{Tried & True Tuesdays} clean-out-your-fridge Vegetable Soup Recipe

Eugene and I have been married for nearly two years now, and I have learned a few valuable things. One thing I learned quite early on is that cleaning out the fridge, freezer and pantry regularly is absolutely necessary! There's nothing like some leaky greens sitting in your fridge and freeze-burned meat in your freezer to teach you a lesson! I've learned that the three best ways to clean out your kitchen are:

1. Put it all through a juicer and drink it! (mainly speaking of your fruits and veggies here)
2. Toss it all in a wok or a skillet and make fried rice (veggies and meat in your fridge/freezer)
3. Boil it all in big pot/slow cooker and make some soup!

Before I go grocery shopping, I try to browse through my fridge/freezer/pantry to make a mental inventory of what I have. I then try to think of meals I can plan around the items I already have. Today our apartment complex underwent an asphalt painting project in the parking lot. Eugene and I woke up at 6:30 am to move our cars and I miraculously scored ONE of probably TEN visitor parking spots for our 300+ unit apartment complex. Because I didn't want to lose said precious parking spot, I stayed at home all day even though today was supposed to be grocery day. I was going through my kitchen today and realized I had alot of unused veggies - so I decided to make soup. This soup was inspired by the soup I ate for lunch at work last Monday. 

Yay, soup!

First, wash and chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces!

 I originally started this soup-making process in a slow-cooker but it got way too full. I ended up moving my soup into a larger pot. (It was overflowing!!) I cooked the "hard" vegetables first since they usually take longer to cook through. Just add water or vegetable broth, if you have it!

{Pictured: chopped carrots, potatoes, celery and onions - onions were moreso for flavor and they can handle the extra cook time!)

The "softer" ingredients that don't require as much cook time can wait. Cooking them the same time as the potatoes/carrots/celery may sometimes cause the veggies to overcook and turn soggy (in my experience, at least!) Trader Joe's now makes his appearance - TJ's Unsalted Plum Tomatoes with Basil, perfect for soups, pastas, chilis, etc! 

TJ's Cannellini white kidney beans also made it into the soup! Yum! 

 Cook on med-high heat until the soup comes to a boil. Let it boil for 20-30 minutes. Add more water as needed. Add small pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Once it's boiled for a good enough time, let it simmer on low-med heat for 2-3 hours. The soup will thicken and your potatoes will be soft and will break easily - this is how you know its about done. I usually leave the lid on for an additional 30 minutes to let it steam through.

Use any veggies that you have! I topped mine with some parmesan cheese and it was so good! :)

COYF Vegetable Soup Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 3-4 hours

I used..

- 6 leaves of kale (stripped from the stem & roughly chopped)

- 4 large stalks of celery (chopped)

- 4 small carrots (peeled & chopped)

- 2 medium-sized potatoes (peeled & chopped)

- 1 medium-sized onion (peeled & chopped)

- 1 medium zucchini (chopped)

- 1 medium yellow squash (chopped)

- 1 can Trader Joe's Unsalted Plum Tomatoes with Basil (chopped, use the whole can!)

- 1 can Cannellini's white kidney beans (drained and washed)

(You can use any other veggies you want to get rid of!!)

- Water or Vegetable Broth

- Salt & Pepper to taste

- Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Wash and chop all vegetables
2. Cook "hard" vegetables first in a pot over the stove or in a slow cooker. Add in enough water to submerge "hard vegetables" Cook about 20-30 minutes over stove, 1-2 hours in a slow cooker.
3. Add "soft" vegetables including the tomato sauce from the can. Add more water in necessary to ensure most of the vegetables are under the water
4. Cook your soup in medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Allow the soup to boil for 20-30 minutes, then lower your heat to low-medium heat until it comes to a simmer.
5. Allow soup to simmer for about 2-3 hours. 
6. Turn off your heat but leave the lid on for an additional 30 minutes to allow it to steam!
7. Add salt & pepper to taste. Top with parmesan cheese prior to serving (optional)

Serve immediately and enjoy it while it's hot.....or freeze it for a rainy day :)
{More on freezing soup tomorrow!}

Enjoy!