I had soup for lunch today. It was chicken dumpling soup, cheap and out of a can. But it was very good. It had a creamy, gravy-like base, and it was full of bites of chicken, dumpling, peas, carrots, green beans and celery. It wasn’t too salty. It wasn’t too bland. It was nice and hot after a 3.5 minute ride in the nuke-ro-wave. And it was the perfect meal for a fall afternoon.
It got me thinking about making some homemade soup. I love a big bowl of fresh-made veggie soup. And, it’s a simple and inexpensive soup to make. Want to know how I make it? Of course you do.
Start with a stock pot. Add chicken broth. Add any canned tomato products you like. Tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes. Add whatever canned, frozen and fresh vegetables you want. Corn, green beans, carrots, onion and peas are generally the veggies I have on hand, so it all goes in. Add spices. I use salt, pepper, oregano, basil, celery flakes, garlic and onion powders, italian seasoning and a little bit of crushed red pepper. Stir the whole mess and put the heat on under it. Once it’s hot, taste it. Too spicy? Add water. Too bland? Add more spices. Keep it on the stove until any raw veggies you’ve added are cooked. Throw in a couple handfuls of minute rice. Take off the heat, let it sit for a few minutes so the rice cooks, then eat it. It’s particularly good with a big hunk of crusty bread with a dollop of butter. Yum.
