Vegetarian Diaries

 Hearty Vegetable Soup With Gnocchi 
As my Lenten vegetarianism rolls on and on, I continue to serve for and devise new meatless recipes. Soup is a favorite in this house, particularly on the many cold, wet nights we seem to get in Oregon (regardless of the season). I had some remaining veggies in the crisper from other recipes and was looking for a good way to use them. At first I was planning on throwing in a more traditional pasta into the mix, but strolling through the Trader Joe's aisles I came across a package of gnocchi and thought, "Perfect." A leftover Parmesan cheese rind thrown into the mix adds tons of flavor to this vegetarian soup.

Ingredients
-  2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 leeks, (white and pale green parts only) cleaned and chopped
- 2 small zucchini, diced
- 1 c. frozen peas, thawed
- 2 14.5 oz cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 c. dry sherry
- 16-18 oz. gnocchi
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind, plus extra grated Parmesan for topping
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme
- 1 small handful Italian parsley, chopped
- 8 c. vegetable broth


Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add leeks, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook over heat until leeks are softened, about 5 minutes. Add sherry and cook over medium for another 2-3 minutes. Add carrots and zucchini and cook until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add peas, artichoke hearts, thyme, parsley, Parmesan rind, and broth. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes.

Remove Parmesan rind from soup and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Add gnocchi to hot soup and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes until gnocchi are cooked. Remove from heat. Serve with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.