Mama's Vegetable Soup {vegan}

This is my childhood, kids.  Whenever it was cold, my mom would make this soup.  Tomato-based, vegetables, and that was kind of it, in the best possible way. 

In hindsight, my favorite thing about this was probably the saltines and cheddar that go on top, but THAT'S FINE.  Saltines and cheddar are great!  I made this slightly thicker than her version with a tiny bit of flour, but you can leave that out if you like a more brothy soup.  

I LOVE dishes like this.  They're so simple, but the flavor is insane, and THEY'RE HEALTHY BUT NOT DUMB AND BLAND.  No one likes dumb bland foods, so I'm always on a mission to find more healthy dishes that actually taste good!  Besides simmering, this soup is completely done in 20 minutes or so, then you just wander off or scream at your kids while the veggies cook!  Not that my mom EVER did that.  I'm just putting it out there as an option for you if you're feeling screechy. 

You need salt, frozen corn and green beans, canned tomatoes (whole or diced are fine), garlic, onion, potatoes, vegetable stock, olive oil, fresh spinach, and flour.  If you're not into potatoes in soup you can totes leave them out, or you can sub some cooked rice or pasta when you serve the soup - add either of those things when you add the spinach.  The great thing about this soup is that you can customize it any way you like!  Ground meat if you're into that kind of thing, other veggies like mushrooms or peppers....the sky's the limit!

First, heat a large soup pot to medium heat with the olive oil.  Dice the onions, then add that to the pot. 

Then, cube the potatoes!  I like them bite-sized, ½ inch or so.  Leave the skin on for extra flavor and fiber. 

Add the potatoes to the onions, and stir them around for 3 minutes or so. Add a sprinkle of salt here, too. If you're using salt-free or low-sodium stock, you'll add salt with each layer of veggies.  If your stock is salted, add salt and pepper at the end of the cooking time. 

While the potatoes are cooking, peel and mince the garlic. 

Then add the garlic to the pan! 

Let the garlic/onion/potato mixture cook for a minute or two, just until you can smell the garlic.  Then, sprinkle the flour all over the vegetables and stir it in.  The flour thickens the soup just a little bit, but not so much that we end up with a thick gravy-like soup.  Just a little viscosity to make it all sexified. 

At this point, the veggies should be sizzling slightly but not browning too much on the bottom.  Adjust the heat up or down as you need to!  Now, let's add the frozen veggies.  Toss in the corn....

...and green beans!

Now, the tomatoes.  

If you're using whole tomatoes, squish them into bite sized pieces with your hands, and add them to the pot with all the juices. 

Now, stir the veggies all together and add the stock.  I started with 3 cups and then just added the whole quart because the soup tends to thicken a bit as it simmers, and then more when leftovers are put into the fridge. 

So, here we have our vegetable soup!  

Increase the heat to medium-high to let the soup come to a boil.  When it does, reduce the heat to medium-low to let the soup simmer, covered, for 20 - 30 minutes until the veggies are all cooked through. Taste the soup, and add salt or pepper to your taste. 

While the soup simmers, gather up any toppings you'd like.  My favs are sharp cheddar, saltines, and green onion, but you could do sour cream, other cheese, bread, fresh herbs....whatever!

NOW, don't think I forgot about the spinach!  I add it when serving, so that each bowl has some fresh, barely wilted spinach with the cooked veggies and broth. 

Then I spoon the soup right on top, add my toppings, and YAY FOR WINTER! 

This recipe makes a lot of soup, but you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer until you're scared of the freezerburn so....why not make a lot?

Enjoy this!  It's one of my favorites, and I love making it now that I'm a big kid.  It makes me feel like a little kid, until I have to do the dishes. 

But whatever.