Soup for A Week!

Don't you love Good Housekeeping magazine? I do. And I am loving this soup recipe I found in last year's October issue. See the cover, above? It's actually a "diet" soup (only 45 calories per cup), but it is really just a good-for-you, delicious recipe that can serve an army!

Here's the actual recipe. Don't worry, I will be retyping it at the bottom of this post so you can read it. When you make it use a very large stockpot. It yields 28 cups of soup!

I dished it up into bowls and we ate it that night. However, it's actually better the second or third day. Isn't that the case with most soups? They improve with age.
Freezes beautifully! I ladled out 2-cup portions into plastic freezer containers so I could easily grab one or two when I needed a quick and easy meal. Any larger of a container, and I would be waiting forever for the things to thaw.

There are SO many variations you can make, too. When I get tired of just the hearty vegetable soup I can add any of the following to the original recipe: cooked chicken, shrimp, kidney beans, red beans, turkey meatballs, corn, noodles, rice, kielbasa....you get the idea.

It's also delicious with a few sprinklings of parmesan or cheddar cheese on top. Even a dollop of sour cream. To change the flavors a bit, I like to add different herbs or spices to give it some variety.

So if you want to have a freezer full of delicious options, I recommend making this terrific soup.

Here's the recipe:

HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP

prep: 20 minutes cook: 50 minutes makes: 28 cups

1 lb. carrots

1-1/2 lbs. onions (3 medium)

4 lg. stalks celery

2 lg. cloves garlic

1 lb. green cabbage (1/2 small head)

3/4 lb. green beans

1-1/4 lbs. zucchini (3 medium)

2 cans (28 0z. each) whole tomatoes in juice

1 can (48 to 49 oz.) chicken broth (6 cups)

6 cups water

Salt and pepper

2 bags (8 or 9 oz. each) baby spinach leaves

Slice carrots into 1/2-inch rounds. Coarsely chop onions. Slice celery. Coat a 12-quart stockpot (or 2 large saucepans) with nonstick cooking spray.Add carrots, onions, and celery to pot, over medium-high heat. Using a garlic press, crush garlic into pot; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, thinly slice cabbage (you should have 6 cups). Trim green beans and cut each into thirds. Cut each zucchini lengthwise in half, then slice crosswise into half-moons. Set vegetables aside separately.

When carrots are tender-crisp, add tomatoes with their liquid to saucepot, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Add cabbage, green beans, chicken broth, water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high; stir in zucchini and spinach and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Enjoy!