In my Winter Veggie soup I use broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, BARLEY, (Barley adds wonderful flavor), carrots, lots of celery, tomatoe sauce, onions, V8 juice, raw hamburger that is 15% fat or less as you get lots of flavor from the fat in the meat when you add it to the soup raw but you don't want alot of the fat If there is (what I think) TOO much fat, I put the pot of soup in the refrig or in the freezer and let the fat solidify then just lift it off. For seasoning, I use what other's have suggested...Italian Seasoning, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, just a dash or two of cinnamon, NO BASIL for me as I think it sweetens the tomatoes too much for our taste. My grandkids think I make the best veggy soup ever! They melt my heart! Good luck with your soup!