Spring Storm Soup

March 29, 2013

 

 

Once upon a time, I used to blog about food. Can you even remember, because I’m having trouble recalling this bit of information.

No, I haven’t stopped cooking. However, I’ve been so flat-out excited and busy with The Judy Blume Project that I haven’t been cooking anything interesting.  This has to stop! Meat+starch+vegetable=Snoozefest. Somebody kick me in the moneymaker, because I need to get back to my food-loving self.

Soup is not interesting. It’s not, and I’m sorry, but it’s the only “new” thing I’ve made in several weeks so guess what? You be stuck with soup. Forgive me?

What I will say about this soup is that it’s dead easy, flavorful, and relatively good for you. It’s also quite restorative after shoveling bucketloads of heavy Spring snow because Pissy Mother Nature hasn’t gotten the memo that it’s Spring, dangit!  The snowstorm was why I made soup in the first place, because once warm weather hits, my soup kettle hibernates for a while.

So you have another month or so of drippy (hopefully not snowy), chilly weather to make this.  It’s a crowd pleaser. Keep the soup kettle out for just a bit longer, won’t you?

Snowstorm Soup

serves 4-6

1/2 pound chicken or turkey sausage (I used the spicy kind), casing removed

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup finely diced carrot

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups high-quality spaghetti sauce

1 2-inch piece of Parmigianno-Reggiano rind*

2 cups cooked small pasta, such as ditalini or macaroni

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

6 cups kale or swiss chard. tough stems removed and coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon each: dried thyme, basil and oregano

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

 

Spray the bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray and heat over medium-high flame. Crumble in the chicken/turkey sausage. As it starts to render, add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring often, about 7 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add the chicken stock, spaghetti sauce, parmesan rind, thyme/basil/oregano, and granulated garlic. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta and drain.

Remove the parmesan rind and add the white beans and swiss chard/kale. Cook for about 10 minutes or until greens are wilted.

Place about 1/3 cup cooked pasta in each soup bowl. Pour soup over. Serve with extra grated parmesan, if desired.

* Don’t throw out that hard rind at the end of a hunk of parm! Wrap it and keep it in your freezer. When you make soup, plop that rind in–it adds phenomenal flavor!

** I don’t recommend adding the pasta to the whole pot of soup–it gets mushy if you have leftovers. It’s better to store them separately and combine just before serving.

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Drumroll…

The Judy Blume Project now has a button! Thanks, Sarah Fite! Feel free to grab this cutie button and display it if you support the project! We’re so blown away by your support and enthusiasm. Don’t forget–deadline is extended until end of June, so get your write on! For the latest submission, from Lisa (a funny lady from the UK), visit her blog to hear how Forever changed her life!

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

Koreen March 29, 2013 at 6:40 am

Great idea about the pasta… it’s especially true for GF rice pasta. I’ll do that next time! This soup sounds amazing. I’m not one of those people who finds soup boring… it’s some of my favorite food because you can do anything with it. In fact, I had a delish lentil soup last night. Mmmmmmm!

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Arnebya March 29, 2013 at 7:47 am

I don’t do beans. Yes, really. But, OK. I’ll try this and just make it beanless. Because ew. Beans. No. You can’t make me.

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Lisa @ The Meaning of Me March 29, 2013 at 12:09 pm

I don’t know…looks like good soup to me! I love soup, so I’ll add this one to the list of ones to use. :)

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Dana March 31, 2013 at 8:37 pm

Soup is awesome to eat and fun to make! Thanks for the recipe!

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Daniela April 1, 2013 at 7:16 am

Soup is NOT boring. Take it back. Soup is yummy. Soup is easy. Soup is a slut. Cooktop soups go to heaven but slow cooker stews go EVERYWHERE.
Incoming: Shameless self plug! Check out my no-recipe, no baby-sitting, no effort soup making method here: http://shrinkunwrapped.squarespace.com/home/2013/2/24/wintertime-and-the-cooking-is-easy.html.
We still have snow on the ground here in upstate NY! Still soup weather. Yay!

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Jennifer April 5, 2013 at 12:54 pm

That’s a great tip about the pasta. I make this spinach tortellini soup that Cady loves, but when I try to save the leftovers they suck up all the juice and get mushy. Not good.

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Tiffany April 9, 2013 at 9:26 am

That sounds sooo good. But I want winter and storms to be gone, damn it!

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