On a cold November day when my friend's son requested soup for lunch,I knew right away I wanted to make something a 3-year-old would enjoy as much as I would: creamy,healthy tomato soup with just a spoonful of playful alphabet letters,a throwback to childhood classics.Everyone enjoyed the tomato soup that day,including my 1-year-old daughter,the 3-year-old Jonah,and me.
Make sure not to add the alphabet pasta until you serve,otherwise the pasta will absorb too much of the soup and it will have a mushy,non-soup-like consistency.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 onion,diced
2 garlic cloves,minced
1 14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 ½-2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper
½ cup alphabet or other small pasta
Fresh chives
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Directions
1.Add butter or oil to a medium pot over medium heat.Sauté onion and garlic until translucent.
2.Add crushed tomatoes and stock.Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring back to a boil.Reduce heat after 10 minutes to low.
3.Bring a small pot of water to a boil.Cook pasta around 6 minutes or according to directions.Drain pasta and drizzle with a tiny amount of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking.Set aside until ready to serve.
4.If you want the soup to be a smoother consistency,you can puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.If not,you can leave soup as is.
5.If making the soup dairy,add heavy cream before serving.
6.Add a heaping tablespoon of pasta to each bowl.Sprinkle chopped chives on top and serve.
