Brownifer Bites: Spicy Autumn Soup

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Spicy Autumn Soup

It's that time of year!  Soup!  I love making soups, but I can never create the same one twice, so I've decided to start writing down what I did so I can remember some of these amazing creations.

Of course this time of year is full of pumpkin this, squash that.... it's dizzying.  But Trader Joe's had
a few spectacular things on the shelves that inspired this soup for me.  Photos help, so I'm including those.

I also cooked by candlelight (Brownie thinks I'm insane for doing this) so I didn't have a chance to take many photos during the process, which is why you get to admire this lovely shot of my leftover soup in tupperware.  You're welcome. I promise it's just as scrumptious leftover!  Noodles a little softer, but still good!

This has a kick to it, so be ready to clear those sinuses!  It's also incredibly filling, so small portions go a long way.

Here Goes:

Ingredients:

  • Olive Oil
  • 1 Cup Chopped Onion
  • 1 Cup Chopped Celery
  • 1 Cup Chopped Carrot
  • 6-10 Garlic Cloves - Minced (however much or little you prefer)
  • 1 Stick Salted Butter
  • 3 small zucchini, sliced or chopped as you wish
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped Bell Pepper
  • Truffle Oil (totally optional but they have a tiny bottle of this amazingness at Market of Choice if you want to use it)
  • 1 Package Trader Joe's Cheese & Garlic Croutons

  • 1 Package Trader Joe's Fall Zucchette Pasta
  • 1 Jar Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Sauce
  • 1-2 Cups cooked or leftover meat of any kind that you may have on hand or need to use, chopped
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped fresh Sage
  • 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (The sauce has a bite to it, so if you're sensitive to spicy, leave this out)
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 2 Teaspoons Cumin
  • 1-2 Tablespoons fresh Thyme (1/2-1 Tablespoon dried)
  • 2 Teaspoons fresh, chopped Oregano (1 Teaspoon dried)
  • Dash of Cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon Paprika


Directions:

  • Boil water with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and get noodles cooking in a separate pot for now.  
  • Saute garlic, onion, celery and carrot with 1/2 the stick of butter and a few sprinkles of salt in a soup pot until butter is melted and onions are a bit soft
  • Add water, about 8-10 cups and turn the heat up to bring to boil
  • While the water is heating up for soup, add the cayenne, salt & pepper, cumin, thyme, oregano, cinnamon and paprika.  Stir.
  • When water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer until the pasta is ready.
  • Drain pasta, leave in the collander
  • In pasta pot, put the remaining 1/2 stick of butter with chopped fresh sage - on medium heat, melt butter and cook sage until it's a bit crispy
  • Turn soup back up to a boil, add jar of sauce, zucchini and bell pepper and let boil while you do the final step with the pasta.
  • When the sage is ready, put pasta back into the pot and toss it with sage and butter, sprinkling with salt and truffle oil until you like the flavor
  • Let Pasta sizzle in pan on medium heat, stirring often for about 5 minutes
  • Add chopped meat to the pot, stirring in to let it heat up and flavor the soup a bit - 5 minutes while the pasta sizzles
  • Taste the broth, making sure the flavors are where you want them, adjust as you wish.  If you didn't use enough garlic, sprinkle in some garlic powder for a quick fix :-)
  • Stir pasta into the soup
  • Serve soup with cheesy garlic croutons and enjoy!
This soup is very filling and this recipe will feed 6-8 people.


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