Homemade Vegetable Soup

In summer, you can make a perfectly delicious soup by pureeing ripe tomatoes. It's easy to go vegetarian with these soups. In fact, in many cases you can just use water as the base for your soup. A hearty vegetable soup is very tempting and a cup of soup is a great meal starter. Ingredients * 1 tablespoon olive oil * 1/2 large onion, chopped * 2 ribs celery, chopped * 2 carrots, sliced * 2 cups m
xed chopped vegetables (try cauliflower, zucchini, green beans) * 1 teaspoon salt * 1 teaspoon thyme * 1 teaspoon oregano * 1 bay leaf * 8 cups water and 3 cubes of vegetable bouillon or 8 cups vegetable broth * 1 14 ounce can tomatoes Directions * Heat oil in a large soup or stock pot. Add onion, carrots and celery. Heat and stir for 3-4 minutes, until onions are soft. * Add the rest of the vegetables and heat for just another minute or two. Add salt, thyme and oregano, stirring to coat the vegetables well. * Add bay leaf, water or vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. If using bouillon cubes, add and stir to make sure they dissolve. * Add tomatoes, stir, and allow soup to simmer until all the vegetables are cooked. Adjust seasonings to taste. * Remove the bay leaf and serve your homemade vegetable soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and some crusty bread or crackers.