Meatless Vegetable Soup

Recipe No. 524 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Soups. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Celery, diced — 3 pounds (3 No. 56 dippers)
• Onions, diced — 1½ pounds (1½ No. 56 dippers)
• Turnips, diced — 3 pounds (2½ No. 56 dippers)
• Carrots, diced — 3 pounds (2½ No. 56 dippers)
• Fat, bacon, melted — 1½ pounds (¾ No. 56 dipper)
• Water, boiling — 4½ gallons (18 No. 56 dippers)
• Potatoes, diced — 6 pounds (4 No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — 4 ounces (8 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — as needed
• Paprika — as needed
• Tomatoes — 13 pounds
• Parsley, chopped — 10 ounces (1 mess kit cup)

Directions

Key ingredients

Bacon Grease

1. Fry celery, onions, turnips and carrots in melted bacon fat about 15 minutes.
2. Add boiling water, potatoes, salt, pepper, paprika and tomatoes; mix well.
3. Cover and heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour.
4. Add parsley just before serving.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Celery, diced — 3¾ oz Onions, diced — 2 oz Turnips, diced — 3¾ oz Carrots, diced — 3¾ oz Fat, bacon, melted — 2 oz Water, boiling — 1½ qt Potatoes, diced — 7⅔ oz Salt — about 2 tsp Pepper — to taste Paprika — to taste Tomatoes — 1 lb ⅔ oz Parsley, chopped — ¾ oz

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 524, Soups. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.