Simple but Hearty Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

I used to have roommates who were vegetarians and, since I did much of the cooking in the household, I had to learn to adapt my recipes to their dietary requirements. After many tries, I finally came up with a vegetable soup recipe that satisfied their needs but didn't leave me feeling cheated (and hungry !) This recipe uses some fresh ingredients, some canned and some frozen. (BTW, for a non-vegetarian version, you can add salt pork, bacon, hambone or whatever you prefer...but try it veggie ! Trust me, an omnivore...it's great!) BTW, you CAN throw the macaroni in raw and let it cook in the soup rather than throwing cooked macaroni in at the end, but the starch off of the macaroni cooks into the broth and makes it very thick and cloudy, which I don't care for. Another matter of personal preference !

• Ready In: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 24  ounces tomato puree
• 4  cups water
• 4  vegetable bouillon cubes
• 1  large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1  large turnip, peeled and cut into chunks
• 10 -15  baby carrots, cut crosswise into disks (raw)
• 1  large sweet onion, chopped
• 6  ounces  le seuer peas
• 16  ounces kidney beans or 16  ounces lima beans
• 16  ounces green beans
• 12  ounces frozen corn
• 2  ounces  cooked macaroni
•  salt, Pepper and Italian Seasoning to taste

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except for seasonings and macaroni and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook over low-medium heat (not-quite-to-barely simmering) for 3 hours. (If you like it "soupy" like me, you may need to add a little more water along the way if it seems to be cooking down too much. If you like it "stewy", you probably won't need it.) About halfway through cooking, add the salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning. Cook the macaroni separately and just add it in near the end.