Vegetable Soup Base- 21 Day Fix Recipe

Today's recipe is one I have been making for years!  I especially love to make it as a way to clean out the produce bin and freezer.  At it's heart, is is a low calorie vegetable soup, but I see it has a way to use up ingredients, stretch a buck, and serve as a jumping off point for other meals. 

You can eat the soup plain, but to be honest, I don't.  If you'd like to use it as a vegetable soup, you will most likely need to add additional seasonings.  Because I use it as a base for other soups that I will be adding additional flavor components to, I season it very lightly with season salt.  Most of the flavors come from the other combinations.  

I make this soup in the largest pot I own, and then freeze it in smaller 4 cup batches.  A serving size is 1 cup, but when you add in the other mix in's (see the recommended combinations below), you end up with a pretty big meal! 

Ingredients:

6 cups frozen baby vegetables (carrot, pea, corn, green bean, etc)

1/2 head of celery, sliced

1 large onion, diced

1 family sized bag of baby spinach

1 bag shredded cabbage

48 ounces of crushed tomatoes (low sodium)

2 cloves minced garlic

48 oz low sodium  broth

6 cups water

1/4 cup Season Salt

Directions:

Coat 12-quart stockpot (or 2 large saucepans) with nonstick cooking spray. 

Over medium-high heat, add onions, celery, and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.  

You don't have to use this brand, this is just what I buy in bulk at Costco.

Add the frozen baby vegetables and cook for a few minutes until they begin to defrost, stirring occasionally. 

Add broth, water, and season salt; heat to boiling over high heat. Add tomatoes with their liquid, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. 

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in spinach and cabbage and simmer until wilted.  

Makes 27 servings. Serving size is approximately 1 cup.  1 serving equals 1 green 21 Day Fix Container.

To make a complete meal, add additional seasonings of your choice and serve with 1 red and 1 yellow 21 Day Fix Container. 

Recommended Combinations:

Thai Shrimp Soup:

2 cups soup+2 yellow’s of rice noodles+ 2 reds peeled shrimp+1/4 light coconut milk (canned)+ red pepper flakes & lime juice

Serves 2- 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 red

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup:

2 cups soup (pureed) + 1 red greek yogurt +1 purple tomato sauce + 1 blue parmesan cheese + fresh basil, Salt and Pepper to taste.  Combine all ingredients except cheese in a blender. Garnish with the parmesan cheese

Serves 2- 1 green, 1/2 red, 1/2 purple, 1/2 blue

Southwestern Chili

2 cups soup + 2 red ground turkey + 2 yellow’s of cooked beans+1/2 purple salsa+1 tbsp Southwest Seasoning + 1 blue cheese

Serves 2- 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1/2 blue, ¼ purple

Tortilla Soup

2 cups soup + 2 reds chicken + 1 yellow corn kernels+ 12 corn chips, crushed+ 1/2 purple salsa +1 tbsp Southwest Seasoning + 1 blue cheese+ 1 tbsp cilantro+ lime wedges

Serves 2- 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, ½ blue, ¼ purple

Cheeseburger Soup

2 cups soup + 2 reds Mini Meatballs + 2 yellows diced potatoes + 2 blue grated cheddar cheese + salt and pepper to taste

Serves 2- 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue

Buy the 21 Day Fix

Tomato Basil Soup

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with out the cream! If you've ever had the pleasure of dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into tomato soup, this is the soup for you.  It's also so much friendlier to your waistline since I've cut most of the fat and cream! 

12 tomatoes
1 large onion
1 bulb of garlic
1/2-1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Handful of basil
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chop the onion and tomatoes and add in the garlic cloves (peeled). Toss with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast on a baking sheet for 1 hour.
Transfer to a blender and add the Parmesan cheese, basil and 1/2 cup of milk. Blend until smooth. Add additional milk of water for a thinner texture. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.

21 Day Fix Conversion: 2 green, 1/2 yellow, 1/4 blue, 1 tsp

Buy the 21 Day Fix

15 Bean Vegetable Soup

Tonight's dinner was exactly what the doctor ordered: hearty 15 bean soup with homemade gluten free corn bread muffins. It takes a while to make, but it uses mostly leftovers and pantry staples, so it's perfect for when your feeling under the weather and don't want to run to the store. It also gives you a good excuse to stay snuggled on the couch all day!

1 bag 15 bean soup beans (not the 16 bean- those contain barley which is not celiac friendly)
1 ham hock or leftover ham bone
2 large red potatoes, diced
2 cups diced carrots
1 large diced onion
2 cups diced celery
1 bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning blend
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the dried beans and place in a large pot. Cover by 2 inches with water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow to soak for one hour.
Drain and rinse the soaked beans and return to the pot with the ham bone. Cover with water (or broth) by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 3 hours.
Remove the ham bone and pick of any remaining meat. Return the meat to the pot along with the carrots, celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil and the reduce to a simmer. Season with the Cajun seasoning and simmer for one hour.
Add the diced potatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender. Add additional salt and pepper if needed. Makes 9 servings.