Aush: Afghan Noodle Soup

I love pasta. I love the texture of the different cuts and the different mouth feel of different grains. I love finding the perfect cut of pasta to go with what I'm serving. But. I have never cooked pasta in broth before. Like most people, I cook my pasta in water, drain and rinse it. But this might be a game changer. Because while I love pasta, most of the time, it just tastes like pasta. The sauce does all the flavor work. But this time, things are different. There is no draining, so all that broth stays around and infuses into the pasta itself. And it's awesome.

I love this soup hot or cold. If you have it cold the next day, the broth soaks in even more and you can just eat it up with a fork. This is supposed to be a soup, but the starches from the pasta make it remarkably thick. I love the texture of it as is, but add another cup or so of broth if you want it to be thinner.

Aush: Afghan Noodle Soup

1lb pasta, small pieces

1 can red kidney beans

1 can white beans

½ cup tomato paste, about one small can

1lb ground beef or chicken

3tbsp – ¼ cup parsley, chopped

1 tbsp fresh dill

1 tsp dried mint leaves

Salt

Pepper

2 tbsp Curry Olive Oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups vegetable broth

Heat the Curry Olive Oil to medium high in a large pan. Add the ground meat and the garlic and cook, stirring frequently until fully cooked and browned on all sides.

Add the tomato paste and vegetable broth to the pan. Bring the heat up to a high simmer and add the pasta. Simmer for about 6-8 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. If it absorbs the broth too fast, splash in a little more broth or water.

Drain and rinse both cans of beans. Add them with the herbs and stir until well mixed and warmed through.