Easy Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

My Grandma Burress always ate Vegetarian Vegetable Soup and I still like it today....be it condensed or homemade.  Since it is the Lenten season I am cutting back on meat and increasing the fruits and vegetable portions of our menus.  Both reasons are beneficial for for us I would think.

Ingredients for Vegetarian Vegetable Soup:

4 C. tomatoes fresh or canned (mine were home canned with basil, garlic, and onions)
2 C. tomato sauce (again mine were home canned and seasoned)
4 C. water
2 cans condensed undiluted chicken broth (or plain water for a true vegetarian)
2 cans drained and rinsed white beans ( I used a quart of frozen I had cooked another day)
3 stalks celery sliced
4 carrots sliced
2 onions chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 zucchini sliced into half moons
2 potatoes diced
1/4 C. parsley chopped
1 jalapeno pepper diced
1 red bell pepper diced
salt and black pepper to taste
1 t. sugar
hot sauce to taste
1 1/2 C. small pasta cooked and rinsed and drained

Mix all ingredients EXCLUDING the zucchini and pasta together in a large soup kettle and simmer for 3-5 hours. Thirty minutes before serving ass the zucchini.  Five minutes before serving stir in the pasta and stir until it is heated through.  Serve hot with saltines or crusty bread.

Snow falling out side my front door this morning.

Today started with snow and ended with a bouquet of yellow roses.

Yellow Roses have long been my favorite and my husband surprised me with a dozen last night.

How lovely it has been.