Vegetable Soup Recipe. Tips?

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Cooking4Fun

Senior Cook
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
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417
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Buffalo

I tried this recipe. It's ok. I probably should of cut vegetables down smaller. Particularly the onion. It looks more like a stew. I might want to reduce solids to liquids. Maybe tomato sauce instead of chopped? Personally not a fan of solid tomatoes in soup. Parsley and bay leaves were good for it. Any tips to improve this recipe?
 

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I go trough phases or equally diced veggies and larger/ more rustic cut.
Basically a preference , or just the mood I'm in.
A tomato puree instead of of the chopped tomatoes would be fine
I also like dark kidney beans in my tomato based veggies soup ( I used drained canned beans).
Another way to change the consistency , is when the soup is done, take a ladle or two of veggies along with some of the soup broth, and blend it in the blender, then return it to the soup. it makes it a thicker consistency ( the more veggies you blend, the thicker it will be).
***Make sure to remove the bay leaf before blending***

Another tip would be to cook the soup with a piece of parmesan rind , or shake some parm cheese on the soup while serving.
 
"I might want to reduce solids to liquids"
ueber mucho easier to increase the liquids . . .
reducing the solids has to be done 'at the beginning' - when you cannot not 'see' the results....

push come to shove, needing to 'thicken' / aka my term "add body" to a soup,, a couple chips of dark roux, or instant potato flakes (fastest, most immediate 'result') or corn starch or instant tapioca or . . . any number of thickeners....
 
Improved will be a matter of opinion of course. This can vary if you want specific things like still having a brothy soup, was it too bland, are you keeping it veggie on purpose, is spicy ok, are you limited to just those veggies, etc.

If you can give some more details on what you want it will give us a better understanding of your target.

Now all that disclaimer outta the way I’d say cook everything more.

If you’re staying 1 pot stove top very first thing is add a bit of oil then go at it with your herbs. Do not skimp you want a flavoured oil & base.
For the pic I see up there (imo) I’d do a good pinch of oregano, rosemary, 1/2 pinch of thyme, 1-2 bay leaves, if you have any Cajun/meat seasoning kinda powders give them a shake in. If you don’t have garlic use garlic powder, black pepper. I don’t add salt here. Also if you like cayenne, etc add a pinch now.

Colour that oil! But don’t burn it

If bacon is allowed now’s the time to add in 2-3 chopped up slices. If not never mind.
Also if bacon is an issue any meat you prefer can work either slice it up to cook or leave it large and cook it low and slow for the time it needs. (Bone in meat is great).

Now veggie size is definitely your call I often do more stew size pieces but mom used to always give me flack for not cutting them enough. Diced will definitely sautee easier but again depends what you want. Just cause you want diced onions doesn’t mean you can’t have chunky carrots so you do you.

But it’s definitely time to toss in your smashed garlic if you use whole garlic. Along with your onions. Once they’re coated and under way in with the carrots & celery.

If you want spicy now is the time for a diced jalapeño or chilli pepper but your call.

Next is your can of tomatoes. I like the diced herb & spiced ones or ones with the seasoning cause is all been in there kinda marinading more or less. Just enough water to rinse out the cans then swish and dump it in. Cook that down get a bit of that water off let things richen up.

Once it’s getting thicker if you have a box of Campbell’s broth (yea it’s a cheat) dump that in and add your peas and corn, etc. if not a couple cans of water will do.
But then you have to let it simmer and give that water time to become broth. Let it simmer for an hr if you can on low.

Also if you don’t like pieces of tomato (which should dissolve just fine in time) then skip it earlier and add a can of condensed tomato soup now and stir it in. It will make the broth a bit silkier but won’t give you the depth of flavours. Also make sure you stir it so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. (I know it’s another cheat)

As stated above now a couple shakes of soy sauce will give you the salty seasoned flavour but richer. However, if steak spice or and mixed seasonings are already in there careful you don’t make it too salty (I’m not a big salt guy)

Once that smells like heaven bowl it & don’t burn your tongue. I recommend you make biscuits while it simmers cause that’s delicious but whatever your preference is go for it.

That said if you want a thicker soup not a brothy soup grab a stick blender and go to town on the whole pot/ or batch it onto your bigger blender of course.

If you want creamy add some cream to your puréed soup until it’s hot then serve it. I personally never do this (I’m not a big dairy guy)

Top with Parmesan if you want to and enjoy.

PS
If you’re asking us how to fix the batch you already have then I miss understood the question but some of my points still stand.

If you’re wanting a more deep roasted flavour that’s an oven soup not a stove top soup so different again.

Good luck & let us know
 
I like adding a can of condensed tomato soup at the end and bringing the soup to a boil. I also add a couple of tablespoons of ketchup to make the soup thicker and enhance the flavor.
 
I like the idea of freezing the roux into chips ( never thought of it). I think it would come in handy.
It does come in handy. But, I find the scoopable roux in a jar in the fridge is less foofing around than freezing chips and then putting them in a container in the freezer. I also find the fridge roux a little easier to use than the frozen chips, but they work fine.
 
I just made a batch of beef barley vegetable soup a couple days ago. For liquid I used low sodium V8 juice. I also put in a bit of low sodium beef Better Than Boullion.
As usual I made too much, but it will freeze well.
 
Wood Brocolli at least in smaller pieces be a good add on? I want a healthy soup that is thinner, but absorbs as much nutrition as possible without being chunky.
 
There is pho and a veggie soup, chix soup, beef soup... here, you don't have to can it, just to make it.https://www.ballmasonjars.com/recipes?fdid=soups-and-stews

We made split pea soup today, and chili beans but very liquidy to add ww macaroni to it. Both are like soups.

@dcSaute that looks like chips of CHOCOLATE, would not be safe in my freezer.

Funny story growing up. Mom kept individual chicken livers frozen on pans then in bags, as she was the only one to eat them. She also kept cookies premade in balls first on cookie sheets then in bags to make cookies before school in the AM. Little brother found the chicken livers thought they were frozen cookie dough, nope, they weren't ! OOps.
 
not chocolate. dark roux, a bit of butter floated to the top as it cooled.
not sure how/what/what kind of freezer would be unsafe for roux - - - oh, I see what you mean - not safe from getting et . . .
 
Wood Brocolli at least in smaller pieces be a good add on? I want a healthy soup that is thinner, but absorbs as much nutrition as possible without being chunky.
IMO for soups I take the big trunk part of the broccoli peel & chop it. That goes great every time. However, florets in my soup isn’t a go to.

Now that said if it’s a make for dinner, serve the whole pot and be done something like cream of broccoli then go nuts👍. I just tend to make a soup and it lasts a while and gets reheated, etc.

So very god for you and if you like it go for it I just personally go for stems over florets.
 
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