The joy of the holidays are over, the new year has begun, and it’s back to the grind. If you are like me it’s time to get a handle on your eating again. We eat healthy and balanced meals most of the time but I’ll be the first to admit that I let our better habits slip a lot during the holiday season.
Choosing healthy options for your family doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive, and today’s recipe proves that point. You are going to love this healthy 30 minute alphabet soup. It’s kid tested and healthy mama approved. If putting a healthy meal on the table is quick and easy then you have no reason not to!
This past summer I grew a huge garden and canned my heart out. My pantry is plum full of delicious veggies that I pull out now, in the middle of winter, and enjoy. I know that most of you weren’t able to do the same, so when I was given the opportunity to blog about something I would consider comparable to my own cans of garden veggies (and that is really saying something!) I took that chance.
Let me introduce you to Del Monte® canned veggies. I did some research about this brand and their product before I agreed to blog about it and what I found surprised and pleased me. Did you know that 90% of Del Monte’s produce is grown in the United States? I was also pretty impressed when I read, “Del Monte fruit, vegetables and tomatoes are picked at the peaks of ripeness, with the majority canned the same day they are picked to lock in flavor, vitamins, antioxidants and essential nutrients. 95% of all Del Monte canned fruit, vegetable and tomato products are preservative-free.” Fun facts that sure sold me on the product.
And then I tried it…delicious! I did a little blind taste test on my kids (and we all know how honest kids are) between Del Monte’s green beans and the green beans that we grew and canned and the kids couldn’t tell the difference. Neither could I for that matter. If a veggie canning company can compete with the produce that I lovingly grew and stored away then they are doing something right and have my stamp of approval. This recipe use lots of different canned vegetables which makes it a cinch to prepare. And you can keep the ingredients for the recipe on hand, because they aren’t going to go bad if you don’t get to the making it right away.
So next time you are out, stock up on some Del Monte vegetables, that way when you need a quick and healthy meal on a busy school night you’ll have everything you need. It’s like have a garden in your pantry, only you don’t have to weed it. Now on to that soup.
There is something magical about alphabet soup. Having all those fun letters hiding in it makes it so easy to dig in to. My little ones love finding the letters to their names and if they happen to eat tons of vegetables while doing so I’m not going to complain. This soup is thick and hearty without being heavy. With just the right amount of seasoning and a magical sweetness that comes from the use of ripe tomatoes in the tomato juice, this soup is going to please even the pickiest eaters.
Here are the cans of veggies that I used. Doesn’t back-lighting make everything look pretty? 🙂 
Healthy 30 Minute Alphabet Soup
- Yield: Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 46-ounce can tomato juice
- 1 14.5-ounce can Del Monte® Diced Tomatoes, undrained
- 1 14.5-ounce Del Monte® Whole Green Beans
- 1 14.5-ounce Del Monte® Peas and Carrots
- 1 14.5-ounce Del Monte® Whole Kernel Corn
- 1 14.5 ounce can full of water
- 2 tablespoon bullion base (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
- 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 12-ounce box alphabet noodles
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and onion over medium-high heat until the onion is cooked through and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato juice, diced tomatoes (with the juice), green beans, peas and carrots, corn, water, bullion base, parsley, basil, and salt to the pan.
- Continue to heat until the mixture is boiling. Add the alphabet noodles and continue to cook while the mixture is boiling for 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the soup to rest for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (don’t be stingy on the salt!) and enjoy right away.
Notes
This soup is pretty thick, just the way I like it. If you’d like it less thick add a second can of water and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Y-U-M is right!
Wasn’t that easy?! Open a few cans, let the pasta cook, and enjoy. Done. And here’s something else fun. Del Monte is sponsoring a giveaway of a $100 Visa gift card to get you excited about their tasty products. All you need to do to enter is answer the following question in the comment section of this post. That’s pretty easy too!
What are your favorite fruits or vegetables to stock in your pantry?
I’m never without green beans and pears. We love them. Delicious soup and a giveaway, now this is what I call a good post! And don’t forget to check out the Del Monte Facebook page for great recipes and other food-driven fun! I hope you enjoy the soup as much as I enjoyed telling you about it, and good luck. Thanks so much for reading! You all make this hobby so very enjoyable.
Giveaway rules: No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 1/6/2014-2/6/2014
Be sure to visit the Del Monte brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!
I’ve never seen alphabet noodles. I’ll have to go hunting! We stock up on green beans, corn, pears and peaches. I wish I could grow a garden-ful like you. Some day!
I like to keep green beans, corn, tomatoes, and peaches in my pantry.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
2nd entry tweet https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/420264251488337920
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
I like to stock canned tomatoes, kidney beans and corn.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydinpa/status/420270976585039872
I like to stock up on canned beans and tomatoes
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/420274439033348096
Do canned beans count? Because I always have those. But veggies I always, always have diced tomatoes, green beans and corn.
i love corn
My favorites are canned pineapples and corn.
mami2jcn at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/420289343626833920
I always stock up on green beans and corn.
I usually stock up on green beans.
I have corn, green beans, and tomatoes in my pantry.
I keep corn, tomatoes, peaches, and sweet potatoes in my pantry.
austma7@aol.com
My favorites to stock up on are green beans and peaches
I keep canned green beans and peaches stocked in my pantry.
tweet
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/420341417349611521
Canned apples! Who knew you could do it and it would work?! I tried it this fall, and now I have a bunch of canned apples that I pull out, whip up a pie crust, and throw into the crust. FAN to the TASTIC. Love it. Beats freezing and then storing them in my still valuable freezer space.
I always keep pears, creamed corn, and tomatoes stocked.
I always have canned corn, canned peas and canned pineapple on hand!
Green beans and corn for me!!
I have corn, green beans, peas, kidney beans, lima beans, baked beans, and tomatoes, peaches,
pineapple and mixed fruit in my kitchen cabinet.
I always try to have a few can of black beans and also fresh potatoes and onions on hand to cook with
we stock up on canned sweet potatoes. also lots of canned peas
tweet
https://twitter.com/MeandBells/status/420376668088193024
I like raspberries and blackberries the most!
I like to stock up on canned fruit like fruit cocktail or pineapple chunks.
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/420378426302672896
I DO NOT buy anything but De Monte. I have my lazy susan and pantry stocked with green beans and corn. I try to stock up on them when they are on sale. I love to open a can of corn heat it up add butter and have it for lunch. I also make green bean casserole for the family which is their favorite. Del Monte is the best buy far and taste like fresh picked veggies. Keep up the good work Del Monte you are the best.
I’m trying this tomorrow! Thanks!
i keep corn, green beans, tomatoes and peaches in my pantry most of the time
i posted a tweet:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/420381473024114688
Kidney beans, green beans, corn are always around here
My favorite fruits and vegetables to stock in my pantry are canned tomatoes, peas, corn, green beans and peaches.
Peaches, Pears, Applesauce, Tomatoes, Beans (black and kidney)
I stock up on canned peaches, pears, corn, strings beans , baked beans and diced tomatoes
I like to stock up on potatoes and green beans.
I like to stock.freeze cherries.
we love corn peas, pineapple and pears.
tweet
https://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/420440173751459840
I LOVE tomatoes 🙂 From fat, juicy tomatoes off the vine to cherry tomatoes! They’re all so good 🙂 Lately, I’ve also started developing a thing for cucumbers. I don’t know why, but suddenly I am finding them super delicious 🙂
I’m with you on the cucumbers! I didn’t like them my whole life until I had my second baby and now I love them… I even put them in tacos! Try it, you might love it 🙂
Tweeted 🙂 – https://twitter.com/Enter_Now/status/420566377682841600
I stock everything in my pantry: cranberries, beans of all types/sizes, green beans, corn, pineapples, potatoes, etc etc etc. I am a cannery!
mandarin oranges and pineapple
I keep peas, corn and peaches.
I tweeted with “#SweepstakesEntry”
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Healthy+30+Minute+Alphabet+Soup&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blessthismessplease.com%2F2014%2F01%2Fhealthy-30-minute-alphabet-so
I want to thank you for this awesome sweep 🙂
I usually stock tomatoes, peaches, pears, corn.
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/420606264972820480
I keep tomatoes, corn and peas stocked.
My favorite stocked fruit is peaches and pears!! ky_grandma40@yahoo.com
I always have onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers on hand. My daughter likes fresh veggies for snacking.
I love stocking up on sweet corn and green beans!
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
Canned winter squash is a family favorite of ours for the pantry; also canned black beans for a quick addition to any meal.
I love stocking corn, peaches and pineapple in our pantry!
corn and tomatoes!
tvollowitz at aol dot com
Corn, Tomatoes and pineapple
peas and carrots, diced tomatoes, olive oil
Oh my gosh this looks so yummy!!! And you’re “yum” picture is darling. We always have canned tomatoes on hand. One of the only veggies we use canned. But maybe I’m gonna have to use Del Monte and give canned ones another go!
I like to have canned tomato products on hand–and mandarin oranges. I just tried canned hominy for the first time and kind of liked it too. Thanks!
sharonjo at gwtc dot net
Tweet: https://twitter.com/sharonjo2/status/420785013525729280
sharonjo at gwtc dot net
My favorite fruits and vegetables to stock in my pantry are cauliflower and cantelope. Thanks for the giveaway!
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/ChrisMarie510/status/420789425929342976
My house is never without peaches and peas 🙂
I stock lots of corn, beans, and pineapples.
https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/420832856043036672
We keep canned corn on hand for scalloped corn (like corn soufle)
tweeted
https://twitter.com/MelindaJoy926/status/420933077326524416
I always have green beans corn and peaches
canned green beans cuz the kids love shepard’s pie & that’s how I make it.
I like to stock apples year round.
I always keep a variety of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots, dates) on hand for snacks and add-ins to recipes.
Several types of tomatoes, peaches, green beans, corn and pineapple
I like to stock up on corn and tomatoes.
i love to keep mandarin oranges on hand for snacking
I always have corn and green beans in my cabinets.
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
We always have corn & green beans on hand! We love them!
I like to stock canned peas, corn, beets, and tropical fruit.
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/421743899221032960
I like to stock my pantry with green beans, corn, peaches and tomatoes
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/421842575671037953
I like to stock canned beans and pineapple in my pantry
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/421856897570840577
Carrots, spinach and boccoli
I love having canned baby corn on hand!
I like to keep string green beans, corn, and peas in the pantry at all times, we use them often.
2nd entry
https://twitter.com/bdiane35/status/421904096921018368
Peaches for peach cobblers and green beans for green bean casseroles.
I stock up on corn and green beans.
I always have cans of corn
I always keep applesauce and diced tomatoes in my pantry. Thanks for the chance to win! mrsmchappell at gmail dot com
http://twitter.com/MrsMChappell/status/422585158295109632
Tweet
mrsmchappell at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/422586895550275584
Corn, fire roasted tomatoes and peaches.
onefrugalgirl AT gmail DOT com
Tomatoes, peaches, corn, green beans, pineapple – I use them all.
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margueritecore [at] gmail [dot] com
I posted a tweet too: https://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/422625191098073088
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margueritecore [at] gmail [dot] com
We love to stock up on canned peaches, fruit cocktail, corn, garbanzo beans, waxed beans and my favorite, sliced beets.
I always have a variety of beans, plus some form of canned tomatoes, and usually corn and peaches.
My most-stocked item is diced and stewed tomatoes because I use them so often in cooking!
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/MsCarolsueA/status/422941868150644736
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
I stock green beans and corn
My favorite vegetables to stock in the pantry are sweetcorn, carrots, green beans and beans. I love to choose them all in a variety of recipes but I have to admit I am rather obsessed with green bean casserole at the moment!
My favorite fruits to store are tangerines, pineapple and peaches! My children love to eat them straight from the cans and I like to use them in trifles.
mummytotwoboys@yahoo.com
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/423137596789645312
mummytotwoboys@yahoo.com
I like to keep corn and tomatoes on hand!
Just wanted to point it out..the title on your picture is misspelled..Aphabet…missing an “L” 😛
I love having artichokes on hand. It’s so handy!
I loveee Del Monte corn, peas, and peaches!! yummmmm….thanks for the chance to win
I stock up on canned tomatoes and beans.
lazybones344 at gmail dot com
I like to stock green beans and pineapple
I like to stock up on corn and tomatoes
My favorite fruit to stock in my pantry are apples.
tweeted at https://twitter.com/fernglade77/status/424988939057758209
Tweet
https://twitter.com/didyouyarnthat/status/425003655268290560
My favorite fruits are peaches and pineapple. My favorite veggies are asparagus and black olives.
I have to have tomatoes with green chilies, mushrooms and pears in our pantry.
Thank you.
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/425077488705081344
grapefruit and blackberries.
We stock up on peas, corn, and peaches
Tweeted! https://twitter.com/smash906/status/425471458475655168
Green beans and tomatoes!
Tomatoes…paste diced ,puree, every different way.
I like having corn, green beans, and peaches always on hand.
I always keep a good stock of green chiles and black beans!
I always have peas, corn, and diced tomatoes in my pantry.
We always have a variety of tomatoes on hand (diced, stewed, whole-peeled, etc.), corn, and pineapple.
I like green beans, peas, and apricots.
I always have canned corn in my pantry.
tweeted https://twitter.com/neiddy_ruiz/status/426381829600325632
I usually have tomatoes, canned potatoes and sauerkraut.
Tweeted here: https://twitter.com/1prizewinner/status/426434827412189184
I always keep corn and green beans.
I like to keep lots of corn and green beans since they are so versatile. And we love manderin oranges and pineapple too!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/coriwestphal/status/427263578970673152
coriwestphal at msn dot com
My favorite pantry veggies are onions & potatoes.
I like to stock green beans, all types of canned tomatoes, baby sweet peas and pineapple slices.
I like green beans and tomatos
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/427987832909463553
I always have pineapple and green beans stocked up!
motioncitycutie(at)aol(dot)com
I keep green beans mandarin ornages pineapple pears and peaches
https://twitter.com/mkjmc/status/428245022488530944
I always keep green beans, corn, and new potatoes on hand, and apples and bananas!
https://twitter.com/gabbymarshall2/status/428350218850283521
I love to stock up on canned green beans and pineapple chunks.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/428536445569990657
I always have canned tomatoes and pumpkin!
my favorite veggies to have on hand are beets and corn, and I like to have peaches
nannypanpan@gmail.com
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/428719189382004736
i love canned corn and beans
I like to keep tomatoes and corn in my pantry
i love to keep pineapple on hand
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/429287197104033793
https://twitter.com/sodahoney/status/429396890086420480
I stock up on tomatoes and soup
I always have olives, mushrooms, and green beans in my pantry.
I always have canned tomatoes, pineapple, and green beans in my pantry.
smchester at gmail dot com
When I go to Sam’s Club the most important cases of veggies to me are the corn and green beans.Tomatoes, of course. I love variety, though.
I try to keep a pretty good supply of several fruits and vegetables on hand, but the mainstay is tomatoes, in various forms.
I like to stock peaches and corn 🙂
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/430092187796127744
Mmmm, we like green beans in our house and it’s always good to have them on hand.
https://twitter.com/channynn/status/430153921646981120
I always stock green beans.
I stock corn (my personal favorite), green beans, several different kinds of tomatoes, peaches, pears, mandarin orange. In fact, I probably have at least one of every item Del Monte offers.
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/430414071242821632
canned tomatoes, green beans and peaches
peaches, corn, green beans
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/430437004325564416
We keep tomatoes, beans, peaches in our pantry
https://twitter.com/ddx155/status/430464742591700992
I like to keep in stock canned corn, peas and tomatoes, mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, pickles, olives and jars of artichoke hearts. Can always make something quick with those on hand.
My favorite to stock are diced tomatoes.
Jicama because it’s so versatile.
ky2here at msn dot com
https://twitter.com/ky2here1/status/430795539525808128
ky2here at msn dot com
tomatoes and green beans
I have corn, green beans, and peaches in my pantry. I also have tomatoes and pineapple.
My favorite is Pineapple. It can be used in so many different recipes or just eaten by itself.
Canned green beans are the fave here. We have them pretty often. My daughter is crazy about peaches, so we always keep some on hand too.
I like to keep sliced peaches and applesauce in my pantry for a quick snack or a dessert.
We have a lot of favorites. We keep bananas and tomatoes in stock all the time. Along with potatoes.
Pineapple! We love it by itself, or combined with everything!
I stock peaches and peas.
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/431091647049240577
I always stock up on pineapples and tomatoes.
We always have cucumbers available. We use them in salads and the kids eat them as snacks.
I always have tangerines.
I like to stock up on canned corn and green beans as well as canned peaches.
I Tweeted: https://twitter.com/lisalmg/status/431142968414580736
My husband has an amazing way of fixing cooked carrots. Thank you
I love to have canned pears stocked in my pantry. I can never have enough of them. susansmoaks at gmail dot com
Always have canned corn and beans stocked.
https://twitter.com/ardy22/status/431180282511622144
I always have tomatoes and beans
canned peaches
I have canned tomatoes and canned pineapple
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/rosannepm/status/431249347993284608
I like to keeped stockedup on fruit cocktail
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/431254041092317184
I like to keep strawberries stocked.
boylaneely at hotmail dot com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/JustMarriedMom3/status/431263269488455680
boylaneely at hotmail dot com
corn and tomatoes!
https://twitter.com/scg00387/status/431276847876161536
I like stocking up on peas, corn, creamed corn, pineapples and mandarin oranges
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/431278364460986368
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
My favorite vegetable to keep stocked in the pantry is probably canned peas.
i always have dried mango and canned tomatos
corn, asparagus, tomatoes
pineapple is great to keep in my pantry because it makes my recipes so tasty & it tastes great right out of the can!
https://twitter.com/wikichoco/status/431403412517699584
I usually keep pineapple and tomatoes on hand.
I like to stock up on green beans and corn.
I love to keep lots of different beans and tomato products on hand so that I can always throw together an Italian recipe or pot of soup.
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/431449885733167104
You would find apples and pears in my pantry 🙂
blueberries and beans.
My favorite to keep stocked up on are all kinds of beans.
Peaches are my favorite.
I like to stock up on canned corn and green beans.
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/431503761488375808
I like lots, bananas, avocados, and all kinds of greens.
I like to have tomatoes and pineapple on hand.
https://twitter.com/dddiva/status/431555910075301888
I always have peaches and different beans in my pantry.
Thanks for the contest.
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/431558436535291904
Never been a fan of peas, but corn is an absolute must! Whether it’s a side, in soup, or with nachos(don’t knock it until you try it!) I always have corn on hand.
I always have tomatoes, beans and peaches and pears in my pantry
https://twitter.com/eaglesforjack/status/431575873087475712
Del Monte tomatoes are an essential staple in our pantry
https://twitter.com/thriftymaven/status/431576420435771392
I always have green beans and peaches stocked.
We always have pineapple chunks because my daughter snacks on them all the time! (always have green beans too – just in case!)
I love pears and peaches.
I keep my pantry stocked with Del Monte; peas and carrots, diced AND stewed tomatoes. My son eats most anything served over pasta so Del Monte makes up 85% of this skillet full of tasty, nutritious dinner – and leftovers for my work lunch box. Brown a cut up head of garlic in butter OR bacon grease if your lucky enough to have some around. Add a chopped onion to the partially browned garlic. Add I sliced up link of your favorite sausage or 1/2 lb of browned turkey burger when onions are half way done (they continue cooking while the sausage is cooking / releasing its flavor into the mix). Add a can of peas and carrots, one or two cans of diced or stewed tomatoes to heat up in last 5 min. of cooking, until sausage is done – plump and juicy !
I serve it over pasta with grated parmesan chesse and toasted sour dough ! A complete nutritionally balanced meal in one skillet ! i store left over pasta seperately and combine before reheating throughout the week from my lunch box. Enjoy !
Ok I love how quick and easy this soup is! Just my two cents- since I can’t ever find a box of alphabet noodles for the life of me (weird, right?!) I used orzo this last time and I definitely recommend that. I also cooked it for just five minutes (you’re supposed to cook it for ten according to the pasta box) and then just take it off the heat, uncovered, and it continues to cook through as it sits for ten minutes or so. I found this cooks it perfectly and it doesn’t overcook and get too mushy for leftovers, which I’m always nervous about with noodle dishes 🙂