Hello! I’m Faith and I blog at www.AnEdibleMosaic.com where I share my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics, along with pretty food pictures and tidbits of life. When I heard Crystal’s story, my heart went out to her and her family, and I immediately knew I wanted to help. Today I’m sharing my recipe for Tomato Garden Vegetable Soup, which is the perfect healthy comfort food. Thank you for having me here, Crystal. I’m honored. I’m thinking of you and your family and keeping you in my prayers. xoxo, Faith
This time of year – between summer and fall – the weather can never quite make up its mind. Hot one day and cold the next, I don’t know if I should wear jeans and a sweater or shorts and a t-shirt, let alone make a pot of warming soup or a just a light salad for dinner. This soup combines the best of both worlds.
Chock full of vegetables, this soup is hearty and comforting, and will keep you satisfied without making you feel overly stuffed. (And bonus, it will help use up some of your zucchini bounty!) I kept this dish vegetarian by using chickpeas to bump up the protein (you can use any kind of beans you like though), and this also helps keep it budget-friendly. To keep this meal low-carb I left out pasta, but you could add cooked pasta, quinoa, or brown rice to make this even heartier.
Of course you can swap out the veggies in this recipe for anything you have on hand to make this dish truly your own, and a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top is never a bad thing. Any way you make it, this soup is sure to be a winner.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium-large onion, chopped
- 4 medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced
- 3 large stalks celery, sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with juices
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (use vegan if desired)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1½ teaspoons fresh minced thyme (or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning blend
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 (15 oz) cans no-salt-added garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (or any beans you like)
- Heat the oil in a large lidded pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, cover the pot, and cook until the vegetables start to soften, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the zucchini, yellow summer squash, diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme, Italian herb seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
- Bring the soup up to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer (covered) until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the beans and cook until warm throughout, about 2 minutes.
Enjoy! 
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