Savory Vegetable Soup

Savory Vegetable Soup

What could be better than a hot bowl of soup on a chilly day?  I started making vegetable soups as an “appetizer” before our family dinner each night, because they are so filling and help you eat less at dinner.  Plus, in the cold months (of which we have many in New York) soup is so comforting.  Having a vegetable soup also helps you get more vegetables into your diet, and is a great way to introduce more vegetables into the diets of the picky-eater.  It’s loaded with flavor and also very healthy – a perfect combination!

This soup smells wonderful cooking on the stove top and is a “one-pot wonder” so clean up is a breeze.  To prep the vegetables (except the celery and onion) I suggest using a box grater to obtain a fine texture.  The celery and onionI just finely chop because I’ve noticed it doesn’t grate well.  You’re hard work grating will be rewarded, since you can easily freeze half of this soup and still have plenty to eat.  I like to freeze soups and sauces in reusable Chinese food soup containers.  I hoard them whenever we order Chinese food because they are very sturdy and don’t crack when you freeze them.  Plus, I’m reusing them and keeping them out of the landfill, so I feel good about that.

In my recipe I use chicken stock and chicken consommé, but you can easily make this Vegan/Vegetarian but swapping the chicken stock for vegetable stock and swapping the consommé for ½ cup more of vegetable flakes.

Savory Vegetable Soup

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 70 minutes

Yields: 8 servings, 1 cup each

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced or put through a garlic press

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, grated

1 large zucchini, grated

2 carrots, grated

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

3-5 sprigs of dill, stems removed and minced

¼ cup vegetable flakes

2 tablespoons Osem consomme, or chicken bouillon

8 cups of water

2 cups chicken stock

2 tsp salt

Pinch of pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a large pot, sauté onions and garlic in oliveoil.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt to soften.  Let sauté for 1 minute.  Then, add carrots, and celery and let sauté another 2 minutes.  Add zucchini, continue to let sauté.  Add remaining 1 tsp of salt.  Add pepper and dill.  Once vegetables become fragrant, add chicken stock, water, consomme and vegetable flakes.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer for 45-60 minutes.