When I looked into the eyes of my beautiful new fridge I saw shelves and drawers overflowing with ingredients that begged for a chance to play nicely together.

The result of nonstop cooking for a week straight.

Have you seen our March Meatball Madness posts??!

When I studied the contents it became blatantly obvious that my fridge and my well-being needed a big pot of soup!

I’m going to make this a relatively wordless Wednesday post. After all we are just making soup! Even if this Spring Thyme Green Minestrone soup is extra special in my humble opinion. The recipe below is more of a guide, there is plenty of room for making this your own between the fresh veggie choices, the type of herbs and seasonings, the beans and pasta, even what you swirl into your bowl.

Fresh Basil Pesto and/or grated parmesan cheese swirled into this veggie packed soup is delicious and boosts the green factor.

This Spring Thyme Green Minestrone soup is packed with nutrients making this a healthy choice for any meal. It also makes a giant batch so it’s the perfect way to Share the Love with your friends and neighbors.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Spring Thyme Green Minestrone

This Spring Thyme Minestrone Soup is packed with nutrients making this a healthy choice for any meal. It also makes a giant batch so it's the perfect way to Share the Love with your friends and neighbors.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

Veggies

• 8-10 cups fresh veggies, diced or sliced such as: carrot, onion, celery, leek, fennel, shallot, jalapeno, spinach, kale, asparagus, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cans white beans, drained & rinsed such as: butter beans, great nothern beans, cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs, fine chopped such as: parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil, cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound ditalini pasta cooked al dente and reserved
• 1/2 cup basil pesto optional, to swirl in soup for serving
• freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to grate onto soup for serving

Instructions

• In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in your 'hard' vegetables, like carrots, onion, celery, garlic, fennel, leeks, shallot, jalapeno. Saute until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Then add in your 'soft' vegetables, like spinach, kale, asparagus, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli. Continue to saute for another 5-7 minutes.
• Add vegetable broth, beans, and fresh herbs. Bring to a light simmer then add the ginger, lemon juice and seasonings. Adjust to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.
• Meanwhile prepare ditalini (or other favorite small pasta) al dente. Reserve.
• To serve. Place some cooked pasta in bowls. Ladle in hot soup. Swirl with basil pesto and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy! Don't forget to Share the Love!

The post Spring Thyme Green Minestrone appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Potato Leek Soup with Crispy Sage is creamy and delicious.  With basic ingredients and minimum hands on cooking time, this soup has been added to my comfort food favorites list.

As with several other recipes on Lemony Thyme, when the instructions begin with melting butter in a pan, the first thing that comes to mind is adding fresh sage leaves.  Something magical happens when these two ingredients are slowly heated.  That magic became the base for this yummy soup.  Once the leaves are crisp, remove from the butter and reserve for a garnish.

If you haven’t cooked with leeks before the one thing you need to be sure to do is wash them thoroughly AFTER you slice them.  Dirt has a way of sneaking almost all the way through the length of the stalk, as shown in the picture below.  Remove the outer tough layer, then slice the white and pale green portion into 1/4-inch rings.  Simply fill a bowl full of water and drop in the sliced leeks, giving them a swirl to loosen the rings.  Strain and you are good to go.

Leeks have a wonderful mild onion taste and when sautéed they become slightly sweet and tender.  We sauté in the sage butter until tender, then add a bay leaf, chopped garlic, and lemony thyme sprigs and cook for another minute until the garlic is fragrant.

Diced potatoes come next, the signature ingredient that makes Potato Leek Soup so incredibly creamy and comforting.

Cover potatoes with warm broth and bring to a gentle simmer until they are fork tender, about 30 minutes.

Once the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and add the cream.  Now, either transfer in batches to a blender or use an immersion blender and process until soup is creamy and smooth.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Potato Leek Soup topped with crispy sage leaves and a side of crusty bread makes this hearty enough for a meatless Monday meal.

The chilled version of this soup, called Vichyssoise, is wonderful served as an appetizer.  The subtle flavors of sage and lemony thyme come shining through when chilled.  Do yourself a favor and try it both ways.  Enjoy!

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Potato Leek Soup {with Crispy Sage}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 lg. or 2 small leeks whites & pale green only, sliced
• 1 lb. russet potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 6-8 fresh sage leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh lemony thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream
• salt & white pepper to taste

Instructions

• Remove outer tough layer of leek; slice whites & pale green of leek into 1/4-inch rings, then place slices in a bowl of water. Gently swirl to loosen rings. Drain.
• Melt butter over medium-low heat in a 2 quart sauce pan. Add fresh sage and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until sage leaves become slightly crispy. Remove sage and reserve for garnish.
• Add leeks to butter and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add bay leaf, garlic and thyme sprigs and cook an additional minute until garlic is fragrant.
• Add diced potatoes and broth and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs, then stir in cream until heated through. Remove from heat and blend either using an immersion blender, or carefully in batches in a traditional blender until creamy and smooth. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• Serve warm, garnished with crispy sage leaves or served chilled.

The post Potato Leek Soup {with Crispy Sage} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Lemony Thyme, Garlic, Panko, Olive Oil, Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper (according to taste) Encrusted Petite Lamb Chop with Balsamic Glaze & Crispy Leeks.  Can you say melt in your mouth goodness.

The herbs gave this simply pan seared, then oven roasted chop, amazing layers of flavors.  Flash fried thinly sliced leeks added the right crunch and contrast.  And a bit of balsamic glaze gave the right finish.  We made this as an appetizer but would definitely add an extra chop and a side and declare it’s What’s for Dinner!

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Simon & Garfunkel Herb & Garlic Encrusted Lamb Chop with Crispy Leeks

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For lamb chops…

• 4 petite lamb chops
• 1 Tbl. fresh parsley minced
• 1 Tbl. fresh sage minced
• 1 Tbl. lemony thyme minced
• 1 tsp. rosemary minced
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• salt & pepper
• canola oil for searing

For crispy leeks…

• 2 leeks rinsed well and thinly sliced
• canola or peanut oil for frying
• salt & pepper
• pinch cayenne
• 4 Tbl. balsamic glaze

Instructions

For the lamb chops…

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Pat lamb chops dry with paper towel. Sprinkle both sides with salt & pepper.
• In a small bowl, combine minced herbs, garlic, panko crumbs, olive oil, salt & pepper. Mix well to combine.
• In a large oven proof skillet heat 1 Tbl. canola oil to medium-high. Once hot add lamb chops and sear for 2 minutes undisturbed. Turn chops over and remove from heat. Top each chop with about 1/4 cup of herbed crumb mixture, pressing it into chops.
• Place skillet in oven and cook for 5-7 minutes or until chops are done to your liking.

For the crispy leeks…

• In a heavy bottom pot, heat 1″ of canola oil to 375 degrees.
• Fry leeks in oil until golden brown 1-2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season as soon as out of the oil.
• To serve, drizzle plate with balsamic glaze. Top with lamb chop and side of crispy leeks.

The post Simon & Garfunkel Herb & Garlic Encrusted Lamb Chop with Crispy Leeks appeared first on Lemony Thyme.