Apparently it's soup week here at Amber's Confections. You see, last Saturday I went a little crazy. I decided I was going to be one of those super organized cooks who makes meals on weekends to freeze and eat throughout the week. I had the day to myself, so I devised a long list of recipes, bought all the ingredients and stocked up on a years' supply of Gladware containers and freezer bags.
First up, was this soup. A supposed copy-cat recipe from the Olive Garden, this soup is a flavorful and hearty meal in a bowl. I wouldn't know how legit the recipe is compared to the real thing (I always order the zuppa toscano at OG), but this soup is delish. To lighten it up a bit, I used ground turkey instead of the ground beef. If you like a little heat in your soup, you could add some ground hot sausage as well. And the best part about this soup? It's sure to fill your freezer! I got two large containers, one medium and three small bowls out of it.
Oh, and it's 4 year old approved. My picky little sister even loved it!
And if you're curious to know how the rest of my Saturday panned out, I made the Russian Mushroom and Potato Soup, falafel burgers, breakfast burritos, turkey sloppy joes and a cheesecake.
Pasta e Fagioli
An Olive Garden copycat from Top Secret Recipes
1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey instead)
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15 oz. can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 12 oz. can V-8 juice (I ended up using about 30 oz. total)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta
Brown the meat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Drain the fat. Add the onions, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the pasta and simmer for 50 minutes.
In a seperate pot, boil the pasta about 10 minutes (or until it's al dente). Drain the pasta and add it to the soup. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes and serve.
(The longer the pasta sits in the soup pot, the more broth it will absorb. I added an additional 24 oz. of V8 juice to my soup to maintain the consistency. Also, when you refrigerate the soup and reheat it, you may need to add some water to reconstitute it, or it will take on more of a goulash form.)
“Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset”
