Farmers' Market Soup (Recipe)

Ingredients

2 10 1/2-ounce cans condensed beef broth

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, packed in puree

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrot

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped (1 cup)

1 rutabaga, peeled and chopped (1 cup)

1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup shredded cabbage or lettuce

Additional vegetables: zucchini, okra, green beans, peas and/or corn (optional)

2 tablespoons snipped parsley

1 teaspoon cried oregano, crushed

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

Dash bottled hot pepper sauce

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Steps

1. In a large Dutch oven, bring 6 cups water to a boil.  Add the undiluted beef broth, undrained tomatoes, onion, celery, carrot, potato, rutabaga, parsnip and cabbage or lettuce.  Add any additional vegetables, if using.

2. Stir in the parsley, oregano, basil, garlic, bay leaf, hot pepper sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt and /4 teaspoon pepper.  Return the broth to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Remove the bay leaf.  If desired, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.

Tips:

To use fresh tomatoes: Skin and chop enough washed tomatoes to measure about 3 1/2 cups; use slightly less water in the broth.

Prepare any other vegetables you are using as you normally would.  For example, wash zucchini, slice or seed it and chop it.  If you're using okra, wash and slice it.  Wash green beans and snip, break or cut them into 1-inch lengths.

If fresh oregano and basil are available, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of each fresh herb for the dried herbs in this recipe.

If you like, you can add leftover cooked chicken, turkey, beef, pork or ham to this soup.

To cube the rutabaga: Cut into strips that are 1/2 inch or more wide.  Line up and stack the strips and cut lengthwise and crosswise through the stack to make even size pieces.

Store any leftover soup in individual microwave-safe containers for reheating later.  Or, you can reheat the soup in a saucepan over low heat.

From : America's Best-Loved Community Recipes