I love soups because they’re an easy way to get in a lot of vegetables, and they are usually awesome leftover (whether they’ve been in the fridge or freezer). I am a big fan of serving easy dinners on busy weeknights and there is nothing easier than defrosting some soup out of your very own freezer. I especially love this soup because it comes with so many “accessories.” You could certainly eat it plain,
but it is amazing how the flavor suddenly changes when you pile avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, and cilantro on top. We even sometimes toast tortillas (to make them crunchy like chips) and throw them in the mix as well.
This is also a great dish to serve this week if you are participating in our third real food mini-pledge. Even though this dish is meatless it would still be great if you wanted to add a little raw chicken when you sauté the veggies (or even some leftover cooked meat at the end). Just like most of the recipes I post this one is super flexible. If you don’t have or like zucchini then use a different vegetable instead. If you randomly find a half container of mushrooms in your fridge…throw them in. Get creative and use what you have on hand to make this dish easy and budget-friendly!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 2 bell peppers (any color)
- 1 – 2 hot peppers (optional)
- 1 zucchini
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels (or fresh if it is in-season)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 28-oz can organic stewed tomatoes
- 1 8-oz can organic tomato sauce
- 2 – 3 cups chicken stock, depending on how “soupy” you like it
- Optional (but recommended) garnishes: avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, cilantro
- Chop the onion, peppers, and zucchini into ½” pieces. Dice the garlic.
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Toss in the onions.
- After a couple of minutes add the peppers and zucchini. Flavor with the spices and stir the veggies until they start to soften.
- Add the frozen corn (no need to defrost) and garlic since these don’t take as long to cook.
- After the corn heats up add the stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil then turn down to low. Simmer for a few minutes or until you are ready to eat.
- Ladle into bowls, top with garnishes, and enjoy!
I have made this several times and my whole family loves it (including a picky 3 year old). It’s also a great meal to double and either freeze the leftovers or share with a friend. We don’t care for stewed tomatoes so we just do extra tomato sauce and it is perfect! Adding all the garnishes (sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado & tortilla chips) really completes it! Thanks for the great recipe!