Semi-homemade Vegetable Soup

You know when I put "semi-homemade" on something that it's really simple.

This is one of those recipes that is a staple in our house, but it's such a low-maintenance recipe that I wondered, "Is it too simple to put online?"

I decided that the answer was no, since semi-homemade is sometimes the best. Easy and fast! So, without further ado, basic vegetable soup.

Let's get down to it:

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

8 cups vegetable bouillon
1 - 1 1/2 cups pasta (macaroni for this batch)
1 large onion, chopped
6 small garlic cloves (or 4 teaspoons minced)
1 full bag frozen vegetable mix (green beans, carrots, corn, peas)
2 cups frozen broccoli
1 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1 pinch garlic powder
1 pinch chipotle seasoning
1/2 teaspoon canola oil

Directions:

1. Pour canola oil into the bottom of a soup pot and heat over low. Add in chopped onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender--about 5 minutes. Don't be scared by how many garlic cloves I'm asking for--they don't overpower the soup, I promise.

2. Prep your frozen veggies, if needed. These are the varieties that I used:

So much green! If you have any microwaveable packs, I always heat those up first to cut down on cook time.

Some of these have veggie chunks a little too large for a soup. I chopped the green beans and the broccoli, but the rest was okay.

I had to get a shot of that little cow head in here. This cutting board is from a set of hand-me-downs from my parents, each with a different animal on it, with the idea that you can use a specific cutting board for each type of meat to avoid cross-contamination.

I am endlessly amused that I am using a beef cutting board on a vegetarian blog.

Anywho!

If you are using bouillon cubes like me, add eight cups of water to your soup pot and bring to a boil.

Grab eight bouillon cubes and chuck those in, but only if your bouillon calls for 1 cube per 1 cup water. Otherwise, follow the directions, not me.

Once those are fully broken down into your soup, pour all of your veggies into your soup.

Once the frozen stuff has fully thawed in the boiling bouillon, add in your pasta. Since this soup already has tons of color, I skipped my usual tricolor rotini and I used macaroni for this batch. I also frequently use penne. It's up to you what kind of pasta you like!

Follow the normal cooking time for the pasta. About halfway through, add all of the spices: Italian, oregano, basil, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder and that tiny bit of chipotle. The amounts up in the ingredients are estimations--really, chuck in whatever seems right to you.

Yes, I still use our washing machine and dryer for counter space. I love our little apartment, but oh, I am so excited for that day when I will finally have a "real" kitchen.

Once the pasta is finished, I call 'er done!

If you're like Hubby and me and love adding parmesan to just about every savory food, chuck some of that on there, too.

If you're like us, you may also be eating on mats on the floor watching the second season of Burn Notice because you haven't picked up that futon from your parents' house, yet. That step is optional, of course.

Enjoy!