Vegetable Soup with Wild Rice

Tis the season for soup as we transition from warm weather to chilly evenings. 

Vegetable Soup with Wild Rice is a healthy meal that uses garden produce with many possibilities. You can incorporate a variety of veggies depending on what you have on hand. This vegetarian soup is made with vegetable broth but using sausage and chicken broth can give the soup some new flavor possibilities. This delicious soup serves 6 and was adapted from cuisineathome.com I made the soup the day before serving it for the flavors to meld. I used cooked Italian sausage and chicken broth. 

Cooking Tips: 

• Make the soup a day ahead for flavors to meld.
• Cook sausage and wild rice a day ahead for easier prep.
• 1 cup of uncooked wild rice = to 3 cups cooked wild rice

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 2 cups of cooked Italian sausage, crumbled 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup each of diced onions, carrots, celery, mini red/yellow peppers, Yukon potato, green beans halved
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
•  1 teaspoon each of parsley flakes and oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes (basil and garlic) 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
• Optional shredded Parmesan cheese

  Directions:

• Heat oil in a pot and sauté onions. carrots, celery, peppers for 3 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté 2 minutes more. Cover and sweat veggies on low for 5 minutes more. Add in garlic and seasonings and sauté for 2 minutes longer. 
• Stir in broth, green beans, sugar, bay leaf, stewed tomatoes, and potato. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for 45 minutes until the potato is fork-tender.