Alphabet Vegetable Soup is a favorite among kids and parents alike. This soup is loaded with vegetables and is a perfect kid-friendly recipe for Meatless Mondays.
I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients before I started to cook, but the vegetables that I chose for this recipe are kid-tested and kid-approved time and time again. This recipe frequents my menus at my school month after month during the cooler months, and the kiddos always gobble every last bite.
You really can use any type of pasta you want in this recipe, but I would suggest staying with something small like; ditalini, pastina or mini shells. I found these alphabet noodles in the international foods aisle of my local Safeway.
Gather your ingredients. You can use any vegetables you have in your fridge, but these veggies are a winning combination every time!
1 32oz vegetable stock, or 4 cups homemade vegetable stock
1 15oz can petite diced tomatoes – you can use regular dice tomatoes, but the petite dice are perfect for little mouths
2 carrots, finely diced
1/2 yellow onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1 zucchini, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, minced
1 russet potato, skin removed and finely diced
1 lb alphabet pasta
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat butter and oil until shimmering.
Add all vegetables except tomatoes and stir to combine, and mix into the oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent and the veggies start to soften – about 10-12 minutes.
Add tomatoes and vegetable stock and give a good stir, being sure to scrape up the bottom of the pot.
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Reduce heat to low and let simmer 40-50 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
When ready to serve, add cooked pasta and stir. The soup will look very thick when you add all of the pasta, and not so soupy, but this is the way that I have found the kiddos like it best.
Serve along side a grilled cheese or just as it is!
Hi there, my family is trying out your kid-friendly meal plan for the first time this month (August). It is only the 4th, but I have had to already do some adjusting because have a crazy hectic schedule (case in point…had to make the quesadillas last night because we were short on time, and so it is the veggie soup tonight). Few quick questions that have arisen so far….we live very far from the nearest market (40 miles) and so shopping once a month is a dream! However, how do you keep the produce from going bad before you need to use it. Some of my lettuce for next week is already wilting, and I don’t think it will do well frozen. Second, do you have printer friendly (pdf) versions of the recipes? Our internet connection is slow (thanks to living in the sticks), and I have a hard time loading the recipe pages because of the large photo files. I really appreciate the amount of work you have put into these meal plans. We are living on about 1/4 the income that we are used to (I am staying home, husband changed jobs…) and we are having to make it all work! Thanks again, any help is appreciated.
Hey!
I am going to send you an email, and maybe we can work together to see what will work best for your family and creat a custom meal plan and grocey list that will be best for your family! Free of charge! I have to work a little bit more today, but when I get home, I’ll send the email!
Also… I am currently working on those pdf recipes! I’m hoping by the end of the month to have all 300 recipes done!
Check that email, and let’s chat to save you money and keep your tummies full!!
Thanks so much! I look forward to hearing from you 🙂