Hearty Hot Dog and Pasta Vegetable Soup – A Quick Meal
When I was a kid we ate a lot of soup, probably because it’s an inexpensive and hearty meal. My mother made clam chowder, vegetable soup, chicken noodle soup to name a few. All of her soups were made from scratch and labor intensive. However, thanks to new products, soup can be a quick meal.
For example, I always keep a box of unsalted chicken broth on the shelf. I use it for sauces, soups and stews. Unsalted beef broth is also helpful, although I don’t use it as much as chicken broth. Grocery stores also sell unsalted bouillon cubes and I always keep them on hand. We don’t eat a lot of canned soups, but I always have mushrooms and celery in the pantry.
I recently bought a package of reduced fat and salt free hot dogs, and we had them for lunch. My husband did not like the taste. “These have barely any flavor,” he commented. “What brand are they?” He was correct. The hot dogs had little flavor and were a different brand, one I don’t usually buy.
Fat adds flavor to food. If the manufacturer reduces the fat content, herbs and seasonings may be added for flavor. Some of these items, like the chicken hot dog variety, are really good. But I still had the rest of the hot dogs and I was wondering what I could do with them.
Since I am a thrifty person, I decided to use them in the soup. It was a good decision. The soup was delicious and my husband enjoyed it. To prevent the pasta from overcooking, I cooked it ahead of time and added it to the soup at the last minute. Cooked rice can be substituted for pasta. Stumped at dinner? Make soup tonight!
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) celery soup (I used the reduced fat and salt type).
1 (32-ounce) box unsalted chicken broth
1 pound package of hot dogs (your choice)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin (or 1/2 if you want more smokiness)
1 cup small precooked pasta (tubes, shells, macaroni)
METHOD
1. Pour olive oil into a soup pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft.
2. Add celery soup and chicken broth.
3. Cut the sausages into thin slices and add them to the soup.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 1 hour, or transfer to display pot, set to low heat, and simmer 6 to 8 hours.
5. Uncover soup and add cooked pasta. Heat 10 more minutes.
6. Serve with crackers, breadsticks, or crusty bread. Makes about 8 servings.
