If you ask any of our staff which class is a must for home cooks to take, the answer is unanimous: Knife Skills. This hands-on course covers basic knife handling, sharpening and honing, types of knives, and how to properly process common ingredients you cook with every day.
I recently had the opportunity to assist in teaching this class, which means one thing: I get some leftovers. We wound up with a mixed bag of various chopped and sliced veggies from our chef’s demonstration. In the spirit of no waste, my mind went straight to making a comforting nourishing veggie noodle soup. With a few cabinet staples and some key culinary skills, I was able to take my bag of veggie scraps and make a delicious way to warm up as the weather cools down.
For all of history, soup has been a cook's go to dish to use up extra ingredients. This simple recipe can serve as a base for anytime you have pesky leftover vegetables, or if you’re just craving something warm and delicious.
Our recipe starts by melting butter in a large heavy bottomed pot. Once the butter is melted, we add the dried herbs. Adding dried herbs early in the cooking process allows them to rehydrate, release their natural essential oils, and bloom into a beautiful fragrant base of flavor for your dish.
The bulk of the soup's thickness and texture will come from a roux, or flour and fat mixture. After we sauté the veggies, we’ll add flour to bind with the butter and create the foundation of a silky creamy soup. After that, we’ll add the liquids and allow our soup to simmer and come together.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve always got a box of pasta buried somewhere in your cabinet. Adding pasta is a great way to add bulk and heartiness to any soup. After a few minutes of simmering, boom! You’ve got a quick and easy way to get your vegetables in.
Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup
Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
3 Tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 zucchini, cut into half moons
1 green pepper, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 cups stock (of any kind)
1 cup water
7oz pasta of your choosing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dash of tabasco sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Note: You can substitute ~four cups of any assorted vegetables.
2. Add vegetables and cook for two minutes, until slightly tender.
3. Add minced garlic.
5. Gradually add broth while stirring to incorporate flour.
6. Once flour is incorporated, add milk and water.
7. Bring soup to a simmer then lower heat.
8. Add pasta and cook until al dente (about 10 minutes).
9. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.
10. Stir in tabasco sauce (if desired).
11. Ladle into bowls, garnish with homemade croutons, more grated Parmesan, and enjoy!
Get your own batch of perfectly cooked vegetables to bring home and make this soup in one of The Chopping Block's upcoming Knife Skills classes:
- Friday, December 5 10am
- Wednesday, December 10 6pm (just 2 spots left!)
- Sunday, December 14 11am
Or, learn how to make new soups to put in your winter cooking repertoire in our hands-on Simmer and Savor: Cozy Soups and Stews class on Monday, December 22 at 6pm.
