Fresh Take On An Old Favorite - Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

I made a new low-cal version of vegetable soup on Sunday.  I used mostly fresh ingredients.  This is so easy to make and cooks in no time at all.  Everything goes into the pot at once, not in steps, and it's delicious.  Recipe below.

Some of the ingredients.  All in the pot and ready to cook.  The smell of fresh herbs is wonderful all through out the house!

 Stirred up and cooking down.  The colors of the vegetables and herbs are beautiful!

 Served with a slice of Rustic Tuscan Bread, and that my friends is a meal.  You could also add cannelini beans to this if you like and top it off with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

 Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh or frozen kale, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of white onion, chopped

2 cups of fresh spinach

1 small green zucchini, quartered then cubed

1 yellow zucchini, quartered then cubed

5 small, combination of yellow, orange and red peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 fennel bulb, sliced - save some fronds to chop and put in the soup

1/2 cup sliced portobello mushrooms

1/2 cup baby peeled carrots

8 cups vegetable broth

2 - 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a large soup pot. On medium high heat, cook until the soup starts to boil.  Cover the soup, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes.  Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top and Italian bread.  Makes about 12 servings.