Easy Vegetable Soup

My stepmom makes a fantastic vegetable soup, but I couldn't get in touch with her today so I made up my own - yay! I am cooking it as I write this recipe, so I'm sure I will have adjustments later, but I wanted to get it down before I forgot the proportions.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 2 small or 1 large white sweet onion, chopped
• salt and pepper
  
• 2 14.5 oz cans of stewed tomatoes (I prefer Hunt's brand)
• 1 c frozen sliced carrots*
• 1 c frozen cut green beans
• 1 c frozen corn
  
• 1 c frozen crowder peas
  
• 1 14.5 oz can of mild/original RoTel (found near the canned tomatoes)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 c water
  

Note on ingredients: I didn't have celery to create a mirepoix to start, but I would do that if I make this again. To do so, chop 1 large stalk of celery, 1 large carrot (or perhaps some additional carrots from the frozen bag used above) and cook together with the olive oil like you do with the onion in the directions below.

1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil on medium-high and add the garlic. Cook for about a minute until you really start to smell it. Add the chopped onion, salt and pepper and cook until onion in transparent. (Here is where you would cook the mirepoix if you want to try it out.)
2. Add the stewed tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Let the soup get hot again (not boiling).
3. Add the frozen vegetables, RoTel and 2 more cups of water. Stir to combine.
   
4. Add the bay leaves, cover and let cook on medium (not boiling) for about 1 hour or until the tomato base of the soup turns into a deeper red, not bright red as it started. Add more salt and pepper to taste as it cooks.