From a Houston garden to the table

Sometimes you have to turn to canned goods to make a quick meal, but a few garden vegetables can bring the meal to life

My day begins at three in the morning, and last week I was getting home around 5:30 in the afternoon. My family was waiting for me to serve a meal, so I needed a quick dinner idea. I hit upon making a one pot dish to minimize clean-up: a pasta cooked in soup.

    I remember years ago a friend saying his pasta sauce was the best. He mentioned that his secret was to buy one of these pre-made sauces in a jar that he would add herbs and spices too. Since I had some canned soups for my hurricane kit, I began to prepare the soup. I added the box of pasta directly into the soup. I headed out to the garden where I harvested parsely, oregano, and rosemary with some onions and celery. The herbs went into the dish just before serving. Adding herbs in last seems to keep their flavor better. Since the soup contained salt, I did not add anymore. I did throw in some pepper, paprika, and garlic flakes. I had my meal in thirty minutes.
    I do not buy too many canned goods, but I always try to have a good supply on hand for the hurricane season. This does mean that I have to use before they go bad. After our last hurricane in Houston, I found my vegetable garden in ruins. I was still able to harvest some vegetables and herbs, but I do not rely on the garden after such a storm. The nice thing about cooking pasta in this way is that the pasta absorbs the flavors of the soup, which becomes the sauce. Adding the fresh ingredients helps with the flavor, and I imagine that the nutirtional value improves.
    I think that I need to keep more soup on hand for those days where I have no time to prepare a meal. I think thirty minutes is pretty good for a quick dinner.

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