My Formula for Easy, Hearty Veggie Soup

How’s everyone holding up with quarantined life?

Over here in the northeast, we are getting hit pretty hard with coronavirus cases, so my family has been mostly isolating ourselves from the world for a bit now. We know people who are waiting for test results. Someone at my husband’s work tested positive. This whole situations feels very surreal. But we’re all in this together, and my hubby and I are trying to limit our exposure to do our part in reducing the spread of the virus.

Trying to focus on the bright side, this is the most I’ve seen my husband, like, ever. Him being around more means that our baby girl gets to spend more time with her dad, which has been fun.

I’m breaking up on the monotony of quarantined life by doing new little things as often as possible. So far this week, we’ve gone for a walk at the beach, played the guitar and sang together, and had dinner at the park. I think that next up, we’ll be breaking out a deck of cards for a game or two of 500, and this weekend I want to learn some sign language to start doing with our baby.

And of course, we are blessed that quarantined life means lots of good food! We are eating pretty in my household, as I’ve been cooking and baking up a lot of yummy dinners and healthy snacks.

This leads me to today’s recipe. I have perfected the art of an easy, hearty veggie soup. It’s not so much an exact recipe per se, but a formula of what I usually do on nights when I want a hot bowl of soup to warm me up but don’t feel like following a recipe.

This soup formula uses ingredients that I usually have on-hand in my fridge and pantry. The great part about the formula is that if you don’t have an ingredient, chances are good that it’s no biggie. Just sub it for something else or leave it out.

Here’s what you need:

Vegetable broth.

This is one you ingredient that you definitely need. I typically use 6 cups of broth. I stock up and get a bunch of cartons at once so that I always have some handy for soup nights.

Chopped veggies.

There are so many veggies that go well in soup, so take your pick. I usually include at least 4 or 5 veggies, and my go-to veggies are carrots, celery, baby spinach and yellow onion. Sometimes I throw in zucchini or bell pepper. Sometimes I use kale instead of spinach. Other times I toss in some string beans…. whatever floats your boat!

Hearty grains.

Let’s give the soup some heartiness with the inclusion of grains. I usually do 8 ounces (around 1 cup-1 1/4 cup) of a short-shaped pasta, like orzo, ditalini or rotini. Quinoa and farro are also nice options. Soup is the perfect time to use up that opened box of whatever grain you’ve got lying around!

Beans.

Beans will amp up your veggie soup and give it more fiber and protein, but the kind you use is up to you. I usually include one 15 oz can, and go for some kind of white beans, like chickpeas or Great Northern beans, or pinto beans.

Diced tomatoes.

Canned tomatoes are always in my pantry, and they’re great in veggie soup! Either a 14 oz or 28 oz can works, but if you don’t have em, it’s not a meal ender either. If you do have fresh tomatoes on hand, chop a few up instead and toss em in the soup.

Herbs and spices.

Kick the soup up a notch by including your favorite herbs and spices. I tend to snip off some fresh basil and sprinkle in salt and pepper. Depending on my mood, I usually will throw in a few other spices, like Italian seasoning, Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute or thyme. Again, whatever you like, sprinkle it in there!

How to make it.

1. Start off by sautéing any onion and garlic you’re using in a bit of olive oil (about 1 TBSP) over medium heat. In the name of laziness, lately I’ve been skipping the fresh garlic but cooking the onion in a garlic infused olive oil.
2. Add in your chopped veggies. Cook on medium for 5-7 minutes.
3. Pour in the broth, beans and diced tomatoes. Add in your seasonings, and bring to a boil.
4. Add in your grains and cook until they’re tender.
5. Do a taste test and add in more spices as needed.
6. It’s optional, but I usually serve my veggie soup with fresh toasty bread for dipping!

Tell me… Have you been cooking and baking up a storm during the coronavirus pandemic? What’s on your “must make” list?