When I realized that my pot was too small for only just the fresh ingredients, I decided to toss it into my slow cooker. I grated the carrot and minced (by mistake) the celery and decided to toss in some sweet corn. I let it slow-cook for several hours. After about 6 hours I found it a little bitter and panicked! I randomly added: 1 tsp. Olive Oil, 1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar, 2 tbsp. Garlic Powder, 1 cup cooked Black Forest Ham, some chopped fresh parsely, a few squirts of lemon juice and 1 tbsp. Oregano. What do you know it worked out and is sooooooo much tastier (to me) than the original recipe. I may have ruined it by accidentally mincing my celery in my new magic bullet. But after 6 hours I figured that's what it would taste like and my boyfriend and I ate up my hodgepodge creation so I thought I'd share it :)

I love this vegetable soup, but I might have changed it so much it's not quite this recipe. This recipe was the inspiration: I used 2 cans of low salt, low fat chicken stock; 4 c. water; about 6 smallish carrots; 4 stalks of celery, peeled; 2 pinches of dried basil; 2 pinches of dried thyme; a few sprinkles of an onion-based salt-substitute; the liquid from a can of stewed tomatoes; 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed. Boil/simmer this for 30 min. Then added 1 head of cabbage, chopped; the stewed tomatoes; 2 roma tomatoes, quartered; bunch of green beans (1-2 cups?); bunch of crimini mushrooms (1/2 cup?); 1 cut zucchini. Cook for 30 min. more. Add kale, cook for about 10 min. Good soup, or how to get rid of all the veggies in your fridge -- in a good way :-)

This was my first homemade vegetable soup and it was very good! I didn't have northern beans so I sued a can of red kidney beans I had on hand and Trader Joe's didn't have any cabbage so I used broccoli slaw instead and it worked just fine. I added another can of diced tomatoes and doubled the chicken broth because there wasn't enough liquid. I added gorgonzola cheese crackers from Trader Joe's on top and it was delicious!

Great recipe that helped me use up some of those veggies that were accumulating.

This is a great back to basics recipe, which is why I'm giving it a 5-star. It was just what I was looking for. There are so many ways you can expand upon it and still end up with a good tasting, healthy recipe. I changed things up, according to what was in my refrigerator/garden. Added fresh zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, and cilantro. Didn't have green beans or Great Northern beans. Shredded a couple of chicken breasts and tossed them in, just because I'm feeding youngsters who need the protein. Served with grated cheese, rolls, and sour cream. Very satisfying meal. May try ground turkey next time. Thank You!

Very good recipe, this has to be healthy. I made this last night and went by the recipe and it was great, probably the best vegetable soup I have had. Thanks for the recipe.