Last week, temperatures dropped below 90 degrees, which basically felt like the beginning of fall. I took the opportunity to make some delicious soup with lots of vegetables from our garden. The temperature is back up to the 90’s this week, so the leftovers are all in the freezer. We’ll enjoy them in the fall!
I like to roast tomatoes for this soup, since it adds a nice, different flavor. Start with a bunch of different varieties of tomatoes. I used paste, beefsteak, and San Marzano tomatoes, because that’s what we had the most of that day. Cut the tomatoes into 2-inch pieces.
Add the tomatoes to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and add salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Spread the tomatoes out on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
While the tomatoes are roasting, start prepping your other veggies and heating up your stock. I used veggie broth, but you can use whatever you like best. Heat up 12 cups of stock in a large stock pot. 
Grab lots of carrots from your garden. Chop off the greens, peel, and slice them up. You can cut them as large or small as you like.
You can slice up some celery and celery greens, too. I’m not a huge celery fan, so I didn’t put any in this soup. If you don’t have any, but you like celery flavor, just add some dried celery seed.
Scott recently picked the onions from our garden and hung them up to dry. I used a couple white onions and a red onion for this soup. You can use whatever you have in your garden. Leeks are great in this soup, too! Chop the onions into small pieces.
We had just two ears of corn left in the garden, so I decided to add them to the soup. Cut the kernels off the cob.
Once the tomatoes are done, add them to the heated broth. You’ll know they’re done when some parts are charred and they’re all wrinkly. Be sure to add all the tomato juice, too! Stir the tomatoes in the broth to break them up a bit.
Add all other veggies to the broth. Bring to a boil and keep at medium-high heat. Add two cloves of garlic, minced or sliced. Wash, chop, and add fresh herbs from your garden. I used thyme, oregano, and parsley.
While the broth is boiling, add 8 oz. of your favorite dry pasta. I use mini shells for this recipe. You can use any small pasta, such as orzo, ditalini, or pastina. If you want to make a more filling soup, you can add tortellini or beans (I suggest cannellini or kidney beans).
If you prefer to cook your pasta on the side and add it when serving your soup, be sure to add a good amount of salt to the pasta water. Cooking the pasta in the soup will make it a lot more flavorful, since it soaks up all of the flavors from the stock, veggies, and herbs.
Boil for about 10 minutes, then lower heat and simmer. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Ladle into soup bowls and serve. I served this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich made with fresh French bread from the bakery, butter, and Muenster cheese. Scott said it was the best sandwich he ever ate. I’ll take it! 🙂
Enjoy!!
Scott Baldelli Gardening & Design 