Ingredients (~10 servings)
- 5 medium zucchini, roughly diced (about 2 lbs)
- 1 large head of celery, stalks and leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 3 large bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems and leaves chopped
- 3 large leeks, white and light green parts sliced into 1-inch rounds
- 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced (about 5-6 medium)
- 2 1/4 cups green lentils, rinsed
- 5-6 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 6 cups water (plus more as needed)
- Olive oil for serving
- Salt, black pepper, white pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
Sweat the Aromatics
Heat a glug of olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and chopped garlic.
Cook for ~5-6 minutes until the onions are translucent and soft. You want to build a flavor base without necessarily browning them deeply.
Build the Vegetable Base
Add the sliced leeks, chopped celery (leaves and all), diced potatoes, parsley, and zucchini. Pour in the 6 cups of stock.
Season aggressively with salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and let it bubble gently for ~7 minutes to start softening the hard vegetables.
Simmer the Lentils
Stir in the rinsed green lentils and the 6 cups of water. The liquid should fully submerge the solids; if it looks like a salad, add more water until everything is swimming.
Toss in the whole rosemary sprigs. Cover the pot and simmer for ~35-45 minutes.
You are waiting for two things: the lentils to become tender and the potatoes to fall apart. The zucchini will have long since disintegrated, which is exactly what you want.
Blend and Texture
Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for ~10 minutes. Fish out the woody rosemary stems; the leaves will have likely fallen off into the soup, which is fine.
Use a ladle to remove about 3 cups of the solid vegetables and lentils; set them aside in a bowl.
Use an immersion blender to puree the remaining soup in the pot. Blitz it until it is thick, creamy, and pale green.
Stir the reserved whole vegetables back into the pureed base. This creates a rustic texture with soft chunks of potato and lentil suspended in the smooth broth.
Season and Finish
Taste the soup. It will likely need a significant amount of salt to wake up the mild zucchini and potatoes. Add white pepper for a sharp, earthy heat.
Ladle into bowls and finish with a generous pour of high-quality olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Zucchini, Lentil, and Rosemary Soup
Ingredients
Ingredients (~10 servings)
- 5 medium zucchini about 2 lbs, roughly diced
- 1 large head of celery stalks and leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 3 large bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley stems and leaves chopped
- 3 large leeks white and light green parts sliced into 1-inch rounds
- 8 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 large white onion diced
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes about 5-6 medium, peeled and diced
- 2 1/4 cups green lentils rinsed
- 5-6 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 6 cups water plus more as needed
- Olive oil for serving
- Salt black pepper, white pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in stockpot, sauté onions and garlic for 5-6 minutes until soft.
- Add leeks, celery, potatoes, parsley, zucchini, and stock. Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer 7 minutes, then add lentils and water. Include rosemary sprigs.
- Cover and cook 35-45 minutes until lentils are tender and potatoes break down.
- Rest 10 minutes. Remove rosemary stems.
- Remove 3 cups solids, then blend remaining soup until creamy.
- Return reserved solids to blended soup, stirring to create rustic texture.
- Taste and season with salt, white pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Serve with drizzle of olive oil.
