This straightforward soup begins with vegetables, spices, and raw soup pasta that has been toasted to a golden brown color before being topped with water or broth for stovetop cooking. I like how the pasta’s weight and the flavorful broth go together. They combine to make a hearty and reassuring soup.
I used alphabet pasta when my kids were young, and they would eat it while looking for the letters of their names first, then other names until the bowls were empty. They still look for the letters in their names when I make alphabet pasta, even though they are now teenagers. When I make it, they get all nostalgic and look for the letters in their names.
Choose Your Pasta Although you can use almost any type of pasta, I prefer “soup” pasta. They are small and ideal for liquid cooking, and they come in a variety of shapes. Acini di pepe, a type of small, oblong pasta named after peppercorns, is my favorite. In that it has a great texture and slightly more body than alphabet pasta, it reminds me of moghrabieh and Israeli couscous.
Orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, is another one that can be used; seme di melone, which look like pumpkin seeds or melon seeds; stellette in the shape of stars; and alphabet pasta, of course. You don’t have to go to the store to buy soup pasta; you can use whatever you already have at home, whole or chopped up.
A Versatile Basis for Experimentation This recipe is adaptable and accommodating, so follow the directions to discover your preferred flavors and textures. We occasionally alter the vegetables, include greens, mix pasta, and season with various spice blends.
Toasting the pasta is the one thing I always do and recommend you do as well. It keeps the pasta from becoming too soft too quickly and enhances the flavor.
How to Serve This Soup You can make it any time of year or save it for the fall and winter. You can serve it by itself or with bread or croutons; and top with your preferred pesto, such as basil, tomato, or lemony; or add some fresh herbs at the end. Enjoy.
Fixings
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, stripped and cut into little dice
1 medium onion, stripped and finely hacked
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground dark pepper
2 dried sound leaves
3 twigs new thyme, leaves stripped and follows saved
1 cup little pasta, for example, acini di pepe
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red stew pieces, or to taste, discretionary
8 cups water or low sodium vegetable stock
1 sparse teaspoon Cajun preparing, or to taste
