Tomato Alphabet Soup

I spotted a package of Eden Organics alphabet pasta at the grocery store and thought the itty bitty organic letters and numbers were just about the cutest pasta I'd ever seen. Naturally, I had to buy a box, and tonight I'm finally opening it up to make this soup. It's a great way to get kids to eat vegan!

For this recipe, you'll need 1 cup of cooked alphabet pasta, made according to package directions (about 1/2 cup uncooked). Once cooked, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped carrot, and 3 tablespoons chopped celery; saute for 4 minutes.

Stir in 3/4 cup vegetable broth, 1/2 tsp. dried basil, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, and 1 (14-ounce) undrained can of diced tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 cup of the cooked alphabet pasta, remove the pan from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and process until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan, and add the remaining cooked pasta and 1/2 cup plain soy milk (such as Silk). Cook over medium-high heat for a final 2 minutes or so, stirring frequently (but don't let the soup return the soup to a boil), until thoroughly heated.

1 cup of soup is 180 calories. The quantities above make enough for 3 servings, but you can double the recipe easily!

Cost:
carrot $0.61
celery $1.99
vegetable broth $2.49
canned diced tomatoes $1.99
plain soy milk $2.49