This soup is the ultimate weapon against winter

Thug Kitchen, known for their blunt (but humorous) approach to nutritious and simple cooking, has been fuelling my winter (and summer) runs since I first encountered their cookbook. This soup has a kick, and I mean a Mo Farah circa 2013 kick. TK boasts that this soup will keep you full for hours, and I can attest to that. Chop the veggies before you head out for your run and you’ll be slurping away, toasty warm, in no time.

Thug Kitchen’s Warm the F-Up Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced into half-moons

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 large potato or turnip, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tsp minced fresh rosemary

3 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1/2 cup dried lentils

7 cups vegetable broth

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup small pasta shapes

5 cups shredded green cabbage or kale

2 tsp red wine vinegar

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup minced fresh basil (can substitute dried)

ground pepper

Directions

Grab a large soup pot and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until the onion starts to look golden brown, three to five minutes. Add the potato, rosemary, garlic, pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Cook for another 30 seconds to get the garlic going. Add the diced tomatoes and lentils and give it another 30 seconds.

Pour in all the broth and let the soup come to a simmer. Reduce the heat and let that go at a gentle pace until the lentils are almost cooked but the potato is tender, about 15 minutes. Next, add the salt, pasta and cabbage (if using kale, don’t add it yet) and keep the pot gently simmering until the pasta is cooked all the way, five to 10 minutes, depending on your pasta. If you are using kale, fold it into the pot after the pasta is all cooked and let that pot simmer for two more minutes.

Add the vinegar and lemon juice, stir well, and remove from the heat. Fold in the parsley and basil and let the pot sit for a minute or two. Taste to see whatever else it might need, like pepper or more rosemary to taste (I add turmeric for an immune system boost). Pull out the bay leaf and serve right away.