Lauren Lately: Anything but the Kitchen Sink Soup

With winters tentacles firmly rooted, I've been craving and making lots of "cozy" soup dinners.  Warm, thrown together without precision, better served with a hunk of bread... that's Lauren Lately!

Anything but the Kitchen Sink Soup
Ingredients

• 2+ types of veggies, chopped into bite size pieces (Yesterday I used 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 cup of frozen CSA Swiss Chard. Small potatoes and turnips work well too)
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• Protein of choice and/or a can of beans
• Olive Oil
• Stock
• Herbs
• Optional: Parmesan cheese

Directions 

• Saute your onion, and any hardy vegetables in olive oil over medium heat for 4 minutes
• If you are using it, add in the protein (2 crumbled sausages, 1 cup ground turkey, a handful of chicken pieces...) and stirring often continue cooking until warmed or cooked through
• Cover the mixture with stock until everything is just submerged, then add another inch of stock on top
• Add in any beans (kidney, garbanzo, black bean) or leafy vegetables (kale, swiss chard, radish leaves) and a couple sprinkles of herbs (dried or fresh rosemary, thyme, basil)
• Cook over medium low heat for about 20 minutes, checking frequently until your sturdiest vegetable is cooked through
• Optional: add in 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese to thicken the broth
• Enjoy with bread or crackers