Yet another recipe post since I make this soup almost every single week. Basically, I start wanting something really healthy and need to use up extra vegetables.
I don’t really have a recipe for this, every time it is a little different, and that is the beauty of it.
Ingredients
Vegetables: Onion, garlic, leafy green like kale, potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, etc. (Just don’t add anything overpowering like beets or anything that doesn’t go together). I use roughly one onion, 3 cloves garlic, 3 carrots, 2 celery, 3 potatoes as a base. I don’t like any one ingredient to overpower the others.
Salt, pepper, spices
Macaroni noodles (about 1/3 lb).
Vegetable broth (4 cups)
Can of chopped tomatoes- either small or large, tomato paste if you have it
Can of garbanzo or other beans
Additional water
Directions
Put a small amount of olive oil in a large pot, maybe 1 T on medium heat. Cook your chopped onion, garlic and spices. You can stick with Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, whatever you like). I add a bay leaf.
You can add in 1-2 T of tomato paste now if you have it.
Pour in your vegetable broth. Add chopped carrots, potatoes, celery, etc. Turn up heat so it comes to a boil, then turn it back down to cook all the veg.
Once potatoes and carrots are cooked, add in beans and leafy greens near the end so they don’t get mushy. Add more water if it needs more liquid, I use the tomato can to add in the last bit of tomato.
Cook the noodles separately in salted water, drain and set aside until the end. I only make enough to be the right ratio that I like with amount of broth and veg. The reason to cook noodles separately and not add them in to soon, is they will absorb all your veg broth and soup liquid otherwise. They will still absorb some, so you can add them separately when you serve if that bothers you. Add more salt if needed. I sprinkle nutritional yeast in my individual serving bowl.