Robin's Quick & Dirty Slop Soup 

When I was a little girl my gramma used to  

make wonderful tomato-based vegetable soups.  She made them so often that every time we walked into her house we were greeted by that same warm, delicious aroma.  Gramma was from the "old country".  When I asked her how to make her soup she would say, "Oh, a 'schissel' of this, a 'schissel' of that. I just use whatever I have. . ."  So I made it my business to figure out how to do that.  Gramma gave me permission to make it up as I go along, and I do.  But here's my basic formula for a delicious, warming veggie soup for a cold, gloomy day:

Take out your big pot.  Maybe saute some onions, if you have them on hand, with a little bit of olive oil.  Now add a whole jar of your favorite marinara sauce.  (I like Trader Joe's "No Salt Added" since we're being careful of sodium.)  Now fill the marinara jar with water and add that. Now add your veggies.  I like to put in a whole bag of mixed peas, corn, carrots and green beans.  What else do you have on hand?  Some chopped broccoli?  Some left-over black beans? Cauliflower?  Chopped Spinach?  Let the pot come almost to a boil and turn down the heat to simmer for at least 20-30 minutes.  Taste.  Season at will.  Serve with warm bread and butter. Feast for days!