I’ll be honest, it took a bit of persistence to get my kiddos to appreciate vegetable soup. There was a fair amount of distrust of soup in general because it involved so many things combined together in one entity. And then there was the fact that the vegetables were tender, not crisp. But, we persisted, and now they will all eat it, albeit some more heartily than others.
This has been a key to our success with raising kids who are not really picky eaters. Critically, Mr. Kent and I have been unified in this goal. This is an area in which one parent could unconsciously undermine another’s work. It might be something to talk about. In the long run, there is a lot of value in kiddos eating a variety of foods; however, the many short-term battles can prove exhausting and it is easy for a parent to bow out.
Repetition, patience, and persistence without coercion are all important elements of helping kiddos develop their palates. I have one child with pretty pronounced texture awareness, one child who would rather be doing many other things besides eating dinner together, one child who tends to pick at the food and get distracted in the conversation, and one child who is usually happy with dinner but who periodically becomes antagonistic towards dinnertime. We have worked on this for years but the work is worth it because we can now, generally, sit down together to enjoy a civilized dinner, even when it is soup. Horray!
So, here is the recipe. You will also find it in my book “20-40-60 Minute Dinners: Meals to Match the Time You Have” on page 27. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 32 oz carton vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herb blend
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled
- 2 parsnips, peeled
- 3 carrots, peeled
- 3 ribs celery
- 4 cups water
- 6-8 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- coarse salt
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped with stems
- Blue corn tortilla chips
Step 1: Place a large Dutch oven over medium low heat and add the olive oil, onion, and salt and saute, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes until the onion is fragrant and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Step 2: Pour the stock into the onion mixture and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Stir in the herbs, bay leaf, and tomato paste. Reduce the heat to low.
Step 3: Cut the potatoes, sweet potato, and parsnips into 1/2-inch pieces and add them to the broth. Cut the carrots and celery into 1/4-inch pieces and add to the soup. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potato is tender and the soup thickens slightly. Remove the bay leaf. Check your seasonings. and add additional salt in 1/4-teaspoon increments if necessary. Keep warm.
Step 4: Fill a shallow pan with water, add the vinegar and bring it to a simmer. Crack eggs and carefully slide them into the simmering water. Simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are still liquid. While the eggs are cooking, ladle the soup into the bowls. Remove eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly. Float an egg or two on top of each bowl of soup. Sprinkle a little course salt on top of the eggs. Serve with a liberal sprinkling of parsley and corn chips.
