Food: Hearty V8 vegetable soup

I wasn’t ever that big of a fan of drinking V8, but then I had the idea to make this great soup. It’s perfect for a cool day.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola/olive oil blend
½ cup chopped onions
3 cups (or so) chopped vegetables, such as carrots, peppers, corn, zucchini, etc.
4 5-ounce cans of V8 juice
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Optional topping ideas:

Grated cheese
Croutons
Tortilla chips
Chopped green onions
Crumbled cooked bacon
French fried onions
Oyster crackers

Directions:

Add the oil to a medium-sized skillet and place over medium heat. Add in the chopped onions and veggies. Sauté about 5 to 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender but not yet fully cooked.

In a medium-sized saucepan or soup pot, add the V8 juice, bouillon cubes, garlic, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat so that the mixture remains at a simmer. Add in the veggies.

Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are fully cooked. Remove the bay leaf, spoon the soup into bowls, and serve.

Makes about 4 servings.

Photo by JoAnn Ryan

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