I’ll bet there’s no one out there who was never served homemade vegetable soup by their Grandma. Okay… That may be an oversimplification. But this legendary classic has a warm place in billions of hearts around the world!
I chose this recipe to represent the millions of versions of veggie soup made by billions of Grandmas around the world because it looks just like the one my Grandmas gave me…
Handed down
Recipes for homemade Vegetable Soup are, classically, handed own through many generations in many families. And they not only retain their uniqueness to each bloodline – but they also evolve, as new generations embrace them and carry on the tradition.
Today’s recipe is truly classic. Both of my Grandmas made a veggie soup that looked just like this one!
Talk about a flood of memories! I remember being dropped off at one or another of my Grandparents houses for sleepovers when my folks wanted to stay out late and party. The next morning the odds were that one or the other of my Grandmas would be making her amazing Vegetable Soup for lunch. My folks never showed up to collect me any earlier than noon!
Veggies galore!
Depending on the season, the ingredients would include fresh (from their gardens) veggies, or can-ned versions of out-of season ones. Now-a-days, I tend to use frozen green beans, corn and peas – which I have in the freezer year-round – and fresh carrots and potatoes.
My Grandmas both added turnips and/or parsnips to their veggie melanges. But those root veggies have have fallen out of favour among the younger generations. The Millennials and their descendants are more likely to add fennel root, bell peppers and other ‘trendy’, healthy veggies.
Tip: I always add bell peppers to my veggie soup. For colour, flavour and nutritional goodness!
About the ground beef…
Our featured recipe also includes ground beef – for some reason. I guess it’s for the flavour. But my veggie soup uses only tomato juice as a base. And that’s plenty!
Tips and hacks…
I add classic herb blends to my soup pot: Italian-themed or Turkey Dressing-themed, depending on the season and the occasion.
If you don’t usually have a big can of tomato juice in the pantry – and very few folks seem to these days – you can use a jar of Marinara Sauce, diluted with enough water or veggie stalk to produce the thickness of soup that you want.
You can also use canned or fresh tomatoes. If using fresh, just make sure you run them through the blender or food processor to make sure any cores or skins are thoroughly puréed. Canned or fresh tomatoes will add luscious body to your soup that tomato juice or diluted sauce can’t match!
My take
This is a classic meal-in-a-bowl. Even without animal protein. I haven’t ‘done the science’ on it, but I firmly believe one bowl this soup, with its myriad ingredients, could deliver your total daily nutrit-ional requirements – less the whole grains, of course. But who’s to say you’re not going to add pasta, or barley groats, or even quinoa?
~ Maggie J.