The Better Homemaking Network

The Better Homemaking Network’s Vegetable Soup Recipe

Makes 28 cups, or 14 2-cup servings
0 Weight Watchers Points per serving
Prep time: 30 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking

The recipe that follows is a double batch of my original vegetable soup recipe, with the addition of zucchini and spinach. We liked it so well that it has become a permanent change!

The Ingredients:2 onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 large leeks, chopped
1 lb. carrots, sliced (about 4 cups)
4 lg. stalks celery, sliced (about 2 cups)
6 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 1 lb) (You can also use pre-packaged shredded cabbage)
2 lg. cloves garlic, crushed with press (or use 2 tsp minced garlic)
4 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes, in juice (2 quarts)
2 cans green beans, drained (1 quart)
6 c chicken stock (48 oz)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Thyme
3 zucchini, cut into chunks
12 oz fresh spinach leaves

Mise en place (all ingredients prepped and ready):

We did the vegetable preparation the night before. I put the carrots, onions, leeks, celery, and cabbage into a big bowl, put a layer of plastic wrap over the veggies, then put the zucchini on top before sealing the lid. That way I could lift the zucchini out in the morning and dump the big bowl of veggies into the pan, only dirtying one bowl.

Coat a big stockpot (or two large pans) with non-stick cooking spray. Add the carrots, onions, leeks, celery, cabbage, and garlic.

Sauté for 9 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.

Add tomatoes, green beans, chicken stock, salt, and thyme; 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 return to a boil.

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Either add another 48oz (6 cups) of stock to the entire thing (if you have space and a big enough bowl), or add 1/2c of stock to 1 1/2c soup before heating. We prefer the latter method for easier storage and to enable us to add different flavors of stock for different soup variations.