We don’t think of summer time as soup season, but fresh summer produce is so tasty in soup. This quick and easy vegetable soup can be thrown together in 3O minutes in the morning and reheated for dinner without overly heating up your kitchen. And it can turn a sandwich into a real meal! I’ve used Tipi green beans, carrots, corn, and bell pepper in this batch, as well as my last pint of Tipi tomato juice, but feel free to sub in what you have – zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes.
Takes about 30 minutes
Serves 6
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 stalks of celery, well-rinsed and chopped, with some of the leaves if possible
3 smallish carrots, sliced into rounds (a generous cup)
1 bell pepper, chopped
kernels from two ears of corn
1 1/2 – 2 cups green beans, cut into 1 to 2-inch lengths
2 cups of tomato juice
2-3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or a mix of broth and water
1 to 1 /2 cups cooked beans or small pasta like macaroni or small shells
salt and freshly ground pepper
one tablespoon of honey, or to taste
- Melt the butter in a large pot that holds about 4 quarts. Add the longer cooking vegetable first – onion, celery, carrots, and toss with the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften and turn translucent, then add the peppers, green beans and corn. Continue to cook for about 10 more minutes.
- Add the broth and tomato juice and water if necessary, and raise the heat to bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. (If you’re making this in the morning, you can go and change out of your pajamas into regular clothes while the soup simmers)
- Add the beans or pasta – I used small red beans from Rancho Gordo, but garbanzos would be good, too. Stir in the honey. Cook a few minutes to make sure everything is blended. Dip out a spoonful and let it cool slightly, and taste to see if it needs more salt, or anything else.
- You can eat the soup immediately or cool it, and refrigerate and reheat when you’re ready. Serve with crusty bread or grilled cheese sandwiches.