Mom's Vegetable Soup

If you asked me 5 years ago or maybe even 5 months ago if I was a vegetable soup person, the answer was a definite no. Vegetable soup has never hit the spot for me, whether it be the flavor or soft vegetables I just wasn't into it. Give me all the raw crunch of a vegetable. However when I was home in the fall my Mom introduced me to her "weight watchers zero point" vegetable soup and now I'm hooked. It's a simple recipe, an awesome way to get lots of vegetables in one meal and as someone who currently has plenty of baby weight to shed I will take any advice from my Mom who recently met her goal of losing 50lbs (go Mama!) I love making this at the beginning of the week and eating it when I need a quick, healthy meal when my littles give me a second to myself. 

Mom's Vegetable Soup 

One small onion

Three cloves of garlic

Half a cabbage 

One zucchini

Handful of fresh green beans

Handful of carrots 

One red pepper

One yellow pepper

Two cans diced tomatoes

Edamame beans (frozen, optional)

Olive Oil

6 cups chicken broth

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

Spice Islands Garlic & Herb Seasoning

Chop all ingredients to desired size before adding anything to the pot. Place a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of the pot with chopped onion and garlic on medium heat. Heat until soft. Add cabbage and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients, stirring until well-mixed. The recommended seasoning is not a "must have" item but my personal preference when I make this soup. I just shake a whole bunch in until it tastes good. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover with lid and bring to low heat. Let soup sit for half an hour before turning burner completely off. Enjoy hot off the stove or store in an air-tight container in the fridge for a quick easy meal. For an extra taste of comfort, add a handful of cheese when hot to enjoy goo-ey cheese in each bite.

Additional comments: my Mom often adds broccoli to hers. You can add or exclude whatever vegetables you want. Also, I usually make this soup two weeks in a row due to only using half a cabbage. I don't use cabbage in anything else really so I often go back when my first batch of soup runs out to make a second one.