When you need a healthy dose of comfort that will feed your family for a week, there’s no easier fix than Aunt Angela’s Vegetable Soup for the Soul. There’s really no measurements so you can perfect this soup to fit your taste buds or the picky eaters in your home. As long as you have an extra large sauce pot and some giant mason jars to store a week’s worth of leftovers (or freezer proof Tupperware) you are ready to get cooking.
What You’ll Need on the Counter Top:
- Cutting Board
- Large Sauce Pot
- Wooden Spoon (one with a large handle)
- Utility Knife for chopping
Ingredients:
- Olive Oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pot)
- Garlic Cloves Crushed (at least two)
- Celery diced (at least two stalks)
- Spanish or White Onion diced (at least a half)
- Carrot chopped (at least one)
- Vegetable Broth (a minimum of two 32 oz containers)
- Butternut Squash diced (at least two-three cups)
- Red or Yukon gold Potatoes diced (at least two-three potatoes)
- Canned fire roasted tomatoes (at least two small cans 14.5 oz)
- Canned Cannellini beans drained (at least one large can 29 oz)
- Zucchini diced (one medium sized should do it)
- Broccoli chopped into small bite size florets (a big handful or two)
- Cauliflower chopped into small bite size florets (a big handful or two)
- Bag of frozen corn (a small 14.4 oz bag will do)
- A dash of herbs for seasoning (Basil, Parsley & Oregano are rich in antioxidants)
- Pepper for flavor (a pinch at the end)
- Optional: Orzo or similar small pasta
The key to making this soup is that you place the vegetables into the pot based on the duration it takes each vegetable to cook. Squash or potatoes need more time to cook, where broccoli and cauliflower cooks in five minutes.
Start by coating the sauce pot with enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Turn the burner on to medium heat and let the oil get hot for about one or two minutes. Next add the base ingredients; crushed garlic cloves, diced onion, chopped celery and carrots, stirring so not to burn the flavor away. Give the base enough time to sweat out all of that delicious aroma… five minutes should do it.
Next add the vegetable broth, the canned tomatoes (the juices and all,) the butternut squash and potatoes. Cover the sauce pot, until it reaches a boil, stirring occasionally. Once the soup comes to boil, lower the heat to a simmer and almost cover the pot, leaving a small opening for steam. Stir every five minutes, four times or for about 20 minutes.
Add the zucchini to the pot, the drained can of beans, broccoli, cauliflower and corn. Top it all off with herbs and pepper and allow the soup to simmer, uncovered for at least five to ten more minutes. Give it a good stir once or twice before turning off the burner to enjoy.
Now you can certainly enjoy this soup without any carbs if you’re watching your breads and pastas. But if you wish, put another pot on and boil some water for orzo or Ditalini… any small bite of pasta will do wonderfully in this soup.
TIP: Store the leftover soup in mason jars to keep fresher longer in the fridge.
BONUS TIP: Bringing one of those mason jars to work for a colleague will land you big Good Karma points!