Friday, September 21, 2012

My Vegetable Soup

This one is for Holly!


Ingredients:
1/2 lb bacon
1 red onion, diced small
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 28oz can San Marzano whole tomatoes, crushed with hands
2 8oz can tomato sauce
8 cups beef stock (I usually use better than bullion beef flavoring)
1 can white beans, rinsed
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 yellow squash, sliced into small circles (about 1/8in)
1 zucchini squash, sliced thin also
2 carrots, diced
1 large handful of Spinach

Method:
Cook bacon in large stockpot, remove, let cool and crumble.  Pour out bacon fat leaving only a couple of Tbsps. Saute red onion and herbs in bacon fat until onions are translucent (making sure to scrape up all the brown goodness on the bottom of the pan). Add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and  beef stock into pot and bring to a boil. Add beans and bring back to boil.  Add cabbage and celery first and bring back to a simmer, next add squashes and again wait until it simmers. Add carrots and bacon and again let it come to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes until carrots are just barely tender (I hate mushy carrots!). Add spinach last and stir until it's just wilted.  Season with salt and pepper as needed. Enjoy! And as with most soups it tastes even better the next day!