Monday, October 21, 2013

Creamy Noodle and Veggie Soup


It's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrrrrr! (Did you sing that as you read it? Because I sang it as I wrote it. Just checking to see if we're on the same page here.) Anyway, October through January is my absolute favorite time. I love the hype for Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then the holidays. I just love it all. And above all else I love the cozy comfort food that goes with this time of year. On a recent cool, rainy, typical fall night I decided soup was in order. I had recently been contacted by the people of REAL Seal Dairy to participate in a project they were working on to spread the word on using real dairy, and if there's one challenge I'm up for it's using dairy in my cooking! I had been eyeing Sarah's chicken gnocchi soup recipe for some time and was eager to try it, but the day I decided to make it I just wasn't in the mood for something that heavy. I took Sarah's advice in her post and swapped out the gnocchi for regular pasta and made so many other changes that this version is really not even that similar to Sarah's, but the result was amazingly delicious.

The base is creamy and thick, the veggies offer a nice healthy aspect (to counter balance the cream) and the pasta adds the perfect texture and substance that the soup needs. I really think we'll be having this often this fall. It's comfort food at it's best.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original, Inspired by Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients:
1 cup medium shells, cooked and set aside
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:
1- Heat butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add the flour and cook for about a minute. Add the cream and milk. Bring to a simmer.
2- Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked pasta, spinach, and seasonings, then simmer until soup is heated through.

3 comments:

  1. Mmm...that soup is one of my favorites. I'll have to try your version soon. :)

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  2. I just made this but I added a little bit of white wine in the end to cut out some richness. It is delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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