Homemade Alphabet Soup
Did you know you could make your own Alphabet Soup?
Well, you can. It’s really easy, too. The hardest part is finding the ABC noodles, but if I can find them, YOU can. I frequent our local-ish Amish store, and they carry just insane amounts of the coolest baking and cooking supplies. So check there if you are in the middle of nowhere like I am. Or, if you live in a city, Trader Joe’s supposedly carries them too. Of course, you could sub in shells or macaroni, even though it isn’t exactly the same you’ll still get a really yummy soup.
On another ABC note, I am amazed every day at how much Seven is learning. For Christmas, I got him a Melissa & Doug ABC Train puzzle. It’s 10 feet long, and each letter is it’s own piece. Until the day I opened it up and laid it out on the floor, I had no clue the child REALLYrecognized every letter in the alphabet. He’ll sing the ABC song, and as he comes to the next letter in the song, he’ll search the floor for the appropriate letter and snap it into place.
I was kind of amazed. When did he grow up?
I mean, I knew he knew the Alphabet Song. I taught it to him ages ago, and he’s been singing it forever. And I knew he knewsome of the letters, but I never pushed him because I want him to be a little wild boy (and he is). Of course I want him to be well educated, but I didn’t feel the need to be aggressive in the learning of reading and writing just yet…he’s three. Instead, we build. We sing. We play with puzzles and count and giggle and his imagination runs wild. He speaks in complete sentences, often in Italian. He can ALMOST bake cookies by himself, and says he’s ready to teach his own cake class. Imay very well have created a monster, not to mention, competition!
Apparently, he’s learning more than I realized. He knows all of the letters, upper and lowercase. And his numbers. And God forbid you touch his W. He is obsessed with the W. His two favorite things in the world, he says, are Pink and W’s. His very favorite thing?…um, Pink W’s.
Sorry for the little sidenote there, but, well, I am a mom and I wanted to share a bit about my boy and how we play. And if you have a little one running around, I highly recommend that puzzle. For that matter, I recommend any Melissa & Doug product. You can find lots of them on Amazon, or CSN, but you can also grab them at Target or even TJ Maxx and Marshall’s where they are deeply discounted. I love how durable their products are, and I have yet to be disappointed.
Now…back to the soup.
It’s very simple to pull together, and a WORLD better than the condensed soup version. Paired with a little cheese on top and a nice gooey grilled cheese sandwich – you’re in business! Give it a shot!
Homemade Alphabet Soup
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- pinch black pepper, salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cups cooked alphabet pasta (about 1 cup pasta before cooked)
- 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; sauté until tender, add garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Add broth, basil, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool for a few minutes.Place mixture in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour puréed soup back into the saucepan. Stir in the cooked pasta and milk or cream. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with grated cheese or garnish with fresh basil. Enjoy!
