It’s dinner time. As much as I love to cook, and as important healthy meals are to my family, every once in a while, I am just too tired to cook. So I cheat a little. Not naughty cheat, just a shortcut cheat.
Tonight I was pretty much out of gas by the time 5:00 rolled around. Time to plan and cook dinner. I had to peek in my pantry and fridge to see what I could pull together. Here is what I had and pulled out.
- Canned tomatoes
- A jar of roasted red peppers
- Chicken stock
- Milk
- A few stalks of celery
- Arugula
- A parmesan rind from a fresh parmesan cheese wedge (yes, I save and use everything!)
- Garlic
- Bread
- Cheese
- Croutons
- Seasonings/herbs
What could I pull together? Soup. Tomato soup. And maybe a grilled cheese sandwich if needed. But I started with the soup. I put some olive oil into a big dutch oven on top of the stove. I added some chopped celery and garlic. I let that sizzle for about 5 minutes. Then I added 2 cans (28 ounce each) of tomatoes. I chopped up the jarred roasted red peppers and tossed those in with the tomatoes. Added a dash of white wine. And about a cup of chicken stock. Next basil, parsley, salt and pepper went in. I chopped up about a half cup of arugula and added it to the soup. Then I went about my business and let that simmer on the stove. After about 1/2 hour or so, I used my stick blender to smooth out the mixture.
I tossed the parmesan rind into the soup to simmer and add flavor. After a bit, I tasted the soup. It wasn’t “tomatoey” enough, so I added a small can of tomato paste, stirred it in, and let that simmer and bubble a while longer. I also added about a 1/2 cup of milk to so the soup became a little creamy.
The great thing about soup is that it is ready whenever you are. . When my family gathered around the dinner table, I had a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches made, cut them in half, and tossed a plate of sandwiches onto the table. It was a healthy meal because the soup had very little sodium and lots of savory seasonings. It was vegetable dense. The sandwiches, well, those were cheater, just a belly filling addition.
It was delicious! I served the soup with croutons on top, so there was a little crunch to compliment the creaminess of the soup. It was a pretty big batch of soup, so I had leftovers! I love leftovers! And guess what I used my leftovers for? Tune in to the next blog and I will clue you in! Until then, relax and make some soup. Bon Appetite!
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