Time for more soup!
The photos of this soup look very similar to the photos I posted a couple weeks ago of sweet potato + black bean chili.
And while the photos look similar, the taste is completely different. This soup is very special and has been a long time coming to you.
I’ve been making this soup for a few years now. It all started after a visit to Greg’s dad and stepmom. His stepmom made us a version of this soup for dinner, and like a lot of things, after one bite, I was in love.
I asked for the recipe, and Karen wrote it down on an index card for me. Through a couple of moves, I have misplaced the index card, but I have been making and enjoying the soup ever since.
Let me tell you how I’ve been making it.
I start with a lot of veggies. I prefer there to be too many veggies over not enough. I use the classic soup combo of garlic, onion, carrot and celery and also add bell peppers. Green bell peppers are excellent in this soup, and in this batch, I added a yellow one as well.
Next comes shrimp. I suggest using fresh, good quality, large shrimp. It’s hard to choose a “star” of this soup, but it may just be the shrimp. The shrimp make this soup unique, and having really wonderful shrimp makes it wonderful. I buy fresh shrimp and I peel and devein them myself, but choose whatever you feel comfortable with.
Vodka sauce. Similar to the shrimp, try not to skimp. Use a good quality jar of vodka sauce. Use a trusted brand, with an ingredient list that is short and recognizable. The best thing, really, would be to make your own, if you’re up for it. I tried homemade vodka sauce once, and it didn’t turn out, so I go the good quality jar route. The vodka sauce in this soup is what makes it so special. To the person eating it, it makes them think, “Just what is that flavor?”
The last element of this soup is broth. If I remember correctly, the original recipe called for beef broth. I don’t usually keep beef broth on hand so I have drifted to using veggie broth for this soup. I love it with veggie broth, but like me, feel free to experiment to find what you love!
This soup is: hearty, filling, delicious, warm, a bit spicy and satisfying.
Try adding this recipe to your fall soup rotation, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 medium carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 bell peppers (I used one green and one yellow)
- 1 pound raw peeled + deveined shrimp
- 1 jar of good quality vodka sauce
- 32 ounces veggie broth
- Salt and pepper
- Dried oregano
- Start by prepping all of the veggies. Chop the onion, carrots, celery and peppers to all the same size. Also, cut the peeled and deveined shrimp into bite-sized pieces. I cut each shrimp into three.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and stir.
- Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and peppers to the pot and stir well to coat in oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook 5-10 minutes, until veggies has softened and slightly browned. Add the raw shrimp to the pot and stir. Let cook about 2 minutes, or until the shrimp just begin to turn pink.
- Add the vodka sauce and veggie broth to the pot. Stir, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let soup simmer for 10-20 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked completely through and veggies are tender.
- Season the soup with salt, pepper and dried oregano, to taste.
- Enjoy!
