heatwave veggie soup

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! I know I did. I went to several parties and spent time with friends and family. I did not have to do any cooking all weekend which offered a nice break. But reality hit me on Tuesday night when I noticed I still had a fridge full of veggies from my CSA this week. Yikes! I replenish my veggies on Fridays and I certainly don't want to waste these. What to do? Make a soup! Sure, there is a heatwave in the Northeast right now. But c'mon, soup always offers a lovely, comforting meal. And it's a great way to use up what you have in your fridge. So if you can't beat the heat, make some soup!

Heatwave Veggie Soup

This soup is more about a method than anything. You can add almost any veggie you want, fresh or frozen. Don't have potatoes? Add pastina or tortellini towards the end of cooking. Don't have spinach? Add kale. Want to make it a bit more hearty? Add a can or two of your favorite beans. You really can't go wrong. Feel free to add a chopped onion when you add the garlic to the pot. It got two thumbs up from my coworkers! This is so easy to make vegetarian. Swap out the water and bullion for veggie stock for equally delicious results. Also, don't be scared of kohlrabi if you have never used it before. The taste and texture is just like broccoli stems. You will just need to get rid of the tough ends and peel it before use. I have a photo at the top of this post of what kohlrabi looks like. I just became familiar with it this summer and I'm glad I did! By the way, this makes a ton!!

2 T olive or canola oil (just enough to cover the bottom of your pan)

5 cloves of garlic, pressed

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

10 cups of hot water

4 chicken bullion cubes

half a head of cabbage, chopped

2 kohlrabi, peeled and chopped

2 yellow squash, chopped

2 large hand fulls of baby spinach

1 15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, diced

2 sprigs thyme

1/4 cup fresh oregano (or 1 T dried)

salt and pepper to taste

Add oil to a large, heavy bottom pot. Add garlic, potatoes and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, stiring frequently being sure not to burn the garlic. Add the hot water and bullion and bring to a boil. Add cabbage and turn down to a high simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add kohlrabi and cook for two minutes. Add squash and cook for another two minutes. Add tomatoes, herbs, seasonings and spinach and cook until spinach wilts down.