This time of year, the weather is inviting for staying at home and enjoying a bountiful and comforting soup. The wide variety of winter vegetables at the 21 Acres Farm Market inspired me to make a heart-warming Veggie Soup.

I had a handful of spelt berries from the market and thought they would add a yummy crunch and unique texture to the soup. I added beans as well, because they add protein, as well as another texture element.

Veggie soups are so inspiring because you can add almost anything to them and they will be satisfying. I chose to incorporate savoy cabbage, kale and parsnips, along with the traditional soup base of mirepoix.

This mixture of veggies added a wonderful variety of flavors in the soup. What I enjoyed the most was the cabbage and kale, the soft and chewy leaves were a perfect contrast to the slight crunch of the root veggies and their natural sweetness.

I also made my favorite dutch oven crusty bread to serve alongside the soup. I love baking this bread because of how easy and simple it is to make. You could, of course, buy your favorite artisan bread:

Or should I dare say… have the soup without bread…. but who would want that!

The spelt berries are from Lentz Farms. The Market at 21 Acres carries a variety of items produced by Lentz Farms. It’s important to support farms like Lentz because they are growing grains that have perhaps been forgotten over the years – faro, spelt, einkorn. The farm is located in the Columbia Plateau of eastern Washington and is working towards enhancing biodiversity in agriculture. Biodiversity is key to improving the future of our agriculture systems. Increasing biodiversity in agriculture will make the ecosystems more productive, while improving the nutrients and livelihoods. To learn more about their efforts and products visit their website.

*I precooked both the spelt berries and beans before hand* Dried beans and grains bought as bulk are much more cost effective and are  easy to prepare.

The soup was warm, hearty and wholesome, making it perfect for a winter evening. Don’t forget if you don’t have the exact amount of veggies or want to substitute something the soup will turn out just fine. Veggie soup is versatile and it’s easy to make adjustments for personal preference.**

 Enjoy!

-Sam – 21 Acres Volunteer

Feel free to comment and let me know how your soup turned out and if you added or substituted anything!

Veggie Soup with Spelt Berries and White Navy Beans

1 onion diced finely

3 carrots diced finely

1 small bunch of celery diced finely

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 large parsnips diced

Half a head of savoy cabbage thinly sliced

1 bunch of kale chopped

8-10 cups of veggie broth

1 ½ of precooked spelt berries

2 cups of precooked white navy beans (or two cans)

Small amount of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil and heat. Add the mirepoix mix (onion, carrots and celery). Cook until onions are translucent and carrots have slightly softened.

Add parsnips and garlic and cook for 5-10 more minutes. Add broth, kale and cabbage and cook until leafs are softened, allow to come to a low simmer. Add spelt berries and beans. Season with pepper and taste. Add salt depending on your preference of saltiness.

Serve with your favorite fresh bread and enjoy a wholesome hearty and healthy dinner.

Serves 8-10 large bowls

NOTES

*Precooking whole grains and beans is simple and makes the cook time for the soup quick.

I boiled 1 cup of spelt berries in 3 cups of water for 1 ½ hours over medium heat and they had a nice slightly crunchy texture which is how they should be, chewy but not hard.

For the beans I had about 1 ½ cups of dried white navy beans which I soaked over night to lesson the cooking time. I rinsed and drained them before cooking and picked out any funky looking beans. Cook them in about double the amount of water and check for doneness at about 30 min. Cooking time depends on how large the beans are and how long you soaked them.

**Suggestions for other ingredients:

other white beans like cannellini or great northern beans

spinach, swiss chard, butternut squash, any root veggie would work.