Paleo-Friendly Meals: Veggie Detox Soup

Summer is coming to an end and in a strike of irony, I feel the need to start cutting back my cheating in anticipation of autumn’s approach. While most people are going crazy to maintain their summer beach bodies and eating less, my summer is defined by cheat days down at the boardwalk indulging in all that is fried and covered in cheese.
Once Labor Day comes, the boardwalks close and I am more or less back to my regularly scheduled diet. If you’re like me and have indulged in one too many slices of pizza (gasp, is there really such a thing?) or ice cream cones with sprinkles (again, there is never too much ice cream), then you’re ready to hit the restart button. Without further ado, I give you veggie detox soup!

Ingredients!: Onion, scallions, leek, garlic, green peppers, carrots (if fully Paleo, omit), celery, mushrooms, cabbage, diced tomatoes (canned or fresh), olive oil, black pepper, herbs of choice, and vegetable broth. As you can see in the foreground of my picture, I also added some hot sausage. Why? Because it was in my freezer and I was tired of looking at it. The second thing you’ll notice is that – holy mother of God that’s a lot of veggies. Yes ma’am. I suggest buying your veggies from the farmer’s market to save some $$. Believe it or not, my produce bill at the farmer’s market is typically less than half of my bill from a regular grocery store. Also, this makes a serious amount of soup. SERIOUS. I made it 10 days ago and I still have about 3 servings left. Step one: CHOP CHOP CHOP. You may not realize it, but chopping takes forever. I found it easiest to separate my chopping into steps based on what goes into the pot with what. Bowl #1 – onions, scallions, leek, and garlic. Bowl #2 – Sausage. You can use your meat of choice, if you choose to use it at all. Bowl #3: Peppers, carrots (if using), celery, mushrooms, and cabbage. As you see, I have 4 bowls. You can have 3 bowls if you like. Just make sure they are bigger than mine!
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. I cannot stress the pot size enough. Make sure the pot is HUGE or you will be in trouble! Saute until soft. Add in your meat of choice, if using any, and saute for about 5 minutes. We are looking to cook the meat just a bit because it will cook through once we add the broth. I wanted the sausage to be more of an accent to the veggies so I cooked it until it was crumbly and well mixed with the veggies. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Look how healthy we are! Cooking all of these veggies! Go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it. Add vegetable broth. Add tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil then cover the pot, turn to low, and simmer for at least 2 hours. I love this because it makes for a perfect lunch! And it makes so much that you won’t have to cook for a week! Yes, I did eventually get sick of eating it, but it tastes good and is good for you!

A note on spices: I give you permission to make this recipe your own and add the spices that you like. BUT, I know sometimes we have lazy days and don’t want to be creative. Here are the spices I used: basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. These are typically used in minestrone soup, so it gives my soup a more minestrone-y taste. You’re welcome.

Thank you for stopping by and have a beautiful Wednesday! Aloha!