Mostly Veggie Soup. A hearty and comforting winter soup loaded with an abundance of vegetables, a little bit of meat and a touch of rice!
Well, Happy New Year! 2017 is finally here and I couldn’t be more excited. 2016 was a bit of strange year in so many ways and I love nothing more than a clean slate and a fresh start.
Last year I was plagued by not enough sleep, not enough self-care and overall, just not enough time for me. I left that in 2016 and this year, I am making myself a (high) priority.
Something that I find nourishing is soup. Especially soup loaded with veggies. My family tends to prefer soups with sausage, meat or chicken so this Mostly Veggie Soup is basically a happy compromise in a bowl.
It’s a big batch of soup, loaded with a wide variety and textures of vegetables and just enough sausage to make the boys and my husband happy. I wound up adding some rice to give this soup that nice thickness that is so comforting in the winter and cold weather.
I used mild Italian sausage but you could swap ground chicken, ground turkey, ground pork, ground beef or even crumbled chorizo as this recipe is pretty flexible.
What about you? What is the thing that you are working on for 2017?
NOTES:
- Sorry there are no in-process photos for this recipe. I lost them during a winter break-toddler-using-my-small-camera-episode.
- If you want this to be vegetarian, I recommend adding 1/4 cup additional rice and adjusting the seasonings before adding the rice and then again after.
- Sweet potatoes will work but I recommend white sweet potatoes as they are firmer and don’t get as mushy as yams or garnets.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Mostly Veggie Soup. A hearty and comforting winter soup loaded with an abundance of vegetables, a little bit of meat and a touch of rice!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound uncooked mild Italian sausage crumbled
- 2 medium yellow onions halved and thinly sliced
- 2 large stalks celery thinly sliced
- 3 medium carrots cut into 1/2" half-moons
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound eggplant cut into 1/2" squares
- 1 pound russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2" squares
- 12 cups broth or stock
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 cup jasmine rice rinsed
- 1 large red bell pepper seeded and cut into 1/2" squares
- 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
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Peel and halve onions, thinly slice and set aside.
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Thinly slice celery.
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Peel carrots and cut into 1/2" half-moons.
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Wash eggplant and cut into 1/2" squares (leave skin on).
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Peel potatoes, cut into 1/2" squares and soak in cold water until ready to use (drain before adding to soup!)
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Wash bell pepper, remove seeds and ribs and cut into 1/2" squares.
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Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat.
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Once hot, add olive oil and crumbled sausage. Saute 4 to 5 minutes, or until pink is gone from sausage.
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Add onions, celery, carrot, turmeric, salt and pepper. Continue cooking, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are fragrant and tender.
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Add cubed eggplant and potatoes. Toss until coated and add broth along with crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
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Once boiling, add rinsed rice, cubed bell pepper, fresh thyme sprigs and cover. Lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
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Add cubed bell pepper.
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Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Serve and Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Sounds and looks amazing. Have you ever made it without the rice? We’re Whole30-ing and I think I’ll try it without. I guess I could add cauliflower rice to each bowl, but I think I’ll try it simply without the rice first.
Hey Lisa – you can make it without the rice. If you want a thicker soup, I would eliminate 2 to 3 cups of the liquid (that the rice would absorb). Another option is to puree some cooked cauliflower or potatoes and then add to the broth to thicken it up. As for cauliflower rice, I LOVE it but I hate it in soups.
Funny story – I decided to make this last week as it’s super cold here in the Midwest and a nice warm bowl of soup sounded like the perfect way to combat the cold temperatures. My wife is off getting her hair done so I drop by the store on the way home to get all the ingredients and start cooking. I notice at the store that they have GF Italian meatballs and decide to buy a 1 pound package for this soup. I make the soup with the meatballs all crumbled up. My wife gets home and says the soup smells delicious! She asks what’s in it and I tell her about the meatballs. She gives me that look of disappointment as I’ve used a meat she is not really fond of. I tell her that she should at least try it, the soup is “Mostly Vegetables” and she might not find the sausage flavor overwhelming. Well, 3 bowls later I’d say she loved it! Another great recipe – thanks for sharing with us. I’m having a bowl for lunch today!
I love it Ron! What a great story and I hear you about the cold – it’s FREEZING here!
During the cold winter days, recipes with a great source of vitamins are essential. This recipe doesn’t only provide the necessary nutrients but also protects as from flu!
So true!