Radiator Soup

Today, I'm presenting you with another easily prepared dish that I've craftily complicated to make more attractive to above-novice cookers.  My Hubbalubba absolutely loves Tomato Macaroni soup.  It's equal parts easy, quick and tasty.  Generally, we prepare a simple, vegetarian version with macaroni noodles and condensed soup from a can.  But I'm ready to experiment with something new.

This recipe is something I created after we visited a little diner on a motorcycle ride we took over the summer.  A couple little old ladies prepared this soup everyday because it was a local favorite, and it quickly became ours.  Every time we travel near that diner, we stop in for a bowl.

I hope the name doesn't scare you off.  I promise I do not make food on a radiator.  Or anything radiator-like.  Well, unless you count the times I've used the top of my woodstove like a slow cooker...

Anyway, the name "radiator" is actually a nod to my nieces.  I made them a pot of Tomato Macaroni Soup one day by substituting the macaroni noodles with radiatori.  The unusually-shaped pasta then became known as radiators and I've stuck with it ever since.

Whatever you choose to call it, this recipe comes pretty close in taste and texture to the soup from that diner, so I hope I did those ladies proud with my own recipe!



Tomato Radiatori Soup
"Radiator" Soup

1 lb. radiatori pasta
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large white onion, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans condensed tomato soup
4 cups beef broth
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Boil pasta in water until it is soft and cooked. Strain.  Set aside.

In a large soup pot, saute onions, garlic, celery and carrots in 1tbsp of oil on medium heat until they begin to soften.

In another pot, cook the ground meat in the other tablespoon in oil until it is completely brown and broken apart.  Add the meat to the sauteed vegetables.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot.  Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Reduce back to medium and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

To serve, pile a serving of strained pasta into a soup bowl.  Pour soup over the pasta.

To save, combine the pasta to the soup pot and allow to cool completely.  Freeze if desired.



Listening to:   Big & Rich - Fake ID (from Footloose OST)