How to Use Store-Bought Broth to Make A Quick Soup

5 from 2 votes

How to Use Store-Bought Broth to Make A Quick Soup

An easy way to use store-bought broth to make a semi homemade soup. Enjoy with small pasta or use it as a base for a heartier soup.

Course: Main Course

Keyword: Soup

Servings: or more

Author: Chasing the Seasons

Ingredients

2 32 oz. Boxed organic chicken broth See notes
1 32 oz. Boxed organic vegetable broth See notes
2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
Bouquet garni of dried herbs (like basil, parsley, oregano, bay leaf and peppercorns) Be generous! See notes.
Fine sea salt, to taste
Small cooked pasta (ditalini, elbows, soup shells, pastina, etc.)

Instructions

In a large pot, combine the chicken and vegetable broths.
Add the lightly crushed garlic cloves.
Season the broth with a bouquet garni of peppercorns and dried or fresh herbs. See notes for alternate method. Salt to taste.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, or slightly longer, to allow the flavors to come together. Taste and adjust seasonings. Once the flavor is to your liking, discard the garlic and herbs.
In the meantime, if using small pasta, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Generously salt and cook the pasta. Drain and briefly rinse to remove some of the starch. Keep the pasta separated, see notes, adding desired portion to each serving bowl. Ladle with hot broth.

Notes

Type of broth: While this recipe calls for a combination of chicken and vegetable broth, feel free to use only chicken or vegetable, if desired.

Making more or less: If making a smaller or larger batch, the method is still the same, adjust the seasonings as needed.

Additions: Consider adding pre-cooked shredded chicken or roasted or steamed carrots, or other vegetables, as desired.

Bouquet garni or alternate method: A bouquet garni is essentially a bundle or sachet of herbs. To prepare:

Gather desired herbs, be generous.
Place them in a small muslin bag, an empty unbleached teabag, or wrap them in cheesecloth;
Tie the bundle securely with kitchen twine to keep the herbs contained during cooking

Alternatively, add dried herbs directly to the pot and plan to strain the broth into another pot at the end, discarding the garlic and herbs. Pro tip: crush dried herbs between your hands by rubbing them with your palms or fingers, this is a quick technique that breaks them down to release essential oils, significantly boosting their aroma and flavor.

Cooking the pasta and storing it separately: By cooking pasta separately for soup, it will prevent the pasta from swelling, becoming mushy, and absorbing too much broth, especially if storing leftovers. Boil pasta in generously salted water, drain and rinse, and drizzle with a little extra virgin oil to prevent sticking. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

To reheat, only add the desired amount of pasta to the amount of broth to be reheated, keeping the rest refrigerated, simmer for a few minutes until warmed through.

Should Pasta Be Rinsed? The answer to rinsing pasta is NEVER and YES. Never rinse pasta for a traditional pasta recipe, the starch is integral to the dish. However, always rinse pasta for a brothy soup. Otherwise the starches will thicken the broth and compromise the integrity of the recipe. Creamy or thick soups, however, benefit from cooking pasta directly in the broth. So the answer is never, and yes. It all depends on the recipe.