Veggitastic Vegetable Soup

OK, so I do not have a huge story about this recipe, other than I have fallen in love with this soup!! I have made this soup 3 times in the past 3 months. It was a recipe that I found in my Eating Well magazine a few months ago and put aside in "my vault of recipes that will never be made."  My BFF Ginny also saw this recipe and decided to make it. She brought me a bowl and it was delish so I began chopping, and chopping and chopping. Yes, this soup takes a lot of prep, but it is worth every bit of work and it makes a ton of soup. Since I have some late nights at work, I have been making this soup and freezing it in individual serving size containers. I get it out in the morning before work and it is ready to heat up for dinner. Also if I want to add a little more bulk to my bowl, I will drop in about 1/3 of a cup of organic brown rice and stir and enjoy.

Veggitastic Vegetable Soup

Try this soup for your next meatless Monday or if you want to sneak in something healthy any day of the week. It is the perfect recipe to warm up these cold indecisive days that we have been having lately. Enjoy!

2 cups chopped onions (2 medium)

2 cups chopped celery (4 medium stalks)

1 cup chopped green bell pepper (1 medium)

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chopped cabbage

3 cups chopped cauliflower (about 1/2 medium)

2 cups chopped carrots (4 medium)

2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces, or frozen

8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth

2 cups water

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 15-ounce can kidney

1 bay leaf

4 cups fresh spinach

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven (8-quart or larger) over medium heat. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 13 to 15 minutes. Add cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and green beans; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 10 minutes more.

Add broth, water, tomato sauce, tomatoes, beans and bay leaf; cover and bring to a boil. Add herbs. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

 Stir in spinach and simmer for 10 minutes more. Discard the bay leaf.  Ladle into bowls and enjoy!