Recipe Thursday: "Whatever Vegetable Soup"

Good Morning Everyone!

I wasn't sure what to call this week's recipe, so I just decided to call it exactly what it is: "Whatever Vegetable Soup" because you use whatever vegetables you have in your refrigerator along with the meats in the recipe and it makes this big ol pot of steamy comfort, perfect for a chilly evening.

Ingredients (feel free to substitute "whatever" wherever you want!)

1 small or 1/2 large onion chopped
1 - 2 cups chicken cut up (I had an extra breast leftover in the fridge and used that)
5 slices bacon
1 or 2 carrots chopped.
2 stalks celery chopped
1/2 bell pepper (red, yellow, green...whatever)chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained.
1 can Cannellini beans or other small white beans (undrained)
1/4 cup wine (white or red)
1 can diced tomatoes or 1/2-3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
3-4 cups Chicken Stock.
1 Bay leaf
Fresh Parsley
Paprika, Cumin, salt and pepper
Handful of Feta Cheese

Directions:

In deep pot, cook the bacon until it has rendered some fat. Add the chicken and season with S/P, along with some Paprika and Cumin. Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes, then add all the vegetables and the bay leaf. (Note: It is best to add the potatoes and carrots first and let them cook for 3-5 minutes before adding the other vegetables, because they will take the longest to cook) Cook the vegetables until tender about 8 minutes,and then deglaze the bottom of the pot with the wine, making sure to scrap up all the good brown bits on the bottom. Add the beans, the tomatoes and the Chicken Stock and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, then add the Spinach and more seasonings if necessary. Make sure the potatoes are nice and tender before serving and take out the bay leaf. Just before serving, add the parsley and the Feta cheese and let it melt in the soup for a few minutes.

This soup is great leftover as well, so go ahead and make a big pot and enjoy!