vegetable soup

It might seem a little early for soup, as it's not even fall yet, but my fight with hay fever earlier this week left me feeling sickly and in the mood for soup.

Soup is one of my favorite things to make because you can use whatever you have on hand and it's all about approximates... a little of this and that until it looks and tastes right.  No two pots of soup are ever the same in our house.  So forgive my recipe if it needs altered - more liquid, seasoning.  I, of course, did not measure out everything when I made it, this is just to the best of my knowledge.  :)

beef vegetable soup

Ingredients:

4 c. chicken broth (will need to adjust depending on the amount of grain used)

1 can V8, or other vegetable juice

1 can diced tomatoes

4 c. chopped baby kale or fresh spinach

2 c. shredded beef or chicken

1 pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1/2 - 1 c. farro or barley (depending on how hearty you want the soup)

1 c. chopped carrots

1 large handful of italian parsley, finely chopped

2-3 cloves minced garlic

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried oregano or basil

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic salt

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Saute carrots, garlic, onion, and seasonings (including bay leaves) in 2-3 T. olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.  Add peppers and farro or barley and saute another 3-5 minutes or until peppers are a little tender and grain is lightly toasted.  Add parsley, canned tomatoes, V8 juice and chicken broth.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the grain is almost fully cooked, adding more broth or water if needed while the grain cooks. 

Add shredded beef or chicken (I had leftover italian beef I had made from a roast that I used), chopped kale, and more broth or water or salt if needed.  Cook until the kale is wilted and the grain is fully cooked.

Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese to serve, if desired.  This recipe should make 6-8 servings.

We ate our soup with garlic, parmesan multi-grain toasted bread that was good to dip in the broth (somehow it missed the picture).  Just spread a little butter or olive oil on slices of bread, sprinkle with garlic or onion powder and dried basil, then top with a little shredded parmesan.  Bake at 400 for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown.