Vegetable Refrigerator Dump Soup

Many times I’ve gone to look in the fridge and am met with all of the veggies that I bought in the previous week, barely used and about to go past it’s prime time of eating. I hate wasting food so normally I’ll just throw them all on a baking sheet with some extra virgin olive oil and some seasonings and call it a day but this time I wanted to challenge myself to actually find a new way to use them that wasn’t too hard or time consuming and something that was fun to make. While thinking of dishes that I have made in the past that revolved around a ton of vegetables, I seemed to have most of the ingredients for them but was always missing some part of the recipe and frankly I was too lazy or didn’t have time to go to the store so had to find different options or substitues. This led me to thinking of minestrone soup which is basically just a vegetable and bean soup that is an Italian household staple, now I didn’t have everything for a traditional minestrone soup but I was able to use this as inspiration for what I made!

After that whole thought process I decided to make a loose version of a minestrone with whatever I had and what came from it was a yummy vegetable soup or as I called it to my family vegetable refrigerator dump soup! It was the perfect meal for the changing weather and was super easy to make! After all the prep work was done I just left it to simmer on the stove while I was able to get other things checked off my to-do list. Perfect for back to school time or days that seem to be overly busy! I also love making soups on Sundays because without even realizing it I have all of a sudden meal prepped for part of the week!

If you want to see how I made this soup then keep on reading below!!

Ingredients

1 clove of garlic minced

1 onion chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

4 large carrots chopped

1 cups of cauliflower florets

1 cups of broccoli florets

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can of black beans drained and rinsed

1 cup of green beans

1 cup of asparagus

2 boxes of vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to your tasting

Veggie Soup Instructions

1. First, grab a medium sized stock pot.

2. Next, add the EVOO, onions, carrots, green beans, asparagus, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. Let simmer on medium heat until the onions turn translucent. About 5 minutes

3. Then, add the minced garlic and let cook until just fragrant while stirring occasionally.

4. After the garlic is fragrant add the 2 boxes of vegetable stock.

5. Bring the soup to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes.

6. Once the 30 minutes is up add the cauliflower, broccoli, diced tomatoes, and black beans (these are added last because they cook faster than the rest of the ingredients and will help give some texture in the soup, if added in the beginning they would be very mushy).

7. Next, let simmer for another 10-15 minutes and then serve!

8. OPTIONAL: you can serve this with legumes, rice, or pasta it’s up to you!

Fall is my favorite season so I am so happy the weather is finally getting colder! This recipe is a hit for my family and pairs perfectly with a good movie!

I hope you are having a wonderful week so far and that the rest of the week goes by quickly!

As always happy cooking and enjoy some family bonding time, maybe have a fun family game night!

Love, Han ❤️

PS.

This post I recommend checking out the new Anthony Bourdain Documentary called Roadrunner, it is truly remarkable and if you love food or just exploring, this is perfect for you. Anthony was such an inspiration for me and still is to this day. He truly paved a way within the culinary world and changed the world for the better.