There’s nothing like a bowl of soup to warm you up on a cold, winter day. Working from home like we do, I often prep the soup I’m serving for lunch, right after breakfast. Then I set the time on my phone to when it’s time to turn on the heat. If I was going to be out for the day, the prepped pot would be placed in the refrigerator until my return. If you’re ready for the soup to be ready in 45 min to 1 hour, you can prep and cook all at once.
Vegetable soup is full of flavor and one of my favorites to make. Using bean broth and beans from a previously cooked batch of beans is my favorite “base” for the soup. But for today’s recipe, we’ll use a can of beans.
How the vegetables are cut will affect the visual appeal and texture of the soup. I prefer the items in the soup to be similar in shape and size. So, I dice the vegetables in about ½ inch pieces, rather than slicing them. But when YOU preside over the pot, you pick and prep the presentation you please!
Let’s get started…
Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 1 cup cabbage diced
- 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 can pinto or black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup frozen or canned corn
- 4-6 cups water or broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup pasta (ditalini, macaroni, alphabet or other small shapes)
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated parmesan cheese for serving if desired
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, cabbage, and salt. Cook until slightly softened.
- Add garlic, chili powder and Italian seasoning. Stir for 1-2 minutes. (Turn off heat if prepping to cook later.)
- Add tomatoes, beans, corn, water, and bay leaf. Cook on medium-high heat for about 30 minutes.
- Add pasta and additional water if needed. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Taste for seasoning, garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve.
