Vegetable Soup

Second Day of Fall-

As of yesterday it is officially Fall, according to the calendar and the weather. It’s gray and windy out, and I have soup on my mind. Not just any soup, though. This one is special to me. It is one of the first things I learned how to cook in my grandmother’s kitchen. There are few things more comforting to me than this vegetable soup, and it’s my childhood in a bowl. So many afternoons were spent eating bowls of this with my grandmother while watching game shows or soap operas!

A Few Vegetable Soup Recipe Notes

This recipe is one of the very few on this site where you will find me using frozen vegetables. I don’t necessarily have anything against them, but I do use them in this soup for a couple of reasons: I can make it year round, and fresh okra is often hard to come by where I live. It was an ingredient my grandma never left out, and I won’t either even if it means buying it frozen.

I like to give the veggies a good saute before adding the liquid, it really helps develop the flavors. Feel free to use vegetables you may have around that are not part of this recipe. This soup is very versatile and you can change out or add all sorts of things depending on preference. If you know you will be short on time that day you plan to make this, you can always chop the veggies ahead of time and have them ready for you in the refrigerator when you start cooking.

I like to add a little extra liquid to the soup, and add the pasta at the very end. You can also cook the pasta separately and add it in that way. This vegetable soup freezes well, and keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, making it a great option for a work week lunch. I love serving this with a freshly baked pan of corn bread, just like my grandmother!

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Yield: 8 Servings

Vegetable Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 4 small carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 cups white corn
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sliced okra
• 1 large yellow potato, diced
• 28 oz can diced tomato
• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 cup macaroni

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, heat the oil on medium high heat and add the onion, green pepper, celery, cabbage, and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the corn, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, okra, potato, and parsley and saute for about another 5 minutes.
3. Add the canned tomato and one quart of water and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium low and bring to a simmer, cook with pot partially covered for about an hour.
4. In the last five minutes of cooking, you can add the macaroni and let it cook, or cook it separately in a small saucepan and add after it has cooked.

Notes

This soup is very flexible and most any vegetables or herbs may be used, frozen or fresh. The pasta may be omitted as well. This soup freezes well, and keeps in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8 servings

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 166Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 6gSugar: 8gProtein: 5g