Put some spring back into your step with this delicious soup from The Love & Lemons Cookbook by Jeanine Donofrio.

Ingredients

• 4 leeks, white and light green parts only
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into 1/2" cubes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped purple sage
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped thyme
• 1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans
• 1 to 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Traditional pesto, for serving (optional)
• Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1 Slice the leeks into rings. Place the rings in a strainer; rinse thoroughly with cool water.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the leeks begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and another few generous pinches of salt and cook until the potatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and continue cooking for 1 more minute.

3 Stir in the white wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth and thyme. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 18 minutes, adding the cannellini beans during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

4 Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as desired. Serve with dollops of the pesto on top and crusty bread on the side.

Cook time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

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Excerpted from The Love & Lemons Cookbook by Jeanine Donofrio. Recipes Copyright © 2015 Jeanine Donofrio, Photography copyright © 2015 Jack Mathews. Excerpted by permission of Penguin Random House. All rights reserved.