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    Home » Eating Style » Dairy-free

    Pops Vegetable Soup {Recipe}

    January 5, 2015 • Updated: June 28, 2021 • by Renée • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    When I was a little girl, my parents and I spent most Sunday evenings at my Poppy’s house. The four of us - Dad, Mom, Pop and I - would eat dinner and then settle in to watch Lawrence Welk and The Wonderful World of Disney together before Dad drove Mom and me home. On cold, dark winter nights, dinner was (more often than not) a piping bowl of Pop’s homemade vegetable soup, served with as many Saltines as I could eat.

    Pop's Vegetable Soup | The Good Hearted Woman

    Pop was my maternal grandfather and I was his only granddaughter, so we had a pretty special relationship. Anyway, back then I was not much of a vegetable lover (I still hate cooked peas), and until I was about four, I would not eat more than a few token bites of Pop’s soup, subsisting Sunday nights almost entirely on crackers and milk. But then Pop pulled a trick out of his sleeve – he started adding a can of Campbell’s Alphabet Soup to his soup just for me, and those mushy little pasta letters changed everything.

    I loved to hunt for the letters to spell my name, or the dog’s name, or anything really. I’d collect letters on my spoon, read them to everyone, and then gobble them up in one bite. Spell a word, eat a bite. Spell another word, eat another bite. In the process, I completely forgot to be picky about what surrounded them, and before I knew it, I was eating Pop’s soup like it was going out of style. To this day, I still include that silly little can of soup, and every overcooked letter on my spoon reminds me of my sweet Poppy.

    Pop's Vegetable Soup | The Good Hearted Woman

     

    There aren't many pictures in this post: there doesn't need to be. There really is only one real step: put everything in a pot and let it simmer. Like most soups, this is much better the day after, so plan for leftovers. And serve with Saltines.

    Pop's Vegetable Soup | The Good Hearted Woman

    Pop's Vegetable Soup

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Author: Renee

    Ingredients

    • 1 large Beef soup bone (optional)
    • 2 quarts water or 2 qts. vegetable stock if not using soup bone
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 Tbs salt
    • 3 stalks celery chopped
    • 4 medium carrots sliced
    • 1 medium turnip pared and chopped
    • 1 cup chopped cabbage
    • 1 cup corn
    • ½ cup peas
    • 1 large onion chopped
    • 4 medium potatoes peeled & cubed
    • 2 1- lb. cans cut tomatoes I use Petite Cut with Onions & Garlic
    • ⅓ cup pearl barley
    • 1 can Campbell's Alphabet Soup Optional
    • Season with salt pepper, basil, oregano and hot sauce as desired

    Instructions

    • Place soup bone in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Add bay leaves. Simmer 2 hours. Remove soup bone and give it to the dog! Let stock cool and skim fat. (For Vegetarian soup, and just use vegetable stock instead and skip ahead.)
    • Add all remaining ingredients except Campbell's Soup and simmer 2 more hours.* Adjust seasonings. Add Campbell's Soup if desired.

    Notes

    *You can also cook it in a slow cooker: Low for 8 hours, or High for 4 hours.
    This soup is really better the next day when the flavors have had a chance to blend. Other vegetables can be added and amounts adjusted to suit your taste.
    Freezes well.
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Pop's Vegetable Soup | The Good Hearted Woman

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    About Renée

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Paul Reed says

      July 11, 2017 at 7:19 am

      We made this soup last night! Yummy! It turned out great and it makes a great dinner. It will be the “go-to” soup recipe.

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        July 11, 2017 at 10:27 am

        Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm so glad you like it.

        Reply
    2. Doug says

      February 23, 2015 at 4:09 pm

      Thanks for sharing the story about your pops! What a great idea to add the alphabet soup to the mix to make it fun for kids (and maybe they won't realize that they are getting all the veggie goodness).

      Reply
    3. Bill Volckening says

      January 05, 2015 at 7:57 pm

      Love it. Must try!

      Reply
    4. Kayla Whittington says

      January 05, 2015 at 12:41 pm

      When I was little we had veggie soup - called it Stone Soup - and had it every Christmas Eve at my grandma's house with homemade fry bread!

      Reply
    5. Rachel says

      January 05, 2015 at 12:26 pm

      So tasty!!! Love a good soup in the winter time. Always adding to my list.

      Reply
    6. Pech says

      January 05, 2015 at 11:23 am

      What a clever trick on kids with the alphabet soup to get them to eat veggies (I was the same way picking around certain vegetables, for me it was beans in any soup) , and adorable shot with the soup name spelled out on alphabet noodles!

      Reply
    7. Lindsay says

      January 05, 2015 at 10:22 am

      I just love vegetable soup especially with alphabet pasta - there is just something so nostalgic about it.

      Reply
    8. kelsey says

      January 05, 2015 at 9:58 am

      oh yum! that looks awesome!
      http://www.ladiesinnavy.com

      Reply
    9. Melinda says

      January 05, 2015 at 9:50 am

      Mmm, that soup looks great...although I'd probably leave the alphabet soup (and peas!) out of it!

      Reply
    10. Nicole @ CoSchedule says

      January 05, 2015 at 9:24 am

      I love this post. Your pop sounds like he was a really amazing man. Its incredible how certain foods can have such strong memories and emotions attached to them!

      Reply
    11. Linda says

      January 05, 2015 at 8:46 am

      Looks like a hearty and healthy soup. Can't wait to try the alphabet soup trick to get my grandchildren to eat something healthy. Thanks.

      Reply
    12. Emma Lincoln (@emmalincolnblog) says

      January 05, 2015 at 8:38 am

      Looks amazing!

      Reply

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