Zuppe for Suppa'

I swear I don't hate the cold that much, I'm just not quite accustomed to it yet. So, while walking home from work late one evening, taking deep breaths of the brisk air and feeling the pinch in my cheeks, I decided it was a soup night. I didn't have a lot of ingredients, but I found this great and easy recipe from Rachael Ray and decided to simplify, cheapify, and put it to work.

The result: Magnifico! Let's just say I ate 2 servings for dinner, and 2 for lunch today (accompanied by every tomato soup's best friend - the grilled cheese sandwich).

This is adapted from Rachael's recipe.

SOUL WARMING GREEN BEAN MINESTRONE

THE GOODS

15 oz. can of tomatoes ($0.99)
1 onion, I used yellow ($0.50)
1 rib of celery ($0.25)
Box of chicken soup powder flavoring ($3.49)
Red pepper flakes ($2.99)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil (optional, but I got it for free from Mom's garden)
Cheese - parmesan would be good, but I didn't wanted to buy any so grated cheddar that I had lying around
Crusty bread or crackers for dipping

The Grand Total: $8.22, which you could do for much cheaper if you don't buy veggies from the little corner market, like I did in my desperation 

THE WAY

Chop the garlic, the onion, and the celery. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pot. Place it over medium heat. Add garlic and some crushed red pepper flakes (I did about 1 tsp), stir. Then stir in the onions, and celery. Cook 10 minutes, then add in the chicken stock (I used 2 tsp of the instant stock and 2 cups of hot water), tomatoes and green beans.

Bring soup up to a bubble and season with salt and pepper, to your taste. Simmer 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, tear the basil, and toss it into the soup. Ladle up the soup and serve with grated cheese and bread.