It is that time of the year again, when the cold front has set in. The cold makes me want to stay inside, bundle up in some warm clothes, pull up a rug and sip something warm from time to time. And when hunger strikes it makes you crave for something special that makes you feel good both inside and out. The first thing that comes to my mind is hot hearty SOUP with some warm crusty bread.

Both me and my husband are great fans of soups and we have all the time in the restaurants, however I had never ventured trying it out by myself. But after seeing many of Rachael Ray’s cooking shows and the ease with she makes them, by putting together readily available ingredients, in less amount of time, it got me started into trying it out.

 

I also looked for recipes on the internet that would suit my requirements. Even though there is no dearth of recipes for soup, my main source of idea and inspiration for this soup came from this site here. After going through numerous recipes I finally chalked out this recipe.

I could not help but realize many things while I was cooking this soup. This was the first time I was cooking with celery, navy beans, oregano and that I was not using the usual cumin, mustard, asafetida, curry leaves etc. I also realized that my everyday cooking is mostly vegan and that I hardly use any type of diary products in my cooking. Exceptions are in the case of desserts or the occasional “North-Indian” type of cooking which calls for milk or yogurt. Frankly, I am very pleased with this soup recipe. It is hearty, healthy, thick, chunky and filling. Best of all it is so easy to make and I am sure there will be more of these in the offing.

This is also my contribution to Vegan Ventures hosted by the wonderful and talented Suganya of Tasty Palettes.

Ingredients:

• 5 mini peppers

• 1 medium carrot

• 2 celery sticks

• 1 can vegetable broth

• 1 can cooked navy beans (any type of bean is just fine)

• 1 can diced tomatoes

• ½ cup pasta

• 1 small onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tsp basil

• 1 tsp oregano

• Oil

• Salt to taste

Preparation:

•  Chop the peppers, celery into small strips and keep aside.

•  Peel the carrot and cut it into small discs.

• Chop the onions into small pieces and keep aside.

• Cook the pasta separately and keep aside.

 Method: 

• Take a heavy bottom pan; add about 2 Tbsps of oil. Add crushed garlic followed by diced onions.

• After the onions are sautéed a bit add celery, peppers and carrots and cook for a while.

• Next add the can of diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and part of the Navy beans and mix well.

• Make a paste of the remaining beans and then add it to the above.

• Finally add cooked pasta, salt, basil, oregano and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring in between.

  

 Yummy and delicious soup is ready to be served with warm bread!