Tomato Florentine Soup

We went out to dinner last night with a dear friend and had lovely time catching up. We were supposed to have met up with her for dinner back in April, but then I learned I was going to the tech conference and we had to switch up plans. One of the things that amazes me most when we catch up with someone we haven't seen for a while is how much it feels like so much has happened and yet when we sit down to talk, everything is pretty much exactly the way it was before. Even if it's still same-old same-old, it doesn't change the fact that we're exhausted.

Oh, and my god, enough with the allergies already. The constant sinus pressure and not being able to stop rubbing my eyes is not helping with the exhaustion levels. I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm not developing allergies—I've had them for years. Every April-May. I'm just cluing in to the pattern this year though and realizing it for what it is. I don't know how Scoob does this year round—I have no patience, I'm constantly tired, I'm craving sugary food (because I'm constantly tired), and I'm pretty sure Day One will be here momentarily.

I saw my first blooming Matilija poppy on the drive to work yesterday, which is mom's special mother's day flower. Speaking of which, I'll be hitting the open road (or the gridlocked road) this holiday weekend to drive up to Oregon to visit mom and grandma for a few days. Scoob will be staying home with the kitties. I sure hope the change of scenery will help with the sinus pressure, but of course it seems like it's been just as damp and cool up there as it has been here so far this year. I still have my winter blankets on the bed and it's nearly June! I'm soooo ready for some heat.

So, while we were at dinner last night, we were talking about eating better and how we really try to scale back on the amount of meat that we eat. But Scoob ran out of ideas for what to make for his lunches ages ago and he eats a lot of pasta. A lot. I've tried to explain to him before that half a box of spaghetti noodles is not a single serving, but it never really sunk in. Until last night. We needed to stop and get him some more pasta and I was reading the label to him and and he picked up on the fact that a box has 8 servings in it. He just about flipped out when he started breaking that down and comparing it to what he actually eats at a single meal.

So anyhow, I've been hitting the recipe stacks trying to find things for him to make that are quick, simple, and more balanced. I made this soup for dinner tonight and he insisted that I blog the recipe so I won't ever lose it. I guess that means he liked it ☺

Tomato Florentine Soup

Cooking time: 25 minutes
Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil

½ a medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

½ cup mushrooms, sliced

1 can chicken broth

1 cup red wine

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. dried basil

pepper to taste

½ cup pasta shells

1 cup fresh spinach

Directions

1. In a saucepan, cook onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms, broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce, basil, and pepper and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 15 minutes , then add the pasta shells and cook according to directions.
2. Stir in the spinach and cook until bright green and wilted; about 2 minutes.

This was really tasty and I'm bummed I didn't make more so we could both have left overs for lunch tomorrow. It came out very stew-like, so you may want to add some water to thin it out if you're looking for a soup. Could probably make this with frozen spinach, but we had fresh in the house, and frankly, unless it's being really cooked, like a quiche, I'll always use fresh spinach.