can also keep this soup in a sealed refrigerated container for up to 4 or 5 days or freeze it for up to 5 months.
Notes
*The precise amount of broth you need will depend on whether you choose to sauté using vegetable broth or water and how thick you want the soup to be. You may end up with extra vegetable broth.
Tried this recipe? Let me know how it was!