Vegetable Soup with Curry Spices {Recipe}

Well hey, hi, and hello to you all out there in cyber space! I hope you are having a SOUPER New Year. Hehe. I know we sure are. Like, literally. I have eaten so much soup since the start of the New Year, that I actually *almost* got sick of soup. It's one of my favorite foods, and so I tend to make a lot of it.

We had a HUGE snowstorm here in the beginning of January, and everything basically shut down for about six days. In those six days, we ate soup for five meals. From pork belly ramen to chili to ham soup, we covered a lot of bases. But I don't only tend toward meat soups...sometimes I like to take it to the vegan realm. And that's what I did with this soup.

Us in the snow storm! 

When I'm feeling like I need something soothing for my digestion (which, for me, is more often than I would like), a pot of vegan soup can really do the trick. It's got some curry-ish flavors in it, but it's not over the top, just a little something to be different enough from your traditional veggie soup. By now, you all know my propensity for eat-downs by now, right? It's something we do virtually every time we shop in order to save money. So we can go up to 20 days without going back to the grocery store.

The good news about this soup is that it's something you can make with whatever veggies you have on hand, and good staples from your spice rack and pantry. AND, my mother-in-law told me this is ZERO Weight Watcher points, so you can eat it up until you can't eat no more! Also, I didn't add any noodles to this soup, but if you want, throw in some pasta, which would taste great. Okay, here we go!

Vegetable Soup with Curry Spices

Time: 30 ish minutes, more to simmer | Serves: 4-6 | Difficulty: Easy-peasy  

You Will Need:

2 carrots, peeled & chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 medium onion, diced 

4 garlic cloves, sliced or minced (your choice) 

1 large potato, diced

Small knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly 

Spinach (whatever you have, I used fresh) 

Cabbage (about a cup, shredded) 

Frozen corn and/or frozen peas, a good handful of each 

1 large can of crushed tomatoes 

5 cups vegetable broth 

1 teaspoon turmeric 

1/4 teaspoon coriander 

two good dashes cardamom 

1/2 teaspoon cumin 

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground pepper to taste

Olive oil  

Method:

In a soup pot over medium high heat, add your oil. Once the pan is heated, add your carrot, celery, onion, garlic, potato, and ginger. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions are becoming translucent. 

Add the rest of your ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmering for about 30 minutes to an hour (however long you have). If desired, add some fun, shaped pasta during the last 12 minutes of cooking, but do bear in mind that the pasta may absorb the broth so you may want to add more veggie broth accordingly. 

Serve with buttered crusty bread! 

** Keep in mind that the vegetables I added are mostly what I had on hand. You can add whatever you like to this soup, or omit anything you don't like. Zucchini, squash, green beans, okra, garbanzo beans, or kidney beans would also be delicious in this soup!!