Vegetarian Vegetable Soup Recipe

Soup is the best food ever.  Really. Think about it.

It is versatile, generally inexpensive, and is there a better way to get rid of the leftovers in the fridge? I think not.  You can toss everything into a slow cooker or cook it in a stock pot on top of the stove and the results will be the same.  Hot steamy goodness that makes the house smell like home.

As you can see, Chef Kyrie takes her soup seriously.  Real seriously.  She likes it with ABCs in it, or spaghetti rings, or the new pasta shapes that you can find in some grocery stores.  She is not a big eater but I can always  guarantee that she will eat vegetable soup.

The biggest secret for a fantastic veggie soup?  Use V-8 juice as the base.  Ready made flavor right there.  One thing that I do is to keep a plastic storage container in the freezer.  Whenever we have leftover vegetables they go right into the container.  When it is full then I make soup…a meal that is virtually free.  You can adjust anything in this anyway you want, use what you have.

The vegetables listed below are suggestions and approximations.  You just need to throw it together, it iwll work every single time…and you can’t say that about very many things.

Vegetable Soup

2 large cans V-8 juice

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

4 carrots, cubed or sliced

2 cups of green beans

1 cup peas

2 cups corn

1 cup lima beans

2 cups chopped, fresh spinach or kale or chard

1 lb of small shaped pasta, cooked

grated parmesan to garnish

Mix everything but the pasta and parmesan together.  Slow cook for 8 hours or simmer on the stove for at least an hour for flavors to blend.  About fifteen minutes before serving add pasta and simmer.

Serve in bowls with parmesan sprinkled on top.

8-10 servings.

images:(c) marye audet 2009