Totally Tasty Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

My mother always made the best homemade vegetable beef soup.  Everyone would stop by the house for some to take home, when they knew she had made it.  My mom would have huge pots of soup cooking on the stove, enough to go around, and then some.  I have made it many, many  times over the years, you could never improve hers, just make it different.  I made mine the vegetarian way today, that's right, no beef and all vegetables.  All you need is a big soup pot, a cutting board and a sharp knife, to make this hearty soup for dinner on those cold Fall and Winter nights.  This is how I made it, recipe below.

I started with a base of crushed tomatoes, and vegetable broth, you could also use vegetable stock.

 I got everything going in the huge soup pot that I have.  Doesn't that look good!

 Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 ribs of celery with leaves, sliced

1 turnip, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of  black pepper
6 cups of water
3 medium - large potatoes, cubed, leave skins on

1 - 32 oz. box of vegetable broth or stock

1 - 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 - 15.5 oz. can of cannellini beans, rinsed

1 /2 small head of green cabbage, chopped

6 stalks of fresh kale, chopped

1/2 green zucchini, cubed

1/2 yellow zucchini, cubed

1 - 14.5 oz. can of yellow beans, use fresh if you can find them

1 - 32 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

5 - 6 sprigs of thyme, pull thyme off the sprigs

8 basil leaves, sliced

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add the onion, celery, turnip, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes.  Add the water, potatoes, broth, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beans, cabbage, kale, zucchini, yellow beans, mixed vegetables, parsley, thyme and basil.

Lower the heat to medium-low, leave uncovered.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 - 3  hours.  Serve piping hot with a loaf of fresh Italian bread or a Baguette.  Will keep for 4 - 5 days in the refrigerator.  Also can be frozen, thaw before reheating.  If soup thickens add a little water.