Free Fall Soup

So summer is over.. well, here it is anyway. The weather is quite nippy and everyone is trying to salvage their vegetable gardens before their tomatoes, zucchinis and pumpkins all get frostbite. This means FREE veggies for me!! I love how everyone senses my love for garden grown food and so feels happy to donate the extras. This soup is very very tasty and healthy!

serves 5
Ingredients:
2 zucchini chopped in bite sized pieces
4 juicy tomatoes, chopped
1 orange (or whatever color) bell pepper, chopped
1 chopped onion
2 Tbsp EVOO
4 cups chicken broth (or vege broth)
1 cup water
a few tbsp leftover spaghetti sauce (or tomato paste with 3 cloves crushed garlic)
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
some leftover cooked noodles.. or uncooked
salt/pepper
parmesan and swiss cheese for garnish
Directions:
1. In a large pot, brown onion until golden in some EVOO. Then add the zucchini, paprika, red pepper flakes, basil, and oregano and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and pasta sauce and stir around. Add the chicken broth and let simmer until the zucchini is translucent. If you are using uncooked pasta, go ahead and put it in now, if not, go to step 3.
3. Add the beans and decide if the liquid level is to your liking. I added 1 cup of water. Taste and adjust the salt/pepper seasoning.
4. Add the cooked pasta and let heat through. Serve hot with fresh ground pepper and grated cheese on top!

I can't get enough of this healthy soup! Of course, you could just throw it all into the crockpot and it would work too if you add the pasta at the end.
The only negative remark I got was, "What? No Meat?"
If you add some cooked ground turkey or ground beef, this can become a "manly" soup. Eric didn't mind the no meat after a few bites though!