Sara’s Lazy Fish And Tomato Soup

Okay, so yesterday it’s cold, right? And I want something warm to eat, so I think “Soup!” Only problem is I neither have soup at my house, nor do I want to spend money to eat out. So, instead, what  decide to do is improvise! I was a little unsure of my culinary improvisational skills, but two bowls later, I figured the recipe was good enough to share with the NewsTaco universe!

It was literally freezing outside so, to avoid a trip to the store, I stared into my cupboard and began. There was a can of tomato soup, so I started with that, then I threw in a potato I had lying around, added some chopped onion and garlic for flavor. Then I realized I was going to need more broth, so I opened a can of tomato sauce and added water, then I added salt and pepper. Re-opening the cupboard I saw a can of peas and carrots — into the pot! And to top it all off, and for protein, I added two fish filets I had in the freezer.

I was really hungry and kept checking the pot every 2 minutes, but I think I boiled the mix for about 20 or 30 minutes, alternately tasting and adding spices — including dried chile piquín. Yum! The final product was surprisingly good, and I think you could substitute meats for fish, add other vegetables, or spice to your taste. The basic lesson learned for me is that I can make a hodge-podge soup from a can of tomato soup and some tomato sauce and water, well, it comes with free minerals in South Texas!

Here’s a rundown of the recipe, let me know what you think if you try it:

• 1 can of generic tomato soup
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of peas and carrots (may substitute with anything else, for example, corn)
• water to taste
• 1 potato, chopped
• garlic, onion, chopped — to taste
• salt, pepper, comino, spices, chile piquín — to taste
• 2 filets of fish (may substitute with chicken, beef, etc. — to taste)
• Boil for 20-30 minutes, or until fish/potatoes are cooked