Laurie Gerstman gives credit for the organization of this soup to Agnes Campbell. It is one with little to no exact measurements and lots of room for personalization.
Warning: This recipe makes a lot of soup, so be prepared to share it, freeze it or get tired of it.
- In a large soup pot pour in one 48 oz can of V-8 juice, reduced sodium, if preferred.
- Add to the pot any amount of fresh, frozen or canned vegetables you like. My favorites are:
Frozen broccoli & cauliflower mix
Frozen corn
Frozen peas
Frozen cut green beans
Frozen lima beans
Frozen zucchini and/or yellow squash
Frozen chopped spinach
Fresh baby red pototoes, cut in quarters
Fresh Baby carrots, added whole
Fresh celery, cut into small chunks
Fresh yellow onions, cut into small chunks
Fresh Cabbage, shredded
Canned diced tomatoes, with juice - Add water to cover vegetables
- Season to taste with:
salt, pepper, fresh or dried oregano, bay leaf or anything else you like. - Simmer over low heat for a minimum of 2 hours, stirring occasionally, making sure potatoes and celery are tender.
- Add cooked dried beans (canned or frozen are fine) and or cooked small pasta during the last hour of cooking, if you desire.
Note: You can simmer this soup for up to 4 hours or longer.
Laurie’s Experience
Be careful – pot always seems to be fuller than I thought it would be. I usually use full bags of frozen vegetables, but you may want to start out with smaller quantities so you can be sure to get everything you want into this soup.