^[1]Welcome spring or early fall with this Greek-inspired soup, rich with leeks, mushrooms and herbs in a lemon-flavored broth.

Serves: 8 or more

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large leeks, white and lightest green parts only,
  chopped and well rinsed
• 32-ounce carton vegetable broth
• 2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into l/2-inch dice
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound very ripe, juicy tomatoes, diced, or
  one 14 to 16 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 10 ounces baby bella or cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 2 to 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they just begin to go limp.

Add the broth, turnips, celery, bay leaves, and 2 cups water. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and mushrooms and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat. Allow the soup to stand for several hours, or cool and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, heat through as needed. Stir in the parsley and dill. If the vegetables seem crowded, adjust the consistency with more water, then adjust the seasonings and lemon juice.

• Explore VegKitchen’s selection of Soulful Soups. ^[2]
• Here are more recipes for light and lively spring soups. ^[3]