Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe and Menu
Tips:
If you don’t have time to make cornbread or are out of crackers when serving soup, serve it with some of your favorite seasoned croutons.
It is so easy to make your own croutons. You can use any old, dried bread you want but tougher breads like French bread work best. This is a good way to use things like leftover hamburger buns, bagels or dinner rolls.
All croutons store well an airtight containers for a couple of weeks.
Simple Croutons
None of these measurements need to be exact.
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups bread cubes
Garlic powder
Sprinkle garlic powder in butter to taste. Toss with bread cubes and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until brown.
Variations:
- Check out our Dining on a Dime Cookbook for Italian croutons with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Find it on page 161.
- Toss bread with melted butter. Then sprinkle with Ranch Dressing mix.
- You can use olive oil but it doesn’t have quite the flavor of butter.
- Spread bread with softened butter first. Then cut into cubes and toss with other ingredients.
- Make the croutons into bread crumbs. Peel and slice potatoes in half. Roll in butter, crumbs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour until tender.
Cinnamon Croutons
Toss with butter, then cinnamon and sugar mix. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Stir. Bake 10 more minutes.
These are so good when served with fruit salads, sliced fruit or puddings or crumbled up and sprinkle on top of yogurt, ice cream or applesauce. They’re also delicious on Butternut Squash soup.
Menu:
Apple Barn Soup*
Homemade Croutons or
Garlic Toast*
Banana Cake*
Some of our readers are really good cooks so we try to post some of their delicious recipes every once in a while! This first one, Apple Barn Soup is an easy vegetable soup recipe that’s sure to please! Enjoy!
From: Sarah D.
You were looking for an easy vegetable soup recipe – The easiest way I get my family to enjoy vegetables is with soup.
Apple Barn Soup
2 packages of frozen mixed vegetables
1 package of frozen southern style hash browns (or peeled and chopped potatoes)
Any leftover meat you may have*
1 large bottle of V-8 type juice, hot and spicy
1 pkg. onion soup mix, optional for more flavor
*(I usually leave the meat out and we have a vegetarian soup night.)
I put this in the crock pot first thing in the morning on low and let it cook all day.
The kids love this easy vegetable soup recipe and it is cheap!! I can get all of the ingredients at the dollar store in our town. If you can’t find the hot and spicy V-8 juice, just add Tabasco or hot sauce to taste. Hope this helps!!! I serve this with crackers if I am really tired, or a pan of cornbread if I feel like making it. My family doesn’t even realize they are eating a meatless meal when I fix it. They call it “Apple Barn Soup.” because it reminds them of a vegetable soup served at the Apple Barn restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Note from Jill: This soup would be yummy with a little mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top, too. This recipe is a good one to use those handfuls of leftover veggies you have been keeping in the freezer.
Garlic Toast
Bread
Butter or Margarine, softened
Garlic powder
Parmesan cheese
Spread bread with butter. Sprinkle with garlic powder and cheese. Broil until golden.
Here’s another good recipe from the Dining on a Dime Cookbook. (Page 228)
Banana Cake
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup ripe bananas, (2-3 medium bananas), mashed
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add bananas and vanilla. Combine flour, soda, salt and add to cream mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Stir in nuts. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Frost with vanilla or caramel frosting.
Caramel Frosting
(From Dining on a Dime, page 242)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar
Melt margarine over medium heat in a 2 quart saucepan. Add brown sugar and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and boil 2 minutes longer, still stirring. Add milk and heat to boiling. Remove from heat and cool. Slowly stir in powdered sugar. Place saucepan of frosting into bowl of very cold water and beat until smooth. If too stiff, add one teaspoon of milk at a time until smooth. Frosts one 9×13 cake.
photo by: sharontroy
this sounds soooo yummy!… i was looking for new frugal recipes… and yes, this pot of soup/stew will be added to our menu…
just to let you all know, i was at the check out line in walmart the other day and they had 2 cookbooks there…. these are the little cookbooks that are usually at the checkouts…
one is: budget meals for hamburger meat and the other is budget meals for chicken…
both had some really awesome recipes in there…
i normally use a bit of v08 juice (its usually the walmart brand i use that is the same as v8 juice) in all of my soups/stews…
we love the tomatoey taste in there and plus the extra vegi’s helps add to our diets…
thanks for sharing the recipe with all of us…
rose :D
Rose instead of buying the cook books find the web site that is usually on them.
The recipes are on line so less clutter and less money spent.
Or just write out the recipes names and type them into a search engine.
99% of recipes from books can be found on line.
learning my lesson as I get rid of over 100 recipe books.
I am thinking of getting dining on a dime book but even that will be on the computer.
thats me! .. hehehee :D .. and yes i have made versions of this soup this past yr and i must say it is good! ..
jill, we sprinkle a bit of grated cheeze on this too .. adds a nice taste to the soup ..
enjoy ..
:D
I make a simular soup with: Tomatoes (canned)
Mixed veggies (canned)
1 large potato
1 small onion
1 can kidney beans
Stir all together in sauce pan, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or so. Sprinkle with basil and serve. Cheap and very good.
The apple barn soup sounds very good, but when you add onion soup mix, you are adding MSG and that causes me to have high blood pressure in the worst way.
Thanks
If you have problems with MSG just use a homemade onion soup mix.
That soup sounds great. Will make it for sure. The Banana cake sounds good too.
At your mentioning the banana cake it reminded me of one time I had some blueberry cream cheese I used on bagels. I ran out of bagels so I tried some of the cream cheese on my banana bread and that was sooo good. Just a thought.
I love cream cheese on banana bread! I will have to try the blueberry cream cheese on it. Maybe strawberry would be good too. I love the strawberry banana smoothies I use to get at the Fine Arts Fair I went to years ago when I lived in a different town. Jill you are making me hungry and with the beautiful Spring-like weather we are having today I’m getting Spring fever. Ha Ha. It’s so warm you hardly need a coat. It’s about 64 degrees which looks funny with all the snow still around.
We have been having the same kind of weather here too. I was out hanging clothes without even a sweater but was standing on about 6 inches of hard packed snow while I was doing it. It really did seem strange.
For about 3 weeks I have been pretty much snowed in and with the cold was having the urge to bake cinnamon rolls or something but my oven died on me. I have been trying to get it fixed and finally the day I did the temperature was 75. Oh well I know winter isn’t over yet so will still have time to bake yet. :) :)
This looks so good! Tawra, do you have any suggestions for me. I’m wanting to go on a SouthBeach type of weight loss plan. Any good recipes? Thanks so much.
Jill, I did exactly the same thing. I put my clothes on the line because it was so warm while standing on snow in my flip-flops on my feet. Real weird. Today which is Saturday is COLD again. BRRR! It’s about 40 degrees lower in temp and the wind is biting. Yuck!
Bea do you mind me asking what area of the country you live in because it is getting colder here today too.
I just saw your video on how to fold a fitted sheet! Halleluia! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve always struggled to fold the sheet neatly but end up with a mess, but not anymore! I love it!
Finally got our computer repaired… saw this soup recipe. It looks really yummy; however, I need some clarification on the amounts. You list packages of vegetables and hash browns… what size are these packages? Most packages of veggies around here are 750 grams or 1 KG. I have a feeling it might not be those sizes. :o) Any guess as to approximately how many cups of veggies and potatoes? Looking forward to trying this one nest time V8 is on sale. :o)
AJ what I would do is just pour the V8 into the pan then start adding the veggies and potatoes. You can add as little or as much as you want. You could add 1/2 cup to 4 cups. It depends on how much V8 juice you use too and how thick or thin you want the soup.
Probably I would plan on 1-2 cups of veggies and the same amount of potatoes. If you prefer more veggies and less potatoes you can adjust it. Since the veggies and potatoes are frozen if you have some left over just put them back in the freezer to use at another time.
That is why we didn’t give any real measurements it is pretty much just using what you have on hand or prefer. There is no right or wrong.
Jill, I live in a Mid-Atlantic state. The northeastern part of the Country. A few days ago they said the cold weather was over a lot of the Country. Many states. We just got a foot of snow yesterday after all the snow melting last week. Oh well. That happens this time of year.
So true Bea. I am sitting bundled up today and a few days ago was in short sleeves. I love having a couple of warm days in the winter. It is like God’s way of saying don’t give up and hang in there Spring is on it’s way and it will always come. :)
Oh,I forgot to tell you I made this soup over the weekend and it’s really good. I also made the banana bread from your cookbook and had it with strawberry cream cheese. Couldn’t find blueberry.
We have snow again in Kansas City today-expecting three to five inches. Boy, my daffodils are completely confused. They are up about four inches-poor babies.
Jill, Here is a unique recipe I found that I want to share. It’s called “Tomato-Bean Chowder.”
1 (1lb) can pork and beans
1 (10-1/2 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
1-1/2 c water
1/2 c chopped onions
1/2 c chopped celery
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp pepper
1 c (1/4 lb) salami, cut in strips
Combine ingredients and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings
Jill, This recipe uses tomato soup so I thought I would share it with you.
Tomato Soup Dressing
1 can tomato soup
1 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 clove of garlic
onions (optional)
Combine and mix all ingredients and pour into 1 quart jar. Refrigerate.
Bea I wonder if this is a little like Catalina dressing which I love.
Jill, It’s like a French Dressing which is like a Catalina Dressing. I never understood the differnce really. I Like both because I like tomato based recipes. Russian dressing is similiar too. I really don’t understand the differences???
I like the idea of your Apple Barn soup. Honestly, I was expected to find apples in the recipe. And I was like, wow, someone adds apples to their soup. This is the base for most of my soups, except I use fresh potatoes, onions, carrots. I use my homemade ketchup that I made from my garden tomatoes last summer. It is really cheap. And you can make different varieties soups with adding peas, or nooddles or shredded chease at the end of cooking to make it creamy. Soups is the cheapest food in my book, and the healthiest if you add fresh instead of canned. Here in California we have really good sales of fresh produce that it’s cheaper to buy fresh than canned, because the can includes lots of water that you pay for when you buy it.
They all sound good!! Thanks for your work to make dinners easy and inexpensive!! You have been my motivation to cook at home, and simplify my life, and these actions have really helped my family and made us much more financially secure!! You have both been a blessing to us!!
Thank you Shelley. I always appreciate it when our readers take the time to let us know they like our recipes and things. So glad you liked these.
That soup is so quick and easy- just right for a chilly Feb lunch. Thank you. People might want to know that “Grandma Entwhistle’s Genuine and Original Lancashire Sauce” is suitable for vegetarians, whereas Worcester contains anchovies.
Bea, Thanks for the dressing recipe. I always have these ingredients at my house so will make this tonight. I have some great greens from our farmers’ market and this will be a nice dressing for them.
I have made this soup a number of times, including tonight! It is SO easy and comforting. I vary the vegetables–sometimes I use frozen chopped peppers and onions, but tonight decided to go for carrots. The only thing I do differently from the recipe is add a (small) bag of frozen Italian style meatballs. This makes a hearty soup that is still cheap and seriously, NO EFFORT. I just let it boil away on the stove until all the ingredients are hot.