Hearty Vegetable Soup

Tonight I looked in my fridge and decided that I had all the right ingredients for homemade vegetable soup.  I just threw it together based on what I had, so you could alter the recipe to fit what's in your fridge, pantry, or freezer.  The kids ate it and liked it.

We served the soup with cornbread.  Have I ever told you about E's love of cornbread?  It's his standard of goodness.  For example, he'll say something like, "Mom, that looks pretty yummy, but is it as good as cornbread?"  I think the soup tonight was as good as cornbread.  And went well with it, too!

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
3-4 medium potatoes (I left mine unpeeled because I'm lazy like that, but you could peel them if you wanted to)
2 parsnips (leftover from the mashed root vegetables the other night)
4 stalks celery
Carrots (I used what was left in my bag of baby carrots, but I would recommend 2-3 big ones)
1 medium onion
1-2 T minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes, and the juices
1 cup frozen peas
1-2 15-oz cans chicken stock (I used 1 1/2, because I had half of one in the fridge)
Basil
Thyme
Bay Leaf
Parsley
Black pepper
Chili powder
Olive oil

Directions:
Chop all vegetables into 1/2-inch cubes.  If using parsnips, be sure to remove and discard the center core of the vegetable.  Pour a couple tablespoons olive oil into a big cooking pot and heat over medium-high heat.  Toss in garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes, until the onions begin to soften.  Turn down the heat if necessary so the garlic doesn't burn.  Add the chicken stock, then all the other vegetables (including the tomatoes) except the peas.  Season with spices.  (I didn't measure, just dashed a bit of each of them in.  You can always add more at the end if you don't think you added enough.)
Add enough water to cover all the vegetables, then turn to high and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, cover with tight-fitting lid and turn to low.  Let simmer until the carrots and potatoes are soft, 1-2 hours.
Just before serving, add the peas and stir in.  Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.

Makes about 8 main-dish servings.  Or maybe 6 if they're all grown-ups. :)