My mum prepares this soup every year for our Christmas Eve dinner.  It’s so easy to throw together (seriously, it’s almost entirely dumping the ingredients in the pot and stirring them together), which makes it a perfect meal during the busy holiday season.  Additionally, it’s really healthy—a welcome break from the decadent fare which seems to take over December menus.

When making this soup, my mum uses chicken broth, but you could swap in vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian.  Conversely, if you want to add meat, sausage, chicken, and ground beef are all delicious.  Also, if you’d rather make a heartier soup, you could add tortellini in lieu of the small pasta. The beauty of this recipe is you can add or subtract anything you want and it will still be really good.

One final note, sprinkling shredded parmesan cheese on the soup before serving it is a really delicious addition…just food for thought.

 

1 large sweet onion, diced

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 cups tomato juice

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 (16 oz) bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1/2 cup small pasta, such as pastina, alphabet pasta, or ditalini, optional

1 can (15 oz) can northern white, kidney, or navy beans (use your favorite), drained and rinsed

 

1. Heat butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.  Once melted, sauté the diced onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Pour the tomato juice and chicken broth chicken broth into the pot.  Add the garlic powder, pepper, oregano, parsley, and mixed vegetables.  Stir to combine.

3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the pasta, if using, and the beans.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the pasta is cooked (according to package instructions).  Serve warm with rolls or cornbread and a salad.

Serves 10

 

🥘 Pictures coming soon.