Garden Vegetable Soup

My friend Megan at Baby Makes Four posted a recipe a couple of weeks ago for a garden vegetable soup. Ever since I read her post I have been wanting to try it on my own. The thing is, it's summer and hot and I don't love eating soup when I feel like I'm melting. Today, while not cold, was rainy and I had this soup on the brain so I stopped at Whole Foods on my way home.

I didn't follow Megan's or the Original Recipe (Dr. Oz's Weight Watchers Garden Vegetable Soup) exactly. That's one thing I love about cooking as opposed to baking, you can make it up as you go! Please click on the links above if you want to see their versions.

Soxy's Diamond Vegetable Soup
The Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup {organic} carrots, chopped/sliced
• 1/2 cup {organic} onion, diced
• 1 cup {organic} cabbage {red or green}, chopped
• 4-6 cups {organic} kale or spinach, chopped
• 1 cup {organic} zucchini, diced
• 2 cloves of {organic} garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP {organic} tomato paste
• 32 oz {about 4 cups} {organic} low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning 
• 1/2 cup pasta
• 1 TBSP olive oil

The Instructions: 

• Heat olive oil in Dutch Oven over medium-low heat
• Add carrots, onion and garlic and sauté over medium-low heat for 5 minutes (on my electric stove I set it to about a 4)
• Add tomato paste, kale, cabbage, salt and seasonings and mix
• Immediately add vegetable broth and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat (to about a 2) and cover
• Simmer for 15 minutes
• Add zucchini and simmer for an additional 3-4 minutes

• While your soup is simmering, cook your pasta {hints: undercook it by a minute or two, as it will still cook once you add it to your soup. Also, store your leftover pasta separate from your soup and add right before you heat it up. This way the pasta won't turn mushy!}

• Once soup and pasta is done, mix together and serve

I will note that I added a bit of salt to the soup while eating it. I normally don't put salt on anything, but adding a little bit more provided a ton of extra flavor.

To make the soup heartier try adding some {organic} ground turkey/chicken. You can also use chicken or beef broth for flavor. Mix up your veggies, try another pasta, sprinkle with parmesan cheese - this soup is meant to be customized!

I got 4 healthy servings out of this soup. My bill at the grocery store came in a little more than $13, add in $2 for the previously purchased Kale and $1 for the previously purchased pasta and this soup cost a total of $16 or $4.00 a serving. This is using all organic ingredients {except for the pasta}. The olive oil, spices and salt are not counted in the cost but those are staples found in most every home. Plus, I have left overs of just about every vegetable that will make it's way into a salad or juice!

$4 for a bowl of healthy, almost entirely organic soup. And people say eating organic is too expensive. Pfft.