Hello! Wow, what a crazy California winter we have been having- non-stop rain for most of march! I have been very chilly lately, so thought you would enjoy this amazingly warm meal as much as I did! Caution: this recipe will make you enough soup to feed a hungry couple for 3 days :) Feel free to be more liberal with certain veggies and spices. This recipe is very flexible! And delicious! I was inspired by a recent NY Times article by Mark Bittman and plan to try many of the others very soon! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cartons (64 oz total) vegetable broth (low sodium)- can purchase from whole foods or trader joes or any health food store
1/2-1 cup celery chopped (tjoes has pre-chopped)
1/2-1 cup carrots chopped (tjoes has pre-chopped)
1 small yellow onion finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic finely minced
~8-10 mini fingerling potatoes steamed & chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes (small vine ones sliced in half taste great)
1/2-1 cup chopped green beans
1/2 cup elbow macaroni cooked and drained. Does not have to be fully cooked as you will simmer it longer in the soup later on.
2-3 tablespoons marinara or pizza sauce
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt (to taste)
Pepper( to taste)
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
1-2 tsp ground oregano
1-2 tsp ground basil
Method:
1) Saute onion, garlic, carrot, & celery in olive oil for about 5 mins.
2) Add veggie broth, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, and oregano. Allow mixture to come to a simmer. For thinner soup, you can add a little water if desired.
3) Add potatoes and chopped tomatoes. Allow simmer to continue for 15 minutes
4) Add green beans, and cooked macaroni elbows and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes
5) Add marinara sauce to give soup a more tomato/saucy texture (optional)
6) Add more salt/pepper until soup tastes to your liking
7) Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and croutons!
