2020 Holiday Cooking Special Series, Day 7 - Butternut Squash & Pastina Noodle Soup
Day 7: Butternut Squash & Pastina Noodle Soup
A hearty bowl of soup on a cold winter night is, without a doubt, akin to a warm, comforting embrace that instantly brings a ray of sunshine and jolt of pure joy into one's life. This delightful Butternut Squash & Pastina Noodle Soup is just the heart-warming fuel you need to keep you in high spirits on cold winter nights during this holiday season. This all-vegetarian dish is healthy, simple to prepare, and comes packed with abundant flavor.
Pastina is the smallest type of pasta available and can come in a variety of cute, tiny shapes. It makes the perfect addition to soups given its small size. For this recipe, first dice 1/2 red onion, 2 garlic cloves, crush and finely chop 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, 4 small tomatoes, and cut 2 large carrots into round slices. Also cut 1 medium-sized butternut squash into large chunks - make sure they are not too small to ensure they do not disintegrate in the broth.
In a large pot, heat up 3 tablespoons of olive oil for about 1 minute then pour in the diced onions. Let these sauté for about a minute before adding in a mix of the finely diced garlic and ginger. Stir continuously and let the aromas infuse into the oil and onions for about 2 minutes. Thereafter, pour in the tomatoes and let this blend with the base ingredients for about 3 minute before pouring in the butternut squash chunks. Season with 1 teaspoon each of ground black pepper, smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, dried oregano and basil, and salt. Pour in 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots, add 1 cup of water and stir thoroughly, then let this cook down slowly under medium heat. After about 10 minutes, add another cup of water and stir in the round carrot slices into the developing broth. Cover the pot and allow this to cook for another 5 - 7 minutes, checking from time to time to ensure the water does not run out.
Once the squash has begun to soften, pour in 1 cup of dry pastina pasta into the broth and stir continuously for about 2 minutes until the pasta no longer sticks to the bottom of the pot. The pasta cooks very quickly, so give it just about 5 minutes before turning off the heat. Sprinkle some dry parsley flakes as well for some additional flavor about a minute before removing the soup from the heat. Serve hot on its own as a main dinner meal or pair it with some bread for a truly satisfying and heart-warming winter dish. Enjoy! 😍😋💖
