Hearty Vegetable Soup

On a cold, rainy evening in a small town in northern New Jersey, a woman ventured out of her comfort zone to make...(duh, duh, duh) vegetable soup.

Tonight's dinner, aforementioned, is vegetable soup. I have never been a huge fan of the stuff but I thought if I could put my own twist on it and add all the herbs and spices I find appropriate, maybe I could like it more! So I "ventured out of [my] comfort zone" to make a delicious, inviting, warm, hearty vegetable soup. 

What You Need:

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 bag of carrots, chopped roughly
• 1 can cut green beans, drained
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp. savory spice
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 qt. (64 oz.) vegetable or chicken broth (I used one of each)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Disclaimer: If you have fresh green beans and garlic, those would both be delicious as well, I just did not have them on hand so I used what I had in the pantry. Also, I would have loved to try sweet potato in this recipe as well. Maybe next time...

How to Do It:

First, in a dutch oven, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium high heat.

Add garlic and red onion to hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally so as not to burn, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Next, add in carrots, green beans, peppers, and potatoes. Stir occasionally and cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir in vegetable or chicken broth with spices. Stir to incorporate well. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Place bay leaf on top of soup and cover. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally so as not to burn.

Serve with crackers or bread. Garnish with bay leaf or fresh chives if desired.