Almost-Vegetarian Tomato Vegetable Soup – September 15, 2009

When I first started The Diet, I got into a month-long soup kick. I realized that soups were one of the easiest way to pile in vegetables without missing the meat. I made many variations of this vegetable soup, with whatever vegetables we had on hand, because it’s so easy and filling.

The title of the post is “almost-vegetarian” to reflect the fact that I use chicken broth powder to give the soup more depth. Feel free to substitute it with vegetable stock powder to make it completely vegetarian.

I added a scoop of leftover rice to bulk it up a little bit. The starch also thickens the soup, which makes it look better.

Unfortunately, Jimmy and I devoured this soup, and I forgot to take a picture of the finished dish. Just imagine a red soup with chunks of vegetables.

It only took me 20 minutes to make this soup in the morning, and I think it was a nice alternative to the usual cereal, toast, or congee for breakfast.

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Tomato Vegetable Soup



2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup diced onions
¼ cup diced carrots
¼ cup diced green zucchini
¼ cup diced yellow zucchini
Few shakes of Italian spice seasoning (if you have dried herbs on hand, use oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and basil)
2 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
4 cups water
3 tsp chicken broth powder
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup cooked rice (optional)
Squirt of Sriracha (optional)
Grated parmesan for garnish

Heat up oil in a pot, and sauté garlic and onions until the onions are clear. Add the vegetables (except for tomatoes) and spice seasoning.



Once the carrots have softened, add chopped tomatoes. Stir constantly until about half of the tomatoes have disintegrated.

Add tomato sauce, water, and chicken broth powder. Bring to a boil. Add cooked rice, if desired. Adjust the seasoning. Add Sriracha hot sauce, if desired.

Ladle into bowls, and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Serve hot with crackers or bread.