Vegetable Soup

I pulled this soup together a couple of evenings ago.  It's rich in flavor, so delicious that you will certainly want to drink up every last drop of broth, or sop it up with a nice hearty bread.

I list the veggies I used, because that is what I had on hand, but feel free to change it up to meet what you have in your fridge.

It is all veggie, no grain, no legumes, no meat.  However, it would be very easy to add meat or grain (add in ideas are at the bottom of the post).

Printable recipe link is at bottom of post.

Ingredients:

2 tsp. Olive Oil
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 large onion, or a medium one, finely chopped
4 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2-3 celery stalks (with leaves), sliced
1/2 large bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 - 3/4 c. White Wine
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 C. frozen or fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2 in. pieces (roughly)
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Texas Pete (or your favorite hot sauce), just a few splashes as desired
1 Tbsp. "Spike Seasoning" 
1 tsp. dried marjoram (rub between fingers to release flavor)
1 tsp. dried basil (rub between fingers to release flavor)
1 tsp. drid oregano (rub between fingers to release flavor)
12 oz (approximately) Tomato Sauce
Worchestershire Sauce (couple of dashes)
8-12 oz. Chicken or Veggie Broth
8-12 oz. Water
2 large kale leaves, ribs removed, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Method:

Heat olive oil in dutch oven or heavy soup pot over med-high heat.  Once pot is nice and hot, add onion and garlic, reduce heat to medium and saute 2 minutes.  Raise heat to med-high, add carrot, celery, and bell pepper, saute 2-3 minutes.  Add white wine and simmer until reduced by almost half.  Add tomatoes, green beans, and remaining ingredients.  Stir.  Simmer on med-low for 20-30 minutes or until Kale is tender.

This soup was filling, so we didn't have salad or bread alongside it, however it would be lovely with either.

Optional "Stir-ins":

Meat:
*Add 1-2 cans of chicken breast packed in water (drained and rinsed)
*Saute chicken breast cut into bite size pieces, along with the garlic and onion, saute time will be until chicken is browned all over.
*Stir in cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken

Grain or Legume:
*Add one can of White Beans, drained and rinsed
*Add 1 C. of cooked rice, cooked quinoa, or cooked pasta

For a Handy Dandy Printable click HERE.