"This is a very good soup. It is decent as the recipe goes, but if you do three things on your own it will elevate it to amazing. 1) Pulse the veggies until they are almost pureed. This will give you a great base for the soup and allow it to thicken up very nicely on its own. 2) Dont automatically add all the stock. The last time I made this I only added 1 Quart and it was perfect. 3) Make sure you season it really well. Mainly adding some acid at the end, Like red wine vinegar. Also adding some hot sauce helps add a couple more dimensions and makes it a very complete soup. All in all, very tasty. Don't be afraid to experiment, recipes are only guidelines.