Savory Vegetable Soup

A friend of mine recently asked if I could teach her how to make vegetable soup--to which I said, of course! That said, my love of vegetables has never quite mirrored my love of cheese, so I needed to locate a recipe. And in trying to find one, I must admit--I felt a bit bad for vegetarians! Finding a vegetable soup that does not contain some sort of meat product is quite a challenge. Even this one, which I used, had to be modified slightly due to its call for chicken broth. That said, this soup took about 10 minutes to put together and was delicious, so I now have an exciting way to get my veggies in the future!

Here is what you will need:

1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 (11.5 ounce) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail (I used V-8)
1 cup water
1 large potato, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh green beans
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1/2 tsp of Cajun/Creole seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

First, dice your vegetables. Second, pour everything into a large sauce pan. Finally, bring to a boil, then simmer for 40-45 minutes. That's it! And, if you're a bit pinched for time, you can always use frozen or canned vegetables and save yourself the prep time on chopping the vegetables.

The Cajun seasoning really makes the soup, because it gives an added depth to the flavor and a slight hint of heat. You can even alter the recipe to add in your favorite vegetables or some orzo for a carbohydrate--and no matter what, you will have a healthy dish to serve yourself and your loved ones. So grab some V-8, your favorite veggies, and give this a try!

Elyse--and everyone else--I hope you enjoy this recipe! :)