Beef and Rotini Soup, From a Thin Pantry
Tomato, beef and rotini, balanced with miso, vinegar and oat milk. Built from what was in the pantry on a rainy Saturday.
- Serves
- 6
- Total
- 40 min
A soup built from a thin pantry on a rainy Saturday. Salty, sour, rich and a little heat, with nothing shouting over the rest.
Nothing in it is precious. The bouillon was a Goya packet because the Better Than Bouillon was gone. The pasta was a box of rotini from 2023 that had been at the back of the cupboard. The beef was two burger patties, crumbled. It was very good anyway, and that's the point.
If it's not right
- Flat: salt, and then acid. The vinegar is doing more than you think.
- Too sharp: a little more oat milk to round it off.
- Heavy: more vinegar, not more salt.
- Thick and claggy the next day: the pasta drank the broth. Water, and taste again.
The story behind it: More Than You Think, in the Journal.
Ingredients
Method
-
**Brown the beef.** Heat a pot or wide pan over medium-high. Add the beef, salt and pepper, break it into crumbles, and let it sit so it browns well, about 8 minutes.
-
**Skim the fat.** Spoon off most of it, leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons in the pan.
-
**Add the aromatics.** Stir in the garlic and cilantro stems for about a minute, until fragrant.
-
**Toast the tomato paste.** Stir in the paste and cook, stirring often, until it darkens to brick red, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cayenne and garlic powder for the last 30 seconds.
-
**Build the broth.** Add the broth, water and half the bouillon powder, scraping up the browned bits. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes. Taste and add more bouillon if it needs it.
-
**Cook the pasta.** Add the rotini and simmer 8 to 9 minutes, until tender. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
-
**Finish off the heat.** Turn the heat to low. Whisk the miso with a ladle of hot broth until smooth, then stir it in with the oat milk. Don't let it boil from here.
-
**Balance and serve.** Stir in the vinegar. Taste, and only then adjust the salt. Top with the cilantro leaves.
From the journal
- More Than You Think — A rainy day, a thin pantry, and a pot of soup.
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