I can’t complain about our weather because it is 40 degrees in January in the Midwest. But the rain and fog this weekend made me want some cozy soup. I just made a run to the produce store, so I had plenty of vegetables to choose from. I also just got a new dutch oven for Christmas that I was dying to use. The leftovers are going to be perfect in my lunch this week. Here is what I created!
Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups chopped baby spinach
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 14 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 box of chicken or vegetable stock
1-2 cups of dry mini pasta shells or any small pasta
2 cups of hot water
2 inch piece of parmesan or asiago cheese rind, optional
Start with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot. Let it heat up then add in your onion, celery, and carrots. Cook those vegetables for 5 minutes until they are slightly soft. Add in the chopped fresh spinach and cook for another minute or so.
Dump in the can of fire roasted tomatoes with the juice. If you don’t have or can’t find fire roasted tomatoes, plain diced tomatoes are perfect too. The fire roasted tomatoes just add extra flavor.
Add your stock and water. Mix everything together and continue cooking for 30 minutes on medium low heat. I added in a piece of asiago cheese rind while the soup simmered. That adds a lot of extra flavor but is totally optional. You may need to add less salt if you have the cheese in there.
After everything is cooked through, add in the pasta shells, cover and turn the heat off. Let everything sit on the stove covered for another 20 minutes or so. The pasta will cook in the hot water. Taste for seasonings.
Striving for Imperfection 