Sumiko's Meatless Comfort Soup

A few weeks ago I posted about Auntie Laurel’s comfort soup.  While I really like it, I’ve developed my own version.  One way I try to save money on food is by making meatless meals so I omitted the Italian sausage.  I also added brown rice to complement the garbanzos for a complete protein and to boost the fiber.

This recipe makes a lot of soup but can be easily cut in half if you don’t want such a large batch.  I tried freezing it once, not expecting it to work.  Surprisingly, it did!  The zucchini ended up a little on the mushy side, but not too bad.

Sumiko’s Comfort Soup

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

6 c. water

3 Tbsp. beef bouillon

1 tsp. dried basil

3 c. cooked brown rice

28 oz. diced tomatoes

1 qt. garbanzo beans, drained

3 zucchini

1-2 tsp. salt

Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in 5-qt. stock pot; sauté onion and garlic over medium-high heat until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add remaining ingredients and increase heat to high.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 5-6 minutes.

Serve with Parmesan cheese.  Yield:  about 4 quarts.

If you don’t have leftover cooked rice and don’t want to make any just for this soup, you can start with uncooked rice.  Increase water to 8 cups.  After sautéing onion and garlic, add water, bouillon, basil, and 1 c. dry brown rice.  Simmer until rice is almost done, about 35-40 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and continue as above.