ABC Vegetable Soup

I hate wintertime. Germs are everrrryyyywhere. And because of that, my entire family has been sick the past couple weeks. My baby had a cold that lingered forever. He was congested, lethargic, wouldn't eat, wouldn't play, was fussy, always wanted to sleep. So not like him! But thankfully he has fully recovered. But then, lo and behold, as soon as he got better Chris and I got sick! I got a nasty sinus infection and strep throat, while Chris got a upper respiratory infection. It was absolutely no fun, but thankfully my parents swooped in and took Bradley to stay at their house so he wouldn't catch our germs!

Before I was down for the count, I whipped up a big batch of this tasty vegetable soup for all of us. It's packed with tons of essential vitamins; just what we needed when feeling under the weather. And it's a great way to get your child to eat tons of vegetables! Bradley hates carrots, but I was even able to sneak some on a few of his spoonfuls. This soup was extremely hearty and warmed our insides. When we were younger my mom always used to top our vegetable soup with a slice of yellow American cheese, so that's what I did to mine. It makes the soup creamy and extra delicious--I suggest you give it a try :) Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups white or gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup baby carrots, sliced
• 1/2 cup green beans, fresh, frozen or canned, drained and rinsed
• 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 cup Italian seasoned tomato sauce
• 48 oz. vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup uncooked alphabet pasta
• 1/2 cup corn, frozen or canned, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup peas, frozen or canned, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion, celery and potatoes for 4 minutes.

Add the carrots and green beans and stir, allowing to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, kidney beans and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.

Bring the heat back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Add the corn and peas and cook for an additional 5–6 minutes or until pasta is tender. Discard bay leaf and serve.

Source: Adapted from Giant Food