I’m Emily.
I blog, write, teach, and cook.

David has a cold (which I had last week), so I made this for him tonight. It’s really, really good, but it was pretty time consuming. I adapted the recipe from Vegetarian: Over 300 healthy and wholesome recipes chosen from around the world, edited by Nicola Graimes.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped into small pieces
• 2 carrots, chopped into small pieces
• 1 celery rib, chopped into small pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 potatoes, pealed and chopped into small pieces
• 4 cups hot vegetable broth + 2 1/4 cups hot water
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 3/4 cups peas, fresh or frozen
• 2 zucchini, chopped into small pieces
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
• 2 cups cannellini beans (one 15.5 ounce can)
• 3 tablespoons pesto sauce (can be found at grocery store in tomato sauce aisle, or you can make your own)
• black pepper
• Parmesan cheese, to serve

Directions

1) Heat the oil in a large pot. Stir in the onion and cook for 3 minutes.

2) Add the carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3) Add the potatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.

4) Pour in the hot vegetable broth and water — 6 1/4 cups total. Add the thyme and ground black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

5) If you are using fresh peas, stir them in, along with the zucchini. Simmer for 5 minutes.

6) If you are using frozen peas, add them, along with the tomatoes. Cover the pan and simmer for 8 minutes.

7) 15 minutes before serving, uncover the pan and stir in the beans. Simmer for 10 minutes.

8) Stir in the pesto sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

9) Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese.