Alphabet Soup

Today we are having some homemade alphabet soup.  As most of you who've been reading my blog know, I'm not exactly the most healthy, all-natural cook in town.  To that I say, wait til January...you'll have enough blog posts about lettuce, you'll be ready to turn into a rabbit.  Until then, forgive my daily overdoses of sugar and fat. 

Anyway, back to the ABC soup...while I don't always cook the healthiest food, there are some things I don't buy due to their unhealthy qualities.  One of those is canned soup.  First of all, it's gross.  I mean really, does anyone REALLY like the canned chicken noodle soup?  I didn't ask if anyone ate it, but do they LIKE it?  It's like eating chicken flavored salt, and what are those perfectly cut teeny tiny cubes in there???  I don't really know.

Ever eaten the alphabet soup, or gotten it for the kiddos?  The alphabets are fun, but the soup itself is soooo high in sodium and who knows what else.  Let's stop buying the canned stuff and make it homemade.  It will only take about 15-20 minutes to get a healthier version of the fun alphabets in front of your kids.  You can make it if you are short on time and feel good that you aren't serving something canned!  It's a win win!

Homemade Alphabet Soup

1 bag of ABC pasta (if it's not in the regular pasta section at your store, look in the Mexican food isle)
1 can tomato sauce
1-2 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp bacon lard (or oil or shortening...your choice)
Knorr chicken base
Water

Here is the alphabet pasta I used.  There are different brands, all just as good. 

 

Get a pot on the stove with med heat.  Add about a tbsp of whatever shortening/oil/lard you are using.  Then chop some onion and add it to the hot lard/oil/shortening.  Saute until the onion looks clear or slightly browned.  This could be an optional step if you don't like onion...it's a small amount for flavor.

 

 

Now add the pasta to the onion/oil mixture and toast.  You will start to see the pasta looking a bit toasted...turn down the heat to low and don't burn it! :) 

 

Add the can of tomato sauce and stir.  Then get out our trusty Knorr chicken base and add about 1 tbsp and mix.  Let this cook until you end up with a pasta like consistency (this will take away the canned tomato sauce taste).  Sprinkle in some black pepper while you're at it.

 

Add 4 cans worth of water and stir well.  I use the tomato sauce can to measure (the cans are usually 8oz, which equals 1 cup, so technically 4 cups of water...I just try to do as few dishes as possible!).  Cook on low for about 10-15 min or until the pasta is cooked.

 

See all the fun letters!  Homemade ABC soup that the kids will love!

 

We like to serve ours with some mozzarella on top, and if we have any, cooked bacon crumbled on the bottom.  Make some grilled cheese and you have a yummy, quick and easy lunch!

Enjoy!

 

 

Happily Homemade

Sandra