About Sweetmama Editor
Nadine Silverthorne’s love of journaling began in Grade One with the entry, “I am the greatest dancer!” Two babies (and countless diaper changes) later, she has found her home away from home as editor of SweetMama. Don’t miss her humorous bi-weekly accounts of the joys and pains of working while raising them fabulous.
Recipe: Mom-estrone Soup
silver spoons canada
(Feb.18.10)
My kids kinda, sorta pick at eat everything. But there are some meals that have them effortlessly cleaning their plates. One of the easiest meals made (and received) is a modified version of minestrone soup I cribbed from my mother. What I love about this recipe is that it's as homemade (or as cheated) as you want it to be.
Mom-estrone Soup
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced (ish)
2 stalks celery, diced (ish)
1 can diced tomatoes
4-6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, heated to a boil (1 tetra pack of broth will usually do, but some families prefer a brothier soup)
1 cup of small, dry pasta (like elbow, shell or tubetti)
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese (I like parmegiano reggiano the best)
Optional additions:
1/2 cup of well-rinsed, canned chick peas
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1/2 cup of frozen corn (not very Italian, but makes my kids eat more as they dive for corn kernels)
5-10 button mushrooms, sliced
Heat the oil on medium heat in a large soup or stock pot. Add onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until they start to soften -- about 5 minutes. In a small pot, heat stock to a boil in the meantime.
Add carrots and celery and continue to sauté for another 5minutes. Add can of diced tomatoes, reduce heat slightly and stir for an additional 5 minutes.
Pour in hot stock and bring contents of pot to a boil. Add pasta and continue to cook on high heat until pasta softens (8-10 minutes). Add additional/optional veggies, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and season to your family's palate.
Sweet Tips:
- I find small, diced veggies work best, but if your kids hate a certain vegetable (or all veggies), you can pulverize them in the food processor to make them less detectable.
- If you're short on time, you can use frozen, pre-diced veggies to replace any of the veggies in this recipe.
- I prefer homemade chicken stock (often made after we've eaten a roast chicken by boiling the carcass with some veggies), but tetra pack stock is good too -- I love PC Organics version -- provided you choose a low sodium option.
- You can play with the vegetable offering here to suit your kid's likes and dislikes. I find that as they go fishing for the ones they like, they end up consuming other veggies that might not be favourites, but still taste good and provide good vitamin content.
Comment to WIN!
Starting this week, I'll be posting bi-weekly recipe tests (and my kids' reactions). Is there a recipe on SweetHome or on MySweetBaby that you'd like me to attempt and test on my kids? I want to hear from you in the comments section below – and as a thank you for sharing you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to WIN a President’s Choice® Blue Menu® prize pack valued at $150 CDN. For full contest details and rules and regulations, click here.