One dish my grandma fixes every so often is vegetable soup. It’s so plain and simple that it hits the spot. Usually mine ends up too hearty with an abundance of large vegetables, pasta, beans, and doesn’t resemble soup, but a watery vegetable mix. My grandma reminded me of how I like my soup, with lots of broth and small bits of vegetables.

So I set out to replicate what my grandma does. Making homemade soup is just how it is. I can’t even remember the last time I purchased soup in a can. It makes grocery shopping even more simple. It’s just no good and too salty. Once you’ve had the homemade stuff, you can’t go back. It’s also more economical, healthier, just as fast, and just plain good!

My recipe is quick to make and can be done in about 20 minutes. It’s also takes just a few ingredients that you can easily keep stocked. I estimate it also costs about $5 to make, if that.

If you don’t have barley, you can omit it, or add pasta. Just add the pasta in for the amount of time it needs to cook before shutting off the heat. I like to store the soup in quart sized mason jars which is 2 servings for me. If you add the soup and top it while it’s still hot, it will slightly seal the lid, which will keep it fresher.

My favorite bouillon is the Edward & Songs, found at my local Coop. You can buy the broth already made, but it’s cheaper for the cubes. I don’t recommend the ‘Better than Buillon’. I just don’t like its taste. You can only use vegetable broth in vegetable soup! Any other makes it chicken, beef, or fish soup! I also like using the Muir Glen Fire Roasted crushed (or diced) tomatoes.