"Uncanned" Veggie Soup

This is a very simple and easy vegetable soup to make yourself. It is "uncanned" because it contains many of the same ingredients you would find in a can of vegetable soup, but will taste much fresher and heartier. When the soup is done, it will resemble a vegetable stew that is chock full of vegetables. It's a flexible recipe, so you can customize the ingredients by adding more or less of what you want, or substitute one vegetable for another, depending on what's in season (or in your fridge). If you love mushrooms, add plenty more! With this soup, you can truly have it your way. Another great thing about this recipe is that you will have easy-to-reheat leftovers for the week.


1 Large Red or White Onion
1 Small to Medium Garlic
16oz White Mushrooms
4 Carrots
2 Zucchini
4 Red or 2 White Potatoes
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Can Red Kidney Beans
1 Can Crushed Tomatoes
Cilantro
3 Vegetable Bouillon Cubes
Olive or Vegetable Oil
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper


Start off by sauteing 1 large chopped onion in the olive oil with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large stock pot. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and continue sauteing over a low flame. The next step is to add the sliced carrots and saute over a medium flame. The goal is to "sweat" the vegetables, which gets the flavor out of the veggies and into the pot. Next, saute the sliced mushrooms along with the zuchini and cilantro. Be sure not to saute the mushrooms for too long, so they don't get mushy. It's now time to make the broth by adding three vegetable bouillon cubes along with three cups of water and one large can of crushed tomatoes (basil or Italian herb flavor works best). Next, add the cubed potatoes and bring the soup to a boil over a medium to high heat. Once the soup has reached a boiling point reduce the flame to a medium to low heat and slowly simmer the soup while stirring frequently. Finally, add the frozen corn and season the soup once again if necessary. Give it one last taste to check the seasoning, serve and enjoy with bread or crackers. You'll never want Campbell's again!