Alphabet Soup

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Want something classic and comforting for lunch this winter season? Why learn how to make your very own alphabet soup from your childhood?

Don’t forget to make your own Italian Seasoning to use in your alphabet soup! Why not also try this easy Vegetable Soup recipe, which also uses Italian seasoning?

Alphabet Soup

Packed full of those all-important vegetables and super quick to make this soup is the answer to all of your weeknight meal problems! This alphabet soup recipe is the perfect way to sneak more vegetables into your child’s diet while distracting them with fun pasta shapes.

Why It Is So Important To Ensure Your Onions Are Thoroughly Cooked Before Adding Other Ingredients

If you find that when making tomato-based soups you often struggle to get the other ingredients cooked just right you are not alone. When raw tomatoes are added to the soup pot they bring down the overall temperature and slow down the cooking of the other ingredients, like onions, garlic, and potatoes.

As the onions and garlic make up the base flavor of this soup it is important that they are cooked just right. Rather than adding the tomatoes early on during the cooking process instead try adding them when the frozen vegetables go into the pot.

The potatoes will cook just fine as they still have the broth to boil in and the temperature of the pot will not be affected until much later on when they are fully cooked.

Can You Use Fresh Vegetables?

If you don’t have frozen vegetables on hand don’t worry because you can also make this soup using fresh vegetables. The final product will be just as tasty no matter what type of vegetables you use. The only downside to using fresh veggies is that they require a few extra steps when preparing the ingredients for your soup and they take slightly longer to cook.

Make sure to account for the extra time that it will take to wash and cut your fresh vegetables. It is best to do this just after cutting the onions as you already have the chopping board out and you have to wait while the onion cook anyway.

You are also cooking to want to adjust when you add the vegetables to the soup as fresh vegetables tend to take longer to cook. Vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, parsnips, and sliced beans are best added alongside the potatoes to ensure they have enough time to cook. Other vegetables like corn and peas can be added later as they do not take as long.

Could You Use Different Pasta Shapes?

Alphabet pasta is one of the best options when making this soup for children. The fun shapes distract from the fact that you are serving up vegetables for dinner and provide something new and exciting with each spoonful.

This doesn’t mean that you have to be limited to alphabet pasta, though; you could absolutely use any small pasta shape that you choose. Most grocery stores have a range of fun-shaped pasta often linked to popular movies, shows, and child-focused brands.

Of course, if you are not making this veggie soup to sneak vegetables into your loved ones’ diets, but instead as a delicious nutrient-rich meal, you are free to add any small pasta shape that you desire.

Make sure to stick with smaller pasta shapes that will fit onto a soup spoon to prevent this from feeling like a pasta dish rather than a soup.

What Type Of Frozen Vegetables Should You Use In Your Soup?

There are all sorts of vegetables you could use in this recipe in place of the listed ingredients – so long as it’s healthy, use anything you like!

• A Vegetable Mix

You really can’t go wrong with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables when making this soup. Mixed veg bags typically include things like carrots, corn, green beans, or peas ensuring that your soup contains a good balance of nutrients while also being bright and colorful for that all-important visual appeal.

When dealing with picky eaters who will run away from the table at the slightest sight of a vegetable you might find that a mixed bag of veg just doesn’t work and that you need to be more selective about the veggies you hide within your soup.

• Carrots and Celery

Carrots and celery are one of the best combinations when hiding vegetables from picky eaters. Almost everyone loves carrots thanks to their bright color and sweet taste and are always a good choice in soups like this.

Celery is another veg that can often slip through the radar of picky eaters especially when it is cut very small. Its light and vibrant color helps to set it apart from other green vegetables that can often cause fear.

• Peas and Corn

Peas and corn might be a bit more of a risky choice if your diners have a fear of green vegetables, but they rarely cause the same desire to run from the table as broccoli and green beans. Corn has the same advantages as carrots, it’s sweet and adds color to the soup which is always a win.

• Carrots and Corn

Carrots and corn might seem like cheating as it completely avoids adding anything green to your soup, but remember any vegetable is better than no vegetable at all.  The bright colors and sweet flavor should help you to avoid even the pickiest of eaters’ vegetable alarm bells start ringing.

Looking for more delicious Soup recipes? Try these out:

• Cream of Mushroom Soup

• Curried Sweet Potato Soup With Chicken

• Turkey Noodle Soup

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

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