Mom’s Summer Vegetable Soup — The Recipe That Costs Almost Nothing and Feeds Everything

I've been thinking about sophomore year and I'm not sure I want to go back. There. I said it. The thing I've been circling for weeks but haven't written down because writing it down makes it real. I like college. I like Communication Theory and journalism and Professor Kim and Dana and the library table by the window. But I also look at my bank account — $1,200 in savings, minus fall tuition of $4,800 that I'll have to take out in loans because Dad's GI Bill is Megan's and my Subway-and-bookstore income doesn't cover tuition plus books plus parking plus the daily cost of existing. Loans. I'll graduate with $30,000 or $40,000 in student loans for a communications degree from a school that's not exactly Harvard. That's three years of debt for a career path that I haven't figured out yet. The journalism professor says I have talent. The bookstore manager says I have 'memoir energy.' But talent and energy don't pay off student loans. I haven't told anyone. Not Mom, not Dad, not Dana, not Keisha. I'm still going — the fall semester is paid for (loans are already processed) and I'm not a quitter. Abernathys don't quit. But I'm starting to feel the weight of it — the money, the commute, the sense that I'm going through the motions of something I chose because it was the next expected step, not because it was the right step. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe sophomore year will feel different. Maybe I'll fall in love with school again. Or maybe something else will happen. Mom made her summer vegetable soup this week — the one that uses whatever Dad's garden is producing, which right now is everything. Zucchini (it's back), yellow squash, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth. She lets it simmer until the vegetables are soft and the broth is rich with garden flavor. She serves it with grilled bread rubbed with garlic, which she calls 'poor man's bruschetta' and which is better than actual bruschetta. The soup is summer in a bowl. Light but satisfying. Made from free vegetables (thank you, Dad's garden) and pantry staples. It costs almost nothing and feeds the family for three days. This is what I know: how to feed people on nothing. How to turn garden vegetables into soup. How to make something from almost anything. Mom taught me that. The military taught her that. And maybe — MAYBE — that knowledge is worth more than a communications degree. But I'm going back in September. For now. We'll see. The soup is simmering. The garden is producing. And somewhere in the back of my mind, a decision is forming that I'm not ready to make yet.

So while I sit here trying to do the math on whether a degree is worth the debt, this soup is doing what it always does — feeding us without asking anything in return. Mom’s summer vegetable soup doesn’t require a plan or a five-year outlook. It just requires whatever Dad’s garden is growing and a pot big enough to hold it all. Here’s the recipe, for anyone else who needs something that makes sense right now.

Mom’s Summer Vegetable Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
• 2 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
• 3 large tomatoes, cored and chopped (or one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes)
• 2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• For the garlic bread: 4 slices crusty Italian bread, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove garlic halved

Instructions

1. Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
2. Add the potatoes and broth. Pour in the chicken broth and add the diced potatoes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are just starting to soften.
3. Add the remaining vegetables. Stir in the zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Return to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft and the broth has taken on a rich, garden flavor.
4. Taste and adjust. Remove the bay leaf. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed. The soup should be brothy but full of tender vegetables.
5. Make the garlic bread. While the soup simmers, brush bread slices with olive oil and grill or broil until golden and lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side. Immediately rub the cut side of a halved garlic clove across each warm slice.
6. Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the garlic-rubbed bread on the side. Stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 165 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 25g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 680mg