Wash, peel and dice the carrots, celery, zucchini and potatoes into roughly 1/2-inch pieces so they cook evenly. Trim and cut green beans into 1-inch pieces. Seed and chop tomatoes. Roughly chop spinach or kale. Mince garlic and finely dice the onion. Drain and rinse cannellini beans if using.

Cook Aromatics

Sweat vegetables

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, warm 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt and sauté 5–7 minutes until translucent and softened but not browned. Add the minced garlic, chopped rosemary and thyme and sauté 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Build the Soup

Add root vegetables

Add the diced carrots, celery and potatoes to the pot. Stir to combine and cook 3–4 minutes to lightly soften and coat with oil and aromatics.

Deglaze & add liquids

Pour in 1 cup water and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Then add 8 cups vegetable stock and the bay leaf. Stir and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.

Simmer with sturdy vegetables

Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes to start tenderizing the carrots and potatoes.

Add remaining vegetables

Stir in the zucchini, green beans and chopped tomatoes. Continue to simmer for another 8–10 minutes until all vegetables are tender but not falling apart.

Finish & Optional Add-ins

If using cannellini beans, add them now and simmer 3–4 minutes to heat through. If adding small pasta, use pre-cooked al dente and add in the last 1–2 minutes just to warm (to keep pasta from absorbing too much broth). Stir in the chopped spinach or kale and cook 1–2 minutes until wilted.

Season the soup with 1.5 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning — add up to another 1/2 tsp salt if needed. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Finish with 1 tsp lemon juice to brighten the flavors and stir in 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley. If desired, ladle into bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan.

Serve & Store

Ladle soup into warm bowls as a starter (Primi). Serve with crusty bread. Leftovers: cool to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop; add a splash of water or stock if the soup has thickened.