Frugal Comfort Food: Tomato Soup
December 20, 2010
After some months in which PiC was so over-generous in treating his family that I cannot even write down the numbers here, PiC and I are well into our new quest to keep our grocery and eating out bills down to an almost unimaginable $400/month.
Much like 444 Express, we’re making an effort to go through the foods in our cabinets, and I’ve been keeping certain staples in stock for our new go-to recipes that are delicious, versatile and last a heck of a long time.
I adapted this Full-Bodied Tomato Soup from Not Quite Nigella, tripling the garlic because we loooove garlic. Dropping the meatballs keeps the cost down to about $5 per large pot of six or ten servings and we really didn’t notice any difference. We did add a half cup of orzo to the last batch and it took over the entire soup like a mad mutation. By the third bowl, it was just a pasta dish. I’m not sure we should do that again.
I’m sort of considering adding some of our 99 cent per box tofu to the next serving, just to see if it’s weird or if it works. Thoughts? In original form, the soup was excellent by itself or as a side to my constant stream of cheese quesadillas. Mmm….
Managing to continually rotate a menu that includes fresh produce without wasting food due to spoilage is tougher than it should be with modern conveniences, but between a busy work schedule and my inherent laziness about eating balanced meals if I’m tired, I admit to failing more often than not of late. Still, we’re fighting the good fight, and the more new recipes I find, the more interested and invested I can be in the process.
Hmmm…no on the tofu…I can just picture it being weird.
Try adding some roasted bell peppers in there, or some pesto. Yummy.
Or eat it over rice (don’t add in rice to the pot though!).
Ok I am hungry now. *Shuffles to the kitchen*
*SNORT*
I am just imagining the orzo bubbling up and soaking up all the liquid like some mini monster horror film 😛
Tofu would be ok, but wouldn’t add much. How about making it mexican–add a bit of salsa and cheese and some crumbled corn chips (or corn tortillas) on top.
Rice goes with everything 🙂
I often add pasta to soups/stews to bulk it up, but always add too much and you’re right….it then takes over the whole dish.
Gosh, that DOES sound good!
The soup part resembles the tomato soup we used to make in our hippy-dippy days. A little fennel sauteed in with the onions is a nice addition. Usually this type of soup was a favorite in vegetarian restaurants–it makes a great base for any number of veggie additions, like chopped-up crookneck squash, carrots, zucchini, bell peppers in any color you can get, just about anything you can imagine. Avocado is nice when added as a topping, with a little Greek-style yogurt. Don’t cook the avocado, of course.
The meatballs are interesting but look like a lot of added work.
Did you cook the orzo before adding it to the tomato base? It might not do that if it were precooked.