Spicy Tomato Soup and Thyme Popovers

It is so cold outside that I feel like huddling up on the couch with hubby dear and stay there forever! Thankfully I don’t work outside so I can stay warm indoors throughout the day. Now that its winter, it gets dark awfully early. Not to forget the hunger pangs which seem to exist somewhere deep within and hit me out of the blue. One such evening, when my stomach was rumbling and it was cold, I decided to make soup. I personally detest the canned ones, which nothing in it, but rather prefer a chunky wholesome soup, with pasta …all the better.

So here’s what I made with the ingredients I had on hand.

Spicy Tomato Soup

You will need

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups marinara sauce
2 (14oz) cans Vegetable broth
1 (15oz) can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (vary to suit your taste)
1/2 cup Shell pasta (or any small pasta)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Warm the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, vegetable broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot!

This surely isn't your average tomato soup. I had mine topped with a little bit of grated Parmesan..hmm good!!

Thyme Popovers

You will need

Softened butter for greasing pans, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Generously grease aluminum popover pans or custard cups with softened butter. You'll need enough pans to make 12 popovers. Place the pans in the oven for 2 minutes to preheat. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, thyme, eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth. The batter will be thin. Fill the popover pans less than half full and bake for exactly 30 minutes. Do not peek :)

This went well with the hot spicy soup...