When you want to express your love for someone, make them this delicious and nutritious soup. I began this week with a nasty cold that hinted at full-blown-knock-me-on-my-butt so I quickly intervened and made a batch of this vitamin rich veggistrone. I basically mainlined this stuff because I didn’t have time to get sidelined, I had a family to run . Boy did it do the trick; crisis averted and all.
When making this soup, feel free to switch in veggies that you love. I love using mushrooms because they are really good for you (Dr. Furman reports that a mushroom a day lowers your risk for breast cancer by 80%) and add a nice earthiness. If you are on a Whole30 round, omit the beans. If you want to add some more flavor, throw in a parmesan rind. That is a great secret to a lot of soups. It adds depth that salt cannot do alone. This recipe makes a HUGE batch so freeze leftovers up to 6 months for future sicknesses.
Delicious and nutritious
Veggistrone
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 2 cups celery, chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper, chopped (any color)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups cabbage, chopped
- 3 cups cauliflower, chopped
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 2 cups green beans, cleaned & chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 8 cups vegetable broth (can sub chicken broth)
- 2 cups water
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can kidney or pinto bean (omit if doing Whole30)
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped or 1 10 oz package of frozen spinach
- fresh basil, sliced for garnish
- parmesan cheese, optional
- parmesan rind, optional
Instructions
Heat oil in large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.
Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Stir frequently until softened (about 10-15 minutes).
Add cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, and mushrooms. Stir occasionally and cook until softened (about 10 minutes).
Add broth, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. (If adding parmesan rind, now is the time to throw it in!)
Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Stir in spinach and simmer for 10 minutes.
Discard bay leaf (and parmesan rind, if used).
To serve, top with sliced basil and parmesan cheese.
Notes
Zucchini and yellow squash are wonderful additions to this soup, especially when in season.
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