Scrappy Saturday: Pointless Soup

My mom's doing Weight Watchers, and once told me about their "No-Point Soup." I, of course, decided to call it "pointless" instead. It's delicious, lasts forever, is high in flavor and fiber, low in fat, and is so easy to make. It is also perfect for using up your scraps from the week.

For this soup, you'll need to have assorted veggies, including something leafy. You will also need a can of diced tomatoes and some herbs.

I started by heating about a tablespoon of olive oil in our largest pot along with a splash of white wine. While that was getting warm, I diced a Walla Walla onion and a few shallots. As I was finished cutting, I immediately put the veggies into the pot. For this soup, you don't need to have everything cut ahead of time (though you are certainly welcome to). I threw in a few cloves of minced garlic and gave it all a stir.

While it was getting soft (and smelling great), I turned my attention to the carrots we had lying around. I peeled and chopped them, and into the pot they went. I found half a head of green cabbage and put that in. By that time, everything was smelling nice, so I covered it with water and added a scoop of Better Than Bouillon. Under ideal circumstances, I'd use homemade stock, but I didn't have it on hand.

While that was bubbling away, I opened a 28-oz can of diced tomatoes and a 4 oz can of tomato paste, and into the pot they went. I also ran out into the garden and grabbed some fresh thyme, oregano, and marjoram, which I stripped off the stems, chopped, and put into the pot. I then sliced up a bunch of Italian kale and put that in, then turned down the heat and put the lid on.

I seasoned it with a bit of salt and black pepper, then a splash of balsamic vinaigrette.

Tips:
1. This keeps very well in the fridge and would also freeze well.

2. To make it largely fat-free, you can use stock to saute the aromatics. To make it richer, add a drizzle of olive oil (I like the basil kind) over each serving. You could also put on some cheese.

3. To make it heartier, add some cooked beans. You could also add pasta. Orzo is nice.