When in doubt, make it into soup...

I have to go grocery shopping. All of the good stuff is gone and only the basics remain. Basics like onions, garlic, carrots, vegetable broth, potatoes, and a half a head of cabbage.

So what's a girl to do for dinner?

MAKE SOUP!

I sauteed the onion and carrot until the onions were caramelized and the carrots were tender. While that was cooking away, I threw in some dried spices. I used parsley, basil, and oregano...nothing fancy. Oh, and salt and pepper of course.

Then, I threw in 2 or 3 cloves of chopped garlic and sauteed until fragrant. After that came about a tablespoon full of tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of flour. Tomato paste for flavor and color, flour for a bit of added thickness.

Once the flour had cooked a bit, I added 4 cans of vegetable broth that I had in the pantry. Add a bay leaf to that and the last of the fresh parsley sprigs before they go bad and whamo. Man, did it smell GOOD. Once that was simmering I added 4 potatoes, peeled and diced. Then I threw in a bit of cabbage.

Let it simmer away so the flavors come together and the potatoes cook thru.

I still wasn't happy. I wanted something more. Maybe a can of beans? That would have been great, if I had one. Hmph. Ah! A handful or two of elbow macaroni! No, didn't have those either. (I told you I have to go grocery shopping.) But I did have alphabet pasta. Good enough for me.

And there you have it. A wonderful vegetable soup. It came out really tasty too, but next time I'll leave out the cabbage and maybe add some zucchini for color.

I wish I could post a pic because it really looks delish. Alas, the battery has died in my camera.

Next time...promise ;)