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.
