Herb & Vegetable Soup

As the weather gets cooler, my cooking tends to change, too. It's that time of year that we crave comfort food as I posted recently. 

I started with this Tuscan Vegetable Soup recipe and made some modifications. I didn't use beans, zucchini (because I just didn't have any on hand), sage, broth, spinach, or Parmesan. I added cabbage, potato, beets, water, and various seasonings.

Here are the directions:

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 medium size onion 
• 2 carrots 
• 2 celery stalks
• 1/4 large cabbage
• 1 medium size potato
• 1 can beets (drained)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 8 cups water
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (drained)

Seasoning:

• Trader Joe’s Everyday seasoning
• 2 dashes dried thyme
• 2 dashes turmeric
• 3 large basil leaves, chopped 
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes 
• Sea salt to taste 
• Black pepper to taste

Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the stock pot. Chop, mince, and / or dice vegetables according to the preferred size. Add onion, carrots, celery, cabbage, potato, and garlic to the stock pot and mix until all ingredients are covered in oil. On medium heat, stir vegetables until somewhat soft. 

Add beets, tomatoes, water, and seasoning. Once the mixture is bubbling (not a rolling boil), lower the heat to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.

That's really all there is to it. 

Because my husband does not eat meat, I made this meatless. However, for myself I browned up some ground turkey sausage and added it to my bowl. It was a lovely addition and made me think of Olive Garden's Zuppe Toscana sans cream.