Hearty Vegetable Soup

From the October 2007 issue of Good Housekeeping.

1/2 lb. carrots, sliced
2 C. onions, chopped (from about 1-1/2 medium onions)
2 lg. stalks celery, sliced
1 lg. clove garlic, crushed with press
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes in juice
3 C. sliced green cabbage (from about 1/4 small head cabbage)
6 oz. green beans, trimmed and each cut into thirds
3 C. chicken or vegetable broth
3 C. water
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
12 oz. zucchini, sliced into half-moons (from about 1-1/2 medium zucchini)
1 6-oz. bag baby spinach leaves

1. Coat 6-quart stockpot (or 1 large saucepan) with nonstick cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, add carrots, onions, celery, and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables soften, stirring occasionally.

2. Add tomatoes with their liquid, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Add cabbage, green beans, broth, water, salt, and pepper; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high; stir in zucchini and spinach and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Yields 14 cups. Each cup: About 45 calories, 2 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g total fat (0 g unsaturated0, 4 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 410 mg sodium.

Notes: I used the pre-packaged cabbage for coleslaw instead of buying a head of cabbage. Frozen vegetables can be substituted for fresh vegetables. Freeze the portion of the soup you don't want to use. This is a basic soup. I haven't tried them, but variations can be found on the Good Housekeeping website.