Simple Tomato Bean Soup

Well, this is embarrassing.

Embarrassingly easy, that is.  I wasn’t planning on putting this recipe up on the blog because I thought, the weather hasn’t necessarily been cold, so who would want to eat hot soup? And then I remembered that I live in California, and some of us might be freezing our butts off.  For those of us that don’t live in this heavenly state, this is for you. I don’t even know if this can be considered a recipe because it was basically just me throwing a bunch of stuff into a pot and crossing my fingers.  It’s a ridiculously simple tomato bean soup, that only takes about 30 minutes to throw together.

To begin the cold weather thawing process, you’ll need:

- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- 3-4 organic carrots, chopped

- 3 stalks organic celery, chopped

- 1 organic vidalia onion, chopped

- 1 32 oz. container organic vegetable (vegan) stock

- 1 can organic tomato sauce

- 1 can each of organic navy, kidney, and black beans

- a few shakes salt & pepper

- a nice pinch of cayenne pepper, for some heat (optional)

Are you ready for this? Suuuuuper, super easy (and the possibilities/additions are endless).

1. Start by letting the onions, carrots, and celery soften for a bit in the olive oil and s&p, over medium/low heat; about 15 minutes.

2. Add beans, stock, tomato sauce, and cayenne pepper; let simmer for another 15. I let mine continue to reduce for about 20-25, to thicken the consistency a bit.

3. Shake your head at how easy that just was, and enjoy.

This soup is vegan, but I’d imagine it would be lovely with a heaping spoonful of some nice grated parmigiano, and some crusty bread to dip.

Bon appétit!