Recipe Swap: Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup

For this week's recipe swap I got another recipe from Fried Ice and Donut Holes and submitted my recipe for Chinese Chicken Corn Soup though I'm not sure yet who received it.  Guess we'll see when the hostess with the mostess does her roundup at A Taste of Home Cooking :).

This one I knew I had to tone down for my hubby's sake.  He's dealt with acid reflux for his entire adult life and is even permanently on Prilosec for basically the rest of his life.  A recipe that is nearly all tomatoes would be torturous for him so I ended up taming it a bit and making mine into more of a soup instead of stew.  Also for his sake, I omitted the eggplant (which he won't eat solely because it has the word "egg" in it...he hates eggs that taste/look like eggs) and added a healthy serving of green beans instead.  Lastly, a handful of elbow macaroni to add some more heartiness to the meal.  The result was pretty good but still too overwhelmed by tomato for our tastes.

Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 (small-ish) Onion, chopped
• 1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 small Zucchini, cubed
• 1 medium Yellow Squash, cubed
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into squares
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into squares
• 1 cup green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half if desired
• 1 (28 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 (28 ounce) can Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 cups Chicken Broth (sub veggie to make this completely vegetarian)
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
• Basil (I used about 4 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons)
• 1/2 tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot, add oil and heat until shimmering.  Then add the garlic and onion and saute until onions are translucent.  Then vegetables and saute for several minutes more.
2. Empty both cans of tomatoes, broth, and wine into the pot.  Add the spices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30-45 minutes. 
3. While the soup is simmering, cook elbow macaroni per the package instructions.
4. Put a serving of macaroni into into bowls then ladle soup over top and garnish with parmesan cheese.

Source: Modified from Fried Ice and Donut Holes