There's always that moment in late summer (BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!) when you look in the fridge and discover you have way more vegetables than it's possible to eat unless you do something drastic...like make soup.
This vegetarian soup is so easy and delicious that you'll feel quite proud of yourself for making it--and healthy, too. The most work is in chopping up the vegetables, but don't fuss over it. You're not making soup for a five-star restaurant! You're making soup that you will eat and enjoy, soup that will make you a healthier, happier person.
Great news, too: You don't have to add any vegetables you don't like! The choice is YOURS! For example, in this soup, I was not feeling like having onions or garlic (although I do love them) and so, this soup has NO onions or garlic. But if you can't imagine a soup without them, go right ahead and add all you want. Isn't freedom fantastic?
Maria's Gluten-Free Summer Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- All sorts of chopped organic vegetables, such as carrots, zucchini, cabbage (napa or savoy are especially nice for soups), celery, greens, tomatoes, corn, potatoes... whatever!
- Water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Romano cheese
Directions:
- Melt the butter in a soup pot.
- Add the chopped vegetables and sauté lightly (general rule is add the harder vegetables that need to cook longer first, and the softer, smaller vegetables last).
- Add water until the vegetables are covered.
- Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
- EAT! (I like Romano cheese for a savory topping, but you can add whatever the heck you want. The important thing to remember is this is an easy way to get heaps of vegetables into your diet. My teenager, who says she HATES tomatoes in soup, ate a bowl for breakfast and a bowl for lunch. Oops!)
For more from Maria Rodale, visit www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com