Soup for a Crowd

It was a busy weekend, food-wise. With company arriving Saturday afternoon, a nice dinner for them that evening, more guests coming over for dessert that night, and a large crowd anticipated for lunch Sunday, I wanted to serve something on Sunday that I could prepare ahead of time and then get on the table right after church without much fuss. It needed to appeal to young and old and be delicious and filling.

Soup and sandwiches.

I know. Not terribly exciting, but that menu fit the bill and turned out to be a very good choice.

Kids happily reached for PB and J. A few non-Southerners wondered what the pimento cheese sandwiches were, tried them, and liked them. The chicken salad with grapes sandwiches disappeared. Tuna salad sandwiches were the least favorite. I will remember that next time and not make as many.

So many people commented on the soup. Three or four people said something like, "I wish I knew how to make soup."

Well, folks, it really, really, really is not that hard. This really, really is one of those "I just" recipes. Really.

So, if you need to prepare soup for a crowd, here's my standby. But I must warn you, none of the measurements are precise and the soup is never the same. It always seems to be good, though, and it does feed a crowd. Even with almost 30 people here for lunch yesterday, I have some left in my fridge and put two zip-loc bags full in the freezer. I love the fact that I have several meals worth of soup in the freezer!

Here goes...

Saute three or four large onions in a bit of olive oil the biggest pot you have. Add a couple of tablespoons or several cloves (5-6) of chopped garlic. Watch it carefully so the garlic doesn't burn.

Now the fun starts. Add an institutional size can of crushed tomatoes. Yes, the very large one. Mine said it was 6 lbs. 6 oz of crushed tomatoes. Dump that in and then refill the can with water and add to the pot. Now add whatever combination of veggies you want. You will need to add a bit more water at this point. Sorry, I can't tell you how much. Just make sure the veggies are covered. You don't want it thick like stew, but you don't want it too watery, either. As it cooks, of course, it will thicken a bit. You can always add more water if it seems too thick.

Anyway, about the veggies...remember, this is supposed to be easy so use frozen veggies. I used four bags of veggies - one of broccoli, two of mixed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots), one of corn, and one of peas.

I have a very huge soup pot and I do mean huge, folks. It has been called "the soup pot big enough to bathe a baby in." If you don't have soup pot this large, you will probably have to divide the soup and cook in a couple of pots. Or you could just make less.

Anyway, let this simmer along for an hour or so. I added a generous amount of 2-3 tablespoons of dried basil, a couple of teaspoons of dried thyme, and several tablespoons, maybe 4, of lemon pepper. Funny thing about this combination. One of our friends who is himself quite a gourmet cook, upon tasting the soup, asked me what gave it the floral aroma. I wasn't really sure but when I told him the spice combination, he said it must the be thyme and lemon pepper together. Serendipitous, that.

So, I guess I would say that this soup has a hearty vegetable flavor with light floral hints and a bit of a kick (from the pepper).

I did want to have some vegetarian soup and some with meat. So, I took about a pound and a half of stew beef, boiled it in about a quart of water and then added it to some of the soup.

To give you an idea of just how much soup this is, I ended up dividing it into three pots. One holds about 6 quarts, the other 8. The third pot was my large crock pot.

You may have to add more water, if you think the soup is too thick. Salt to taste.

This really is a bare bones outline of a recipe with few measurements, but take courage. You can do this.

I made it the day before and and, as I said, divided it into three pots. I had no space in my fridge so I put all three pots in the freezer. Sunday morning before church, I took them out of the freezer, broke up the icy parts around the edges and left them to thaw all the way during church. When I came home, I heated them, employing a gracious helper to stand and stir to make sure they didn't scorch. The crock pot of soup I set on low before I went to church.

We served up bowls of soup and set them on the counter. The table, pushed up next to the windows to make more room for people, was spread with plates of sandwiches. Everyone introduced themselves and then lined up for food. According to the tradition in our home, those who have never eaten with us and the eldest among us go first.

Generous folks brought cake, pies, and cookies for dessert which we ate later, and the coffee pot did double duty.

I do think it was a meal enjoyed by all. I loved serving it. I loved it that 30 people were eating, talking, laughing, enjoying old friends, meeting new ones in every room downstairs and spilling out to the porch and deck. I loved it that the food wasn't the point, but that in it's simplicity it said Welcome. Eat. Enjoy.