There comes a time every spring when I go to pull something out of the basement freezer and say to myself, “Holy crap, I have a lot of vegetables in here.”
That time was last week. We just had the first fresh spinach out of the garden in a salad the night before, when I discovered I still had frozen spinach from last spring in the deep freeze. Not to mention frozen grated zucchini and a whole lot of other vegetables that I froze last summer. It’s time to use them before they get lapped by this year’s garden veggies! Time to make my signature vegetable soup.
Years ago, I found a basic vegetable soup recipe in a women’s magazine – I don’t remember which one, but Glamour or Cosmopolitan were what I read at the time. The recipe was part of some diet plan – the “cabbage soup diet” was a thing back in the day – but makes a delicious soup, nonetheless. And the basic recipe can be augmented with whatever other vegetables are on hand.
My Signature Vegetable Soup
I no longer have the copy of the recipe I tore out of the magazine all those years ago. In fact, I haven’t followed an actual recipe for years. I know I’ve made a few tweaks. For one thing, I remember the original recipe calling for water and bouillon cubes (does anyone even remember what those are?) instead of stock or broth. I usually use homemade soup stock or purchased beef or chicken broth. For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth.
The Basic Recipe
Use as much or as little of the ingredients as you wish. For a thicker soup or more servings, add more of everything.
My Signature Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1-2 stalks celery, chopped (can substitute 1 teaspoon dehydrated celery flakes)
- 1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups finely chopped cabbage (about ¼ head)
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/3-1/2 cup pearl barley (optional)
- 1 pint tomato sauce
- 4-6 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in heavy soup pot. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until tender and golden, stirring frequently. Add celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, and continue to cook until vegetables soften, stirring occasionally, about 5-10 more minutes. Add garlic and stir for one minute. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Bring soup to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes or until potato and cabbage are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Grated zucchini
A Frozen Vegetable Variation
With frozen spinach and zucchini to use up, I thawed a bag of frozen grated zucchini and added it with the cabbage, potato and liquids. Just before serving, I stirred in a bag of frozen spinach, thawed and chopped. (Two bags of veggies down, at least a dozen more to go!)
I like to top this soup with grated Parmesan cheese and a few drops of sriracha sauce. Serve it with cheese toast for a great Meatless Monday meal.
Spinach
Do you have a signature soup? Tell us about it in the comments section below.