Heat up a medium-sized pot with oil and add the sliced onions. Sauté over a medium heat setting until they get a bit soft.
1 Tablespoon Oil, 1 Piece Onion
Add in the garlic and sauté over a lower heat setting. Careful to not burn the garlic.
2 Pieces Garlic Cloves
Stir in vegetables (potatoes and root veggies) and sauté for a minute or two stirring so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Keep over a low to medium heat setting.
2 Piece Potatoes, 1 Pound Root Vegetables
Pour in water. Keep over a medium heat setting.
7 Cups Water
Now add all the spices and herbs. Lovage, juniper berries, bay leaf, nutmeg, chives, chervil, or parsley.
3 Sprigs Lovage, 5 Piece Juniper Berries, 1 Piece Bay Leaf, ½ Teaspoon Nutmeg, 1 Tablespoon Chives, 1 Tablespoon Parsley or Chervil
Break the bouillon cube into the soup. Mix briefly everything.
1 Piece Bouillon Cube
Cover and cook the soup over a medium heat setting. Cook until the veggies are almost cooked through, this can take about 15-20 minutes.
Take out all the whole large spices and culinary herbs (that means also the lovage).
Add the pasta. Also, stir in the black pepper and salt.
1 Handful Pasta, ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground, Salt
Cook uncovered for about 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through (depends on the pasta, smaller ones take only 5 minutes)
Serve up hot.
Video
Notes
Choose a purple, white or yellow onion
Choose potatoes that hold their shape, not soft mashy varieties. If you don't care, you can do what you want.
The root vegetables can be carrots, parsnip, rutabaga, celery root, parsley root. Also, leek can be added. All of them mixed or just one, the choice is yours. The base recipe calls for 1 pound/450 grams.
Use vegetable oil or sunflower oil or canola oil or olive oil.
Use bouillon cubes or flakes and water OR use liquid broth, commercial package one, or homemade. If you use liquid broth, skip the water in the recipe. The water is always added with the bouillon cube. I use vegetable cubes/broth but you can use chicken or beef flavored ones too (but not vegan then).
Juniper berries, bay leaf, lovage, and nutmeg are soup seasonings. They add flavor and health benefits. If you don't have them, skip them. If you plan on cooking more soups or to up your soup game in the future, get them.
3 sprigs fresh lovage = about 1 tablespoon dried lovage herb in the base recipe
Use fresh or dried chives
Use fresh or dried parsley or chervil herb. Chervil is more suitable but it resembles parsley.