Mama Miller’s Pasta Soup

Be warned, I am not an exact recipe person. I come from a strong southern tradition of throwing whatever you have in a pot and calling it soup or throwing it in the oven for casserole. We tend to view recipes as general guidelines as opposed to precise directions. If you like to know exactly what minuscule fraction of each spice to use, run away now!

Mama Miller’s Pasta Soup

2 32oz cans/boxes of broth (I use fat free chicken)
1-2 package(s) of your favorite pasta (gnocchi, tortellini, or ravioli work best)
1 lb ground turkey or ground beef
1 7.5 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce ( or 2 cups of homemade)
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced garlic
mushrooms, minced onion, bell peppers, olives, or any other favorite veggies (optional)
Garlic salt, cumin, pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning, or whatever you favorite spices to taste are (this is what I mean by not specific)
olive oil

Bring your broth to a boil in a large pot and add a splash of olive oil, salt, and pasta. (I sometimes add a third can of broth to make it go further.)

While the pasta boils, brown your meat in a skillet. I add a splash of olive oil when using ground turkey. I add my garlic to the meat and the spices I like. Don’t over spice. You can add more later. When the meat is mostly done, I add the veggies and continue to cook until the noodles are done.

When the noodles are al dente, I add the spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, and meat/veggie mix to the pot and let it simmer together for about 30 minutes to an hour (read until we are ready to eat).

The noodles finish cooking through as it simmers. I taste before serving and add any additional spice. We usually serve with bread, salad, and a little Parmesan on top.

Big ol’ pot of soup:

Tonight’s soup has three cans of broth, gnocchi, purple bowtie pasta that K dyed earlier in the week, and ground turkey. K is excited about purple pasta and Andy promised to bring his co-worker lunch.

Have a great night!

Bonus: E eating her soup:

She is very into feeding herself, so she gets good stuff on a plate without much broth.

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