Some of these tips were passed on to me by my mom and I'm sure some of you expert cooks out there know them but for those who want to kick up their soup a notch, try these things:
1. Even if you start with canned chicken or veggie or beef broth, add soup bones and/or oxtails ( I prefer oxtails) You won't believe the intensity of flavor you'll get by doing that. A deeper, richer broth.

2. Gently saute carrots, chopped onions and potatoes, may even want to lightly brown them. That adds an extra depth of flavor.

3. Now add the veggies to the soup and add fresh and canned veggies of choice, from kidney beans (rinse first) to green beans, tomtatotes (I like the kind that have italian seasonings in them and chopped celery. Remove oxtails after soup has simmered gently for awhile. Add oregano and basil or seasoning of choice.


Sometimes I cook noodles on the side and add them to each serving so they don't get soggy, sitting in the soup.