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With the changing of the color of leaves and colder weather beginning to make its presence known, I have craved warm and hearty soups, almost like clockwork. With one search on Pinterest, thousands of delicious soup recipes are at our disposal, each one making the mouth water more than the last. 

Though, I often find myself feeling overloaded with the amount of options, occasionally the creative recipe requires items not normally stocked in my pantry. 

A quick, easy and nourishing go-to soup recipe I turn to time and time again, is one that I have been eating since I was a young child, able to blow the steam off of the spoon by myself. To this day, when my mama calls me and says, “I just made a pot of my vegetable soup if you want some,” and I always respond with an instant, “I’m on my way!”. 

I eat multiple bowls of this recipe and wind up coming home with a container of the warm soup to eat the next day as well. 

The soup’s ingredients and instructions may seem simple, but it hits the spot. Mama’s vegetable soup pro tip: scoop and eat with tortilla chips. Trust me on this one. 

Ingredients:

• Ground turkey or beef (we always use ground turkey).
• Frozen mixed vegetables or 1 large can of Veg-Al. 
• 1 can of white corn.
• 1 can of Italian green beans.
• 1 can of black beans.
• 1 can of Italian diced tomatoes.
• 1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes.
• Ketchup.
• Italian seasoning or oregano and parsley.
• Water.

Instructions:

• Brown in a pan on the stove whichever meat you chose to use and drain.
• Place the meat in a large pot and add all the other ingredients (wash vegetables out of the can thoroughly before adding).
• After all of the ingredients are in the pot, add water to your desired liquid consistency (less water for thickening soup or more water for a more liquid soup).
• After adding water, squeeze half of a bottle of ketchup into the soup for sweetness and add spices.
• Bring the soup to boiling, then turn the stove off and cover the soup for your desired amount of time (Mama believes the soup is actually better the second day after sitting in the spices overnight).

Trust your instincts on the measurements and go with what feels right. A taste test along the way will let you tailor the soup to you and your family’s personal preferences. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as me and my mama do.