i'd like to make a kind of soup that is free, but like a tomato sauce based soup like you could get from progresso or something.

i'm thinking of throwing zucchini, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, and maybe other veggies into a pot with boiling water and adding a can of tomato sauce and... some chicken buillon for flavor. don't know how that will taste...

any recipe ideas for a tomato-y rich soup?

thanks!

I wouldn't add tomato sauce or paste. Instead I'd use canned tomatoes, the kind that comes in tomato puree, or even take the canned tomatoes and puree them in the blender before adding.

Also, make sure you don't add too much water. What I normally do is sautee some chopped red onion in olive oil spray just a few minutes to give them some depth, add whatever veggies I have on hand, a can of tomatoes, water to bring the level up to cover the veggies, and a vegan boullion cube, salt-free (the regular boullion cubes are just salt and artificial flavor). Add some herbs to your liking (basil works really well), pepper, red pepper flakes for a little kick... and voila!

HTH

I like chunks of tomato in my veggie soup so I drain the can of crushed tomatoes into a bowl and use the liquid and some of the tomatoes while making the soup and reserve some to add a little before serving.

Other tricks:
1) adding just one mashed anchovy instead of salt will add a tremendous boot to the flavor but you won't be able to taste any "fishiness".
2) buy cans of crushed tomatoes that already have some flavor. I have cans of tomatoes that are fire roasted, packed with basil or packed with green chilies. I make a sort of Mexican tortilla soup withe the ones packed with chilies.

Great tips everyone! The only thing I can add is that I sometimes use low sodium V8 as the base for my soup but listening to all of you I"m going to try the tomotoes next time. I also add spicy Mrs Dash seasoning.

I haven't bought the low sodium V 8 juice yet, but I have made a yummy vegetable soup, include cabbage, with the regular V 8 and it was delicious. i don't like the juice cold but hot, it's really good.

I use the Tuscan Soup recipe on the JC website recipes. It's a great recipe that you can sort of play with. Unless you add the parmesan cheese it's completely FREE! I can't handle eating raw veggies (unfortunately) so this is a wonderful alternative for me.

I make a totally free veggie soup. I start with fresh zucchini (green & yellow) and slice up into small pieces along with onion and/or green & red peppers. After cooking for a few minutes I add chopped garlic, a large can of stewed tomatoes, can of green beans, can of carrots (you can use fresh veggies) and your choice of beef or chicken broth. I also use a quart of tomato juice in place of the broth and add 12 oz. can of tomato paste, it makes for a thick base. I then add 1 heaping tablespoon of each oregano and basil and cook. It makes a huge pan and lasts me at least a week! If I get the munchies, I heat up a bowl of soup.

that's a really good recipe - I do the same as well......... sometimes I chop up cabbage and add that too? and you can vary your spices for a change. I often add a bit of Chili Sauce to give it a bit of a kick.....