Written By: Nina Goffi

Creating a dish sans recipe can be a bit intimidating, but it can also be completely liberating. Throw a dish towel over your shoulder like the creative chef genius you know you were always meant to be, lay out your cutting board, take note of your stock, and let’s tackle how to: Vegetable Soup.

Chances are you’ve got the makings of a slam dunk soup in your fridge/pantry right this second. Don’t believe me? Pull out all of your vegetable produce and see what you have to work with. Even the quirkiest combinations can create a soup symphony on the palette.

Instructions:

1. Start with a gameplan. Once you have everything laid out, tune into your soup craving. Are you in the mood for a spicy soup, sweet? How about herbaceous or more medicinal? Group like tastes together (i.e.: in the mood for sweet. Sweet potato, carrots, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup) or mix and match opposites (sweet and spicy. Sweet potato, carrots, red pepper, chili powder, cayenne, cumin). Even if the combination doesn’t end up tasting like a masterpiece, a notch lesson learned in the kitchen is always worthwhile.

2. Aromatics! ie: a substance of plant emitting a pleasant and distinctive smell.

Onions, garlic, carrots, and celery are all great starters. If you have them on hand, try more unusual aromatics such as fennel, leeks, chili peppers, or ginger.

3. Sauté roughly chopped aromatics in a soup pot on medium high and let them sweat. You can include your favorite cooking oil in this step (olive oil or coconut oil recommended) or skip if your diet is oil-free, adding a splash of water to keep the aromatics from sticking. Once the aromatics start doing what they do best, emitting an aroma, add your bulk soup ingredients or the real meat and potatoes of your soup (sans meat of course).

Potatoes, Turnips, Celeriac, Beets, Rutabaga, Squash, Parsnips, Sunchokes, Peas, Tomatoes, Peppers, Apples, Mushrooms (go crazy!)

4. Once combined, add spices. Never feel the need to rush out to grab just one spice; classic salt and pepper has remained a crowd pleaser for years and years. If you’ve got more to play with in your pantry, tune into your dream soup craving once again and start adding like with like or try opposite pairings. The list below is very basic - if you’re unsure if the spice will work in your soup, taste it first to identify the flavor and add just a touch. You can always add more (season to taste!) later on.

Herbaceous: Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley, Sage, Oregano, Basil, Bay Leaf, Majoram, Dill

Spicy: Cayenne, Curry Powder, Cumin, Paprika, Red Pepper Flakes, Turmeric, Chili Powder

Sweet: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice

5. Mix thoroughly and add enough water to cover ingredients by a few inches. Wait, what? No vegetable stock?! Personally, I love boxed stock, especially if it’s not the star of a recipe. However, you have just developed your very OWN stock starting off with aromatics! Fun, huh? Bring the soup to a boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer (partially covered, lid half off) for 30-60 minutes. If adding greens, chop and mix in to cook for a few minutes right at the end. They will continue to cook as the soup cools.

While the soup is cooking, taste, taste, taste! Not salty enough? Add salt. Thought FOR SURE it would have been way spicier and you’re disappointed? Don’t fret, add in more spices (or heck, dig out the Sriracha now and place it on the dinner table for atmosphere). You are in complete creative control, chef! If ever a broth becomes too salty, a quick fix is to add in more starches (a potato should do the trick!) or more water.

Not a rustic soup sipper? Puree your soup with an immersion blender or cool completely before pulsing in a blender or food processor. Ladle up steaming hot, crunchy bread on the side.

*Soup above: Yellow onion, garlic, carrots, turnips, spinach, salt, dried chipotle pepper, turmeric, cayenne.

Nina Goffi is a book designer by day, yoga instructor by night. She is the Co-Creator of Sunset Yoga BK, an outdoor community based yoga collective and is diving mouth first into food blogdom after snapping her healthy meals on @OpenTabBrooklyn. She balances office life with a passion for all things crunchy, green, and nourishing. You can find her lip syncing to Kanye on the Q and offering Kombucha scobys to strangers.

Follow her on instagram @opentabbrooklyn