• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cooking With Friends Club

food . . . friendship . . . inspiration

  • Home
  • Kitchen Chronicles
  • Recipes
  • Reviews
  • Bookshelf
  • Vintage
  • Press
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Kitchen Chronicles / Hodgepodge Veggie Soup

Hodgepodge Veggie Soup

January 10, 2014 by Alison

I wasn’t kidding when I said it was soup making season here at Cooking With Friends and that continued as Jackie and I made two kinds of soup yesterday — a loaded with leeks potato leek soup and a hodgepodge veggie soup. I’ve called the latter of the two a “throw-as-you-go” soup before but hodgepodge works well too since it’s an improvisational soup that turns out differently every time. Basically with this concept, each friend brings whatever veggies they have on hand and some stock. You start with some olive oil and add vegetables to a large soup pot and cover with stock — chicken works best since it has more flavor. You let it come to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and then flavor with salt, flavor boosters (like Swanson’s chicken or Better than Bouillon) and some fresh chopped herbs. And Voila! A new and different, very healthy soup every time!

Jackie got straight to work peeling the carrots, potatoes and parsnips while I did the chopping. We were an efficient team as we filled two large soup pots. Sergeant Bermack (that’s me!) was in chopping action when I caught Jackie resting at one point. I guess my mere glance startled her back to work since she was right back at the kitchen sink peeling away. As always, it was a whirlwind of a good time as we created and chatted together. After a delicious lunch (because you know that’s always part of the deal), Jackie insisted that we make some chocolate chip muffins. You know, a cooking date wouldn’t be complete without something sweet. But I declared myself the sous chef for this one since I was running out of steam and let Jackie take the lead. And I’m sure glad she did since we each got two dozen decadent muffins in addition to almost 4 quarts of soup.

What’s for lunch today? I know I’m having some soup and muffins for dessert!

Hodgepodge Veggie Soup
I’ll provide the “recipe” for yesterday’s soup, but I’m hesitant to do so since you really need to just create your own with whatever veggies you happen to have on hand. Use ours as a guide for the process but please don’t take the ingredient list to grocery store. Just throw as you go and create your own hodgepodge veggie soup.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 leeks, washed and chopped
1 zucchini, diced
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups chopped cauliflower
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and diced
3 parsnips, peeled and diced
4 mushrooms, washed and diced
2 quarts stock
Salt & pepper
Handful of fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, chives, tarragon)

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Start sautéing vegetables as you chop and then cover with stock of your choice. Bring to a boil and then turn the soup down to simmer for a while. You can then season with more flavor, adding bouillon, salt and herbs. Feel free to use an immersion blender to puree some of the soup as well or even add some noodles, potatoes or rice to vary the consistency.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Instagram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Kitchen Chronicles

Previous Post: « Have a "Souper" New Year!
Next Post: Root Vegetable Pot Pie »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy says

    April 26, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    Good recipe

Primary Sidebar

About Alison J. Bermack

It all began when I was a child cooking with my dad, the kitchen a magnet for cooking and camaraderie, a refuge from adolescence. I spent countless hours chopping, sautéing and simmering my way through childhood. And now, with three kids of my own, I’m still chopping, but this time through their childhood and often with friends.

Read more…

Social Media

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Newsletter

Click here to learn more about my E-Newsletters and to access my E-Newsletter archive.

Content Archives

Categories

How To

Go to our tips and advice for Cooking With Friends.

Downloadables

Free recipe cards, food storage labels and shopping lists you can print and use!

Cooking With Friends on Facebook

Cooking With Friends on Facebook

Sites We Love

We love these sites. Link back to us to be considered.

About Food
  • Cooking With Anne
  • Delicious Days
  • Farmgirl Fare
  • Figs Olives Wine
  • Food 52
  • King Arthur Flour
  • Megnut
  • Michael Rulman
  • No Takeout
  • Orangette
  • Serious Eats
  • Steamy Kitchen
Everything Else
  • No Kid Hungry

Footer

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

All content and recipes are the property of Cooking with Friends, LLC. Copyright © 2008-2019.

© Copyright 2008-2021 Cooking With Friends · All Rights Reserved ·

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.