Soup, Vegetable or Chicken-Vegetable (No-Salt-Added)

Netgirl's Healthy Cookbook's Note:

Since commercially made soups are really high in sodium (even the reduced sodium ones) and the no-salt-added ones aren't very tasty, I make my own soups. I freeze this one in one-cup containers and use it (and other soups) to break up the monotony of my daily lunch salad.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 cups

• 6 cups no-salt-added chicken stock (see other recipe coming soon)
• 2 cups water (purified)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small vidalia onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 (15 ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, including juice
• 2 cups frozen no-salt-added peas
• 2 cups corn (buy 3 ears)
• 2 cups green beans (buy 3 large handfuls)
• 1 medium yukon gold potato
• 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added black beans or 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added navy beans or 1 (15 ounce) can other no-salt-added beans, drained, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons flavor enhancer (see other recipe coming soon)
• 3 ounces no-added-salt tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken (optional)

Directions:

1. Make chicken stock.
2. Add olive oil to soup pot.
3. Chop onion, carrots, and celery.
4. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
5. When hot, add onion, carrots, and celery.
6. Saute until softened.
7. Add chicken stock and water and increase heat to high.
8. Add remaining vegetables except tomato paste, and Flavor Enhancer.
9. Bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
11. Mix tomato paste in 1/2 cup of the broth and add to soup.
12. Add black pepper.
13. Increase heat to high to return to simmer, then reduce to medium-low.
14. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
15. Add chicken, if using, and cook for 5 minutes.
16. Set aside enough soup for rest of week.
17. Freeze remaining soup in one cup containers for future use.

Reviews

[Bergy]

Excellent soup- I got a bit carried away and made it a clean the fridge soup so there were many veggies in it - I did not use tomato paste nor the flavor enhancer so I subbed with some thyme & oregano plus pepper-No salt. I had some chicken frozen so I added that too. Lovely lunch thank-you Netgirl

[James Albin]

500 plus is not considered as very low sodium. Lots of people have to live off less than 300 mg per day. Use the no salt tomato paste and this would cut it down some. Thanks.