I grew up on homemade soups and stews, save for an occasional can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup in the pantry to serve alongside a grilled cheese sandwich. (Ahhh, childhood…) My father was, hell, still is the King of Refrigerator Soups. You know what I’m talking about: He created soups made by throwing whatever leftovers that were in the fridge into a big pot, and he cooked it until everything harmonized. Sometimes, I found the combinations to be a little weird (leftover chicken, black beans, and cauliflower did not appeal to my nine year old self), but I grew to embrace it. Like any lower-middle class family, we were frugal and used every bit of food we had. Nothing went to waste. A roast chicken carcass was turned into stock, and those little chicken bits made for the base of many amazing soups.

I still love to create a good Refrigerator Soup. I am definitely guilty of buying vegetables with grandiose plans in mind. Then, five days later, I’ll return to my fridge to see them sitting in the vegetable crisper, limp and hanging onto life.

Oops.

Well, into the soup they go!

I am in love with this Shredded Vegetable Soup. I am a big fan of julienne-peeling and spiral-cutting my vegetables. I feel it gives them more oomph and adds tremendous volume to any dish. I am not the biggest fan of large chunks of vegetables in my soup. In this recipe, I opted to julienne peel the vegetables, giving them an almost noodle-like texture within the broth. Additional grains can be added, such as rice or quinoa, but here, I went simple and added Acini de Pepe. Finally, the turmeric and red pepper flakes both give an amazing depth of flavor.

We’ve been lucky to have a relatively mild autumn here in NYC, but it’s still nice to eat a nice hot bowl of this soup, even if it’s 60 degrees outside.

Feel free to adjust this soup to any variation you choose! This is a base that can be greatly expanded upon.

Shredded Vegetable Soup
(Serves Two)

Ingredients:

– 1 carrot, julienne shredded
– 1 medium zucchini, julienne shredded
– 2 cups broth of choice
– 1 cup water
– 2 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
– 1/4 cup Acini de Pepe pasta
– Dash of red pepper flakes
– Salt and pepper, to taste

Before We Get Started…

– If you do not have a julienne peeler, either thinly julienne slice vegetables, or, alternately, use a regular vegetable peeler to peel long ribbon-like strips.

Directions:

1.) In large pot, bring broth and water to a slow boil. Add garlic, turmeric, and Acini de Pepe. Cook for approximately 10 minutes or until Acini di Pepe is cooked through.

2.) Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots and zucchini to pot. Cook for approximately 90 seconds or until vegetables start to wilt. Add red pepper flakes and stir. Remove from heat.

3.) Serve immediately.