This recipe came about when I used the random ingredients in my pantry and fridge to come up with a meal. It can be thinner, like a soup, or thicker, like a stew, depending on what you add to it.
Hearty Veggie Soup
- 4 Aidell’s chicken apple sausages, sliced (optional) – note: slices easily when frozen
- olive oil
- 1-2 Tbsp butter
- onion, chopped
- celery, chopped
- carrots, chopped
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce – note: you can replace all tomatoes with 2 cans tomato puree
- 2 large containers/cans of broth (I prefer one chicken, one beef)
- 1 can kidney beans, drained
- 1 can white cannellini beans, drained
- 1 can corn, drained
- 1 can green beans, drained
- bouquet garni spices (sold as a blend, contains basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary tarragon, sage)
- 2 bay leaves
- salt
- fresh ground pepper
- Tortellini, pasta or rice (optional)
If using sausage, start by browning slices of sausage in the soup pot. When finished, remove to a plate. If there’s residual grease in the pot, blot with a paper towel. Leave the brown pan residue behind for flavor.
Add olive oil and butter. Sauté onions, celery and carrots until softened. Add tomatoes, broth, beans, spices, bay leaves, sausage and parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least an hour, but it can sit on the stove all day (and often does). Towards the end of the cycle, add the rest of the veggies (I add them last so they’re not too mushy… usually corn, green beans, kidney beans) and add salt and pepper as needed. You probably won’t need much salt with the sodium from the veggies, broth and parmesan.
Fish out the bay leaves and parmesan rind.
Serve as-is or add leftover pasta, rice or tortellini. Always cook the pasta separately or else there will be no liquid left in the soup pot.
Lasts several days in the fridge and freezes well.