“Mangiare per vivere e non vivere per mangiare.” (Eat to live, don’t live to eat.) 

A fine day to hit the farm stand and what a great haul today, many ingredients for the quick soup with little effort, some chopping and slicing, but nothing that takes, but a few minutes. I used up a bit of shallot, onion, and fresh herbs from the porch box, and then a nice container of marinara from the freezer for a fresh veggie soup to have along with a fresh loaf of rustic bread and/or a salad.

Many of our guest chefs at the cooking club site have pretty straightforward recipes for easy marinara sauces, follow the links below for Giada, and Nigella recipes, or use your favorite version. Feel free to add some cannellini beans or other beans and maybe a crispy crumble of pancetta.

Enjoy.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ white onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, roughly chopped
• 4-5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped I didn’t bother peeling the potatoes
• 5-6 ounces string beans, sipped ends and halved
• 3 tomatoes, I diced 1 medium heirloom and 3 Campari tomatoes
• ⅓ cup marinara sauce
• ¼ cup water and 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Italian herb stock
• Salt and pepper to taste… I love the AM salt seasoning
  Fresh chopped herbs, oregano, basil, and rosemary to taste
• Optional Parmigiano rind to drop into the soup, remove before serving
  Garnish with additional fresh herbs and grated parm or Romano cheese.

1. Combine all ingredients in a soup pot over medium heat. Simmer for 15 or so minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and the tomatoes have cooked down.
   *Add more water, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.
   
   https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/marinara-sauce-recipe-2103577
   
   https://www.nigella.com/recipes/members/anlis-easy-and-slightly-decadent-tomato-sauce-for-pasta