Herbed Tomato-Vegetable Soup

Warm and Healthy Comfort Food

It's a cool, rainy day here in Atlanta, the sort of weepy weather that make you yearn for something warm and satisfying. One of my favorite go-to soups, when I'm looking for something pretty easy to make with ingredients I usually have at home, is this Herbed Tomato-Vegetable Soup. The vegetables and seasonings elevate it beyond plain old tomato soup into a delicious pairing with salad and warm bread. It also makes a terrific appetizer course before a main meal. Enjoy!

Herbed Tomato-Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

4 cups water

1 28-ounce can tomatoes, cut up or 2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (4 cups)

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (1 cup)

2 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)

1 tablespoon instant vegetable or chicken bouillon granules

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/4 teaspoon dried savory, crushed

1/8 teaspoon ground mace

1/8 teaspoon pepper

(optional: few dashes bottled hot pepper sauce)

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook the onions in butter or margarine until tender, but not brown. Stir in water, undrained tomatoes, carrots, celery, bouillon granules, sugar, basil, salt, thyme, savory, mace, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Makes 8 servings.