Zuppa Italiana

Tonight, on the menu is soup made with just about everything in my fridge : )

To start you will need

32 oz. chicken stock
1 medium sweet onion
2 medium carrots, washed, peeled, and grated
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 Russet potato, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup or so of Cauliflower, bite size chop
1 bunch Asparagus, bite size chop
1 Rotisserie Chicken, picked meat into bite size pieces
2 cans petite dice tomatoes
2 cans Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans water
A handful ea. Italian parsley and basil, rough chopped
Salt & Black Pepper to taste
A lug of Sherry Cooking Wine & a splash of Sherry Vinegar
Rajun Cajun Seasoning  to taste
Paprika, onion, & garlic powder to taste

I sauteed the onion, celery, bell pepper, & garlic in a little olive oil and butter mix.  While that was cooking down, I poured the stock in the soup pot and started pulling meat off the chicken and tossing it in the pot.  I added the cans of beans and tomatoes into the pot and filled one of the cans with water 2 x's.  Next, I added the diced potato, cauliflower, asparagus, and grated carrots.  Finally, I added the sauteed veg and seasonings.  I let this simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes, asparagus, and cauliflower felt cooked through.

This soup really hit the spot.  I hope you give it a try and let me know how it turned out.

It was a great way to use up vegetables that I'd procrastinated using before and were near their expiration....nice to use them all up at once : )