Very Vegetable Soup

1. Heat  the olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven.  Add the onion, celery, carrot, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the mushrooms, green beans, garlic, oregano or marjoram, and another 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Sauté for a few minutes more, then cover and cook over low heat  for 15 minutes.  Add the chard stalks, and sauté for a minute or two. Add the broth, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the chard leaves, zucchini, basil, and beans, and add black pepper to taste.  Cover the pot, remove from heat, and let the soup sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, accompanied by lemon wedges and Walnut-Parmesan Crisps.  Encourage your guests to squeeze some lemon juice into each serving.

Note: This soup keeps for several days and reheats very well, as long as you don't boil or otherwise overcook it.  It also freezes well if stored in a tightly lidded container.

Recipe courtesy of Mollie Katzen.