How to Make Easy Vegetable Soup Your Kids Will Eat

Pick veggies your kids like

Getting kids to eat vegetables can be tricky. When kids make their own meals, they sometimes eat what they otherwise wouldn't. This soup, made with the help of kids, includes V-8 juice as a base. You can use another base of your choice.

Things You'll Need

• 1 46 oz can/jarV-8 vegetable juice, or a store brand you like.
• 2 qts. water
• 1/2 lb carrots, sliced
• 2 cups of potatoes, cut as you like
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups of any other vegetable,
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 16 oz can spicy chili beans, drained, rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped white, red, or green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• Mueller's elbow macaroni
• (optional)

Instructions

1. To make a vegetable soup your kids will eat, start by washing and preparing all vegetables. Children may be able to help with this, and with some peeling or slicing.

2. Place the water to boil in a 6 qt pot. When water boils, add all ingredients, except vegetable juice. Turn pot to simmer. Mixture will be thick. More water can be added 1 cup at a time if you feel this is too thick for your taste. You can use a crock pot if you are not in a hurry.

3. 

   Once everything is fork tender, we add V-8 juice, and turn to a low setting. Allow to cook for 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes to be sure everything is cooking correctly.

4. When making vegetable soup, if kids are helping you with this project: I gave each of the three children helping me a private taste test, so they could suggest what more was needed. Other children could not hear their comment. Each one had an idea of something needed, from salt, to pepper, to garlic. This may have helped the kids 'own' the recipe, and be more willing to eat the soup. All of the kids liked the V-8 taste.

5. 

   Cook the Mueller's elbow macaroni, or whatever brand you are using, according to directions. The macaroni is especially important if you have kids who like pasta better than they do their vegetables. We cook the elbow macaroni separately, and add the elbows to individual dishes rather than to the entire pot of soup.

6. 

   Grilled Cheese sandwiches made with Velveeta cheese are usually requested when we make vegetable soup with V-8. Any cheese, or cheese substitute, such as soy, will also work.

Tips & Warnings

• When we have vegetable soup made with V-8 juice, grilled cheese sandwiches made with Velveeta cheese seem to be the next request.

• We use Mueller's elbows. A substitute can be used if you don't have Mueller's elbows on hand.

• If you are not in a hurry, a crock pot may be used.

• Hot soup is just that-HOT! Please use caution when serving.

Resources

• See foods that go with your soup
• Find soup ideas
• Find lunch or supper ideas
• How to Make Quick Macaroni, cheese, and tomato dish.