Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

I've never made vegetable soup before this past weekend.  I know that sounds crazy, but with my picky family there was no point to even try!  So when I was making chili for my boys I decided to try some vegetable soup for me and my vegetarian daughter-in-law.  We were both pretty happy with how it turned out, so here's my recipe:

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

1 can diced tomatoes in juice, 28 oz.

1 can green beans, 14.5 oz.

1 can garbanzo beans, 15.5 oz.

1 can cannellini beans, 15.5 oz.

1/2 a bag (12 oz.) frozen peas & carrots

2-3 cups frozen hasbrowns (chunks)

1/4 cup soy sauce, or to taste

2-3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, or to taste 

1 tsp salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste

1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp or to taste of each: celery salt, onion powder, garlic salt 

1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp or to taste creole seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's Original)

2-4 cups of water to desired consistency

Combine all of the above into a 4 or 5 quart Dutch oven or stock pot.  When I cook I don't measure, so the measurements above (except for the cans) are an approximation, especially the seasonings! For my soup, I drained the green beans but did not drain the other beans.  You can drain each of the beans and add more water or you can not drain any of them and add less water.  I mixed all of the ingredients in the pot the night before and put in the refrigerator until morning.  I simmered the soup, stirring occasionally, for about 4 hours starting on medium heat until warm and bubbly and then reducing to low heat.  You could also prepare it in a crockpot and let it cook on low all day.

Of coarse, you can remove, add or substitute any of the above vegetables or seasonings.  Have fun with it and taste it as you're adding seasonings - remember, sometimes a little can go a long way!