Like Strawberry Wine...

The red pepper in the fridge is starting to wrinkle.  The celery is starting to wilt.  You have one lone potato left on the counter.  What do you do when it’s cold outside so you don’t want a salad, and these sad vegetables aren’t even worthy of one anyway?  It’s soup time!

That is exactly how this concoction came about, and it turned out really well.  There’s no real recipe for this, I literally threw everything soup-worthy from my fridge, freezer, counter and cabinets into a giant pot and let it simmer on low for an hour.  Here’s what I ended up with:

Ingredients

1 russet potato, peeled and diced in ½” cubes

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

3-4 stalks celery, sliced

3 large carrots, sliced

½ - 1 cup frozen sweet corn

1 package frozen chopped spinach (break up as it defrosts into the soup)

1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes with juice, crushed with spoon when added to pot

1 32oz container of Low-Sodium Chicken Broth (or Vegetable Broth)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 Tbsp dried parsley

Garlic powder

Salt & Pepper

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Olive Oil

Instructions

Sauté onion, carrots, celery and potato with some olive oil, salt & pepper for a few minutes, just to soften slightly.  Add red pepper and tomatoes.  Cook for a few minutes more.  Add all remaining ingredients, stir to combine then let simmer for about 15 minutes.  Taste soup and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Continue to let simmer for another 30-45 minutes, stirring on occasion.

Dole out a big bowl, top with a little grated parmesan (optional but tasty), then let it soothe your soul…..and don’t forget the wine.