Perfect Polenta Vegetable Soup

Soup. The original one bowl wonder. My Polenta Vegetable Soup is one of my most requested soups I prepare for my family. Getting my kids to eat their veggies can be challenging at times, but this soup makes that a cinch.

Fresh organic vegetables with the perfect binding quality of the polenta make this soup an easy comfort classic.

I first saw a variation of this soup from one of my all time favorite chefs on Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis.

Over the years of making this soup, I have made my own embellishments to the recipe.

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted something. I was hit with a bad cold and taking care of sick kids. The whole world stops when your kids are sick. Am I right?!

Thank you for being patient with me. Please let me know how this recipe works for you.

Love, Sem xoxo

Perfect Polenta Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil roughly about 2 cups of carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces 1 medium onion, chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoons of dried thyme 3 cloves garlic chopped (peeled) 3 plum/roma tomatoes or regular ones, diced into 1/2-inch pieces 2 medium zucchini, diced into 1/2-inch pieces 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1/3 cup instant polenta 1 to 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter Directions

First I run out to my herb garden and grab some flat-leaf parsley

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Next start chopping your onions and add them to the olive oil. Add some generous pinches of salt and pepper. Cook onions till they start to brown a little.

Next chop your zucchini, and add it to the pot.

Mix the onions and zucchini often to make sure nothing burns

Cook about 5 minutes.

Start chopping your carrots, tomatoes and flat-leaf parsley then add them to your pot. ( I have chosen some yummy organic colorful carrots...regular ones work great. I just love the vibrant colors they give the soup).

Add your dried thyme and garlic and mix.

I had run out of fresh garlic, but I was lucky to have the next best thing in my freezer. I get these frozen crushed garlic cubes (1 cube = 1 garlic clove) from Trader Joe's. They work great and are a nice time saving option.

Keeping mixing the vegetables and cook for another 4 minutes.

Now add your Organic chicken Broth (to make this recipe vegan simply add vegetable stock instead) and bring to a boil.

Finally slowly stir in the polenta and cook till the soup thickens and the vegetables are tender but not mushy....about 10mins.

Last but not least, stir in the butter. The butter gives the polenta a creamy quality.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Hope you had fun cooking with me. Can't wait to hear how this recipe works for you.

Enjoy!