Enjoy the nostalgic red can of alphabet soup that you grew up on (and that continues to be a kid favorite) with this delicious version made with real ingredients, zero preservatives, nourishing bone broth, and super fun pasta letters. This soup is a tasty way to get some veggies into your kids’ lunchbox—they will happily slurp this warm veggie soup out of their thermoses.
Note
• This soup does not freeze well with the pasta, but you can make the soup all the way to the point of putting the pasta in, and leave it out in order to freeze the soup. When you’re ready to finish making the soup, you can bring the soup to a simmer and add the pasta.
Healthy Alphabet Soup Copycat
(dairy-free option, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter or ghee or 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 cups (270 g) frozen 1-inch (2.5-cm) green bean pieces
- 1 medium russet or yellow potato, peeled or unpeeled and diced
- Sea salt, as needed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons (34 g) tomato paste
- 1 cup (165 g) organic frozen corn
- 1 (15-oz [450-ml]) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup (30 g) baby spinach or baby kale, finely chopped
- 8 cups (1.9 L) Bone Broth (Recipe linked above)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups (173 - 230 g) uncooked gluten-free alphabet pasta, (such as Banza brand) or small pasta of choice (such as shells or elbows)
- Black pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, green beans, potato, and a big pinch of sea salt. Cook the vegetables for about 7 minutes, until the veggies soften.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste, stir to combine, and cook the mixture for 1 minute.
- Add the corn, tomato sauce, baby spinach, and broth and bring the soup to a simmer. Add the pasta and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to your liking, 5 to 7 minutes (depending on the brand of pasta). Season the soup with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Notes
Excerpted from The Little Lunchbox Cookbook: 60 Easy Real-Food Bento Lunches for Kids on the Go by Renee Kohley. Published by Page Street Publishing Co. Photography copyright © Becky Winkler.