Tomato & Spinach Soup With Mini Raviolis

5 Mar posted by

This is not your mama’s tomato soup. Well, actually in my case it kind of is since I got the recipe from her originally but if your mama is still cracking open a can of Campbell’s, then I’m talking to you. I didn’t realize until trying this recipe that tomato soup can actually be good, and can actually be made with recognizable bits of tomato – imagine that.

This is a seriously great weeknight staple, it comes together fast and packs a TON of flavor from a relatively short list of ingredients. I bumped up the original recipe with the addition of mini raviolis to make it a more satisfying meal versus just a side but I’ve also done it with lots of other small pastas and tortellini and it’s good every time. My kids even love this which could be in part due to the fact that we call it muscle soup and make a big show of telling them their arms are getting bigger every time they take a bite (hello, Popeye reference that they totally didn’t get). Hey, whatever works, right?

Tomato & Spinach Soup With Mini Raviolis

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons evoo, extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, drained
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 ounces
  • 2 cups good quality vegetable stock, available on soup aisle
  • 1/2 ten-ounce sack triple washed spinach, stems removed and spinach shredded with knife
  • 1 9 ounce package of refrigerated mini raviolis
  • Salt and pepper to your taste

Directions

Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add oil, shallots and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and crushed tomatoes, stir. Add stock and stir to combine soup. Stir in spinach in handfuls to wilt it and combine with soup. Season soup with salt and pepper to your taste. Bring soup to a boil, add in package of refrigerated mini raviolis. Stir and reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes to reduce.

*Note: If you have leftovers and are storing them in the refrigerator, the raviolis will soak up some of the stock and leave you with a much chunkier soup. Simply add 1-2 cups of additional stock while reheating over medium heat and stir well to combine. This will bring the soup back to the original state.

Adapted from the original recipe for Tomato & Spinach Soup by Rachel Ray

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Kid-Friendly, Lunch Recipes, Recipes, Soup, Weeknight Meals

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash & Wild Rice Soup

2 Jan posted by

Confession: I’m not really a fan of butternut squash. You’d think I would be since I love most vegetables, am mad for the color orange and just posted a recipe with the words “Butternut Squash” squarely in the middle, but I’m not. I pass over it on the Thanksgiving table, never buy it from the grocery store and even the baby food variety kind of grosses me out. But a few years ago my mom made me this soup and although it contained my veggie nemesis, I fell in love. It’s warm, hearty, healthy and fabulous. I’ve passed this recipe on now more times that I can count and although I am still not BFFs with the butternut, me and this meal have forged our own special relationship.

This soup, like most, is highly adaptable to suit your tastes. I use turkey kielbasa as the smoked sausage, added more corn and some long grain rice to balance out the wild rice. It tastes great after the flavors have sat for a while but if you’re making it way ahead of time, be aware that the rice will continue to soak up some of the chicken stock so add some extra upon reheating if that’s happened to yours. Prep time for this soup is somewhat lengthy, but it’s not all hands on so it’s not bad. You’ll need 45 minutes to roast the squash once it’s cut and an hour for the rice to soak up the stock before you’re ready to finish preparing it, so plan ahead.

 


The first time I made this, I only included wild rice and it was good, but it’s much better with the long grain brown rice as well. They sell boxes with both in it, or you can do a half and half if you buy them separately.


How do you have three young kids and still make meals from scratch? Easy, you just let them ransack all the cabinets like some crazed looters in a riot and worry about the fallout later. Little Man stayed busy whipping up a concoction of dog food and milk while I made soup. I think mine turned out better but I’m probably biased.


If you too are on shaky terms with the butternut, here’s what it looks like right before it goes back into the soup. You puree the life out of it then add it to the stock and it really just makes a flavored stock. You could serve it to guests (or yourself) and they’d never even know it was in there. Notice the little tiny black bits? I burn stuff too.


You had me at Kielbasa.

Smoked Sausage, Wild Rice & Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 medium butternut squash, about 3-4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (You can just buy the peeled and chunked variety from the produce section to help expedite this step.)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 cups chicken stock
  • 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
  • 1/2 cup long grain brown rice
  • 1/2 cup wild rice
  • 3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 2.5 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 1 1/2 cups half-and-half ( You can also use skim milk, or simply omit this step if you have dairy issues. I’ve had it all 3 ways and it’s great each time.)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper (you can do this once it’s spread out on the baking sheet, it’s easier this way). Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Don’t worry if some of the edges get too toasty, all of this is going into the food processor so you won’t notice later. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool.

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Originally adapted from my Mama’s Kitchen by way of Emeril.

 

 

1 Comment
Filed Under: Recipes, Soup