I’ve been home sick on the couch since I got home from work yesterday. I had a lot of fun plans for my long, 3-day weekend, so of course this would be the time when I come down with the flu.
When I’m sick all I crave is soup, soup, soup. But again, of course, there is not a can of soup to be found in my pantry. So instead, I’ve been eating toast and crackers. But I only had 3 crackers left, so really I’ve just been eating toast. I really need to get the grocery store.
Tonight I Googled “best canned chicken noodle soups.” It turns out that Progresso consistently holds 1st place among a number of taste testers, in case you were wondering. But then I stumbled upon an article about how canned soups are made and the types of things that go into them, and suddenly I did not want canned soup anymore.
That’s when I pulled myself together, put on my fuzzy slippers, and made my own vegetarian noodle soup with ingredients I had on hand. I should’ve done that yesterday.
Extra Noodle Soup With Veggies
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. Earth Balance
- 1 tsp. grapeseed oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp. each: dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried sage
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat rotini pasta
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
Directions:
- Heat Earth Balance and oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and saute for 10 minutes.
- Stir in basil, oregano, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Pour in broth, water, nutritional yeast, and Bragg’s (if using)
- Bring to a boil and then stir in pasta and peas. Simmer for 15 minutes until pasta and veggies are tender.
I served my soup with a couple slices of toasted sprouted whole grain bread, slathered with Earth Balance and sprinkled with vegan shredded cheese. Then I popped them in the microwave for 10 seconds. I call it the lazy girl’s grilled cheese and it was perfect for dipping in my noodle-filled soup.
I like lots and lots of noodles, but if you’d prefer less, reduce the amount of pasta to 1 cup.
It’s past my bedtime and I need my rest.
Enjoy the long weekend if you’re lucky enough to have one!
Zestful Lou 