Vegetable Soup
Vegetable soup is a true comfort food especially in the winter.
Soup veggies can be bought fresh or in the freezer sections of your grocery store. One store we used to like had a soup packet in the fresh produce. It contained a couple of carrots, half a cabbage, a potato, some squash, an onion, etc. Everything you needed to make a pot of vegetable soup.
In the freezer you will find several blends that you might like. My problem with the pre-mix bags is that they tend to include potatoes. I don’t think potatoes freeze well.
Early in the winter I like to make my own bags of soup veggies for my freezer. I just go to the freezer aisle and get a bag of each vegetable I like in soup. If I can’t find it frozen, such as Leeks, I buy it fresh, slice it and freeze it on a baking sheet. That way the pieces stay separate and I can add it to the other frozen veggies.
In a big bowl I put all the frozen veggies and give them a toss. Then I put them in gallon zip top bags measuring 4-6 cups per bag. Don’t forget to label and date the bags. Sometimes I even add a zip top packet of spices so that all I need to make soup is a jar of broth.
Depending on the broth you use you may need more or less spices. This selection assumes a flavorful, well-seasoned broth. If your broth is more bland you might boost the flavor with a bouillon cube or paste. If you use a store bought broth, avoid the ones with protein added. Those tend to give a gritty texture.
I don’t put in rice or noodles. This recipe will hold well for leftovers, but pasta or rice tend to get soggy.
Yield: 6-12 servings
Equipment: Instant Pot, or a big pot on the stove
Ingredients:
6-8 cups soup veggies
15 oz can diced tomatoes
4 cups broth – this can be any broth or stock, but homemade is best
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp granulated onion
2 tsp Herbs blend of your choice
1 tsp ground tumeric
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Put everything but the salt and pepper into the Instant pot.
If you are going to eat it right away:
Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to come down naturally for 15 minutes then remove the lid and taste the broth. Add Salt and pepper to taste.
If you are eating in a few hours:
Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. When the beep goes off turn off the IP then turn it back on Slow Cook. When the pressure releases naturally open it and taste the broth. Add Salt and pepper to taste. Let it stay on slow cook until you are ready to serve. It can slow cook from 2 – 4 hours easily.