Old Country Soup

I call this Old Country Soup because the flavours really remind me of a lot of recipes my Hungarian grandma used to make for me when I lived with her during elementary school. But unlike a lot of Hungarian recipes, this one is VEGAN and gluten-free!

I love making this recipe in the fall, when cold and flu season is getting ramped up, as it contains tons of colourful, anti-oxidant-rich veggies and anti-inflammatory spices. The chickpeas and sweet potatoes also make it incredibly filling!

This soup recipe is great to prep ahead of time on the weekend to have for lunch all week long. It also freezes beautifully. Another thing that I love about this recipe is how versatile it is - you can substitute regular potato, winter squash, or double the carrots in place of the sweet potato. You can use a bone broth base if you’re not plant-based and would like a boost of gut-soothing amino acids and collagen, and you can spice it up by adding an extra dash or two of cayenne or substituting the oregano for dried dill and chives.

Get creative with it! If you make any noteworthy substitutions, share with us in the comment section below!

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cups red and yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1.5 cups sweet potato, diced

1.5 cups carrot, diced

.75 cups celery, diced

1.5 cups chopped tomatoes

1 heaping cup of sweet peppers, chopped

2 small cans of chickpeas (3 cups chickpeas)

6 cups water or veggie broth

3 tsp Hungarian paprika

1.5 tsp each: turmeric, basil, sea salt

2 bay leaves

2 dashes cinnamon

2 dashes cayenne

Sea salt and black pepper to taste 

Directions

In a big stockpot over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onions, sweet potato, and carrots in olive oil for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.

Add spices and water or stock, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Add the rest of the veggies and chickpeas and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the veggies are as tender as you like them.

This recipe will make enough for the whole week! If it's too much you can always freeze it!

Note: this recipe is based on the Gypsy Soup recipe from the legendary Moosewood Cookbook.