A+ Alphabet Soup

Last Updated on July 6, 2023 by Heather Reseck

Belief Bakery

This recipe originally appeared in the May 13, 2023 issue of Guide magazine, a publication for children ages 10-14. It is the number 12 in a series of 28 installments called “Belief Bakery” which uses a hands-on cooking project to illustrate the 28 fundamental beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists.

This project is in collaboration with my husband, Greg Reseck, a retired educator who specialized in project-based learning.

We emphasize the love of God and Biblical concepts and tie them into fun cooking projects with healthy plant-based recipes.

God’s Soup-er Family

The church is more than a building. It’s God’s family on earth—a global community for experiencing and sharing God’s love. 

This community of like-minded believers who love God and one another develops a nurturing environment that helps you grow spiritually. 

Love among God’s family members demonstrates His love in practical ways and helps others better understand God’s loving character. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.” John 13:35, New Living Translation.

Playing, praying, studying, and worshiping with other members of God’s family creates a common bond.  Caring, sharing, and serving others unites God’s family in a common purpose—to share His love with those who don’t know they can be part of God’s family too.

God’s family is a lot like soup. It takes a mixture of ingredients to make soup. Each ingredient plays a specific purpose. Vegetables, water, tomato sauce, pasta, and salt each contribute a different flavor, color, or texture to create a delicious combination that’s much better than any ingredient by itself.

Similarly, each person plays a unique role in contributing to God’s family. God created a community of believers because we are better together. Your particular “flavor” enhances God’s family.

In this cooking project, you can experience and taste how the individual ingredients combine to make a tasty alphabet soup. 

You can use the letters to spell out your name or words that remind you of God’s love and His family on earth. 

Information for Kids

• Adult supervision is recommended for inexperienced junior chefs.
• Difficulty: Easy

Before you begin

1. Read through the recipe, variations, and tips.
2. Choose if you want to make the main recipe or a variation.
3. Arrange to buy any ingredients that you need.

Steps to get ready to cook

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Gather the equipment.
3. Gather the ingredients.

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Liquid measure
• 2-to-3-quart saucepan
• Large spoon for stirring
• Small spoon, for tasting
• Ladle for serving, optional

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, corn, and carrots)
• ½ cup tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce
• ½ cup mini alphabet pasta
• ½- ¾ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Pour the water into a medium (2-to-3-quart) saucepan. 
2. Stir in the vegetables, tomato sauce, pasta, and salt. 
3. Place on a burner that matches the size of the bottom of the saucepan. 
4. Turn the heat to high and cook until it boils, stirring frequently so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom. 
5. Reduce the heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and vegetables are soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Dip a small clean spoon in the soup. Let it cool down and taste it. Decide if it needs more salt. 
7. Use a ladle or large spoon to spoon the soup into bowls and serve.

Variations

• Add extra tomato sauce.
• Add 1 (15-ounce) of can diced tomatoes (do not drain.)
• Add 1 small peeled and chopped onion.
• Add 1 sliced celery rib.
• Add 1 medium peeled potato, cut into ½-inch pieces. Yellow and red potatoes don’t need to be peeled but scrub them well before cutting.  
• Add 1 (15-ounce) can of rinsed and drained white beans or pinto beans.
• Gluten-Free: Omit the pasta and reduce the water to 2 cups. Add ½ cup of cooked brown rice.  

Tips

• Not all grocery stores sell mini alphabet pasta, but it can be ordered online.
• If you can’t find mini alphabet pasta, you can use another tiny pasta such as orzo. 
• If the soup gets too thick, stir in additional water. 
• The pasta in leftover soup will continue to absorb the liquid. Add more water as needed.

Health Bite

Salt enhances the flavor of food. It’s best to add a small amount at a time because if you add too much, you can’t take it out.  Salt contributes sodium, an important mineral in the body to help the nerves and muscles operate properly and maintain fluid levels. Too much or too little can cause health problems.

Recipe Video