My nana recently made a delicious yet simple soup that I love. I didn’t have the recipe for it, but I vaguely remembered what she put in it, so I tried my best to recreate it. Note: I do not really know what I’m doing in the kitchen. My method of cooking is to follow Pinterest recipes to the T and to use canned sauces as much as possible to cut down on preparation time. This soup reminds me of the comfort of my nana’s house in Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), Mexico. She used to make this when I would visit her in my childhood. It’s comforting to make this now that I live in Chicago, so far away from my family in Arizona and Mexico.
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 can (about 8 ounces) of tomato sauce
1 green chile
1 summer squash
1 zucchini (You can also use two summer squashes or two zucchinis.)
1 can of corn
Half (or whole) white onion
4-5 slices of pepper Jack cheese (3-4 ounces; I used Sargento.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle of garlic salt
The great thing about soup is that you can add other ingredients or different kinds of cheeses. This was enough for Graham and me for 2-3 days.
Add water and tomato sauce to pot and stir. Turn to medium high heat. Cut up the vegetables and add them to the pan. Add the cheese, stir and then simmer (mixing occasionally) for about 15-20 minutes. Add salt, pepper and garlic salt. (I knew it was done when I bit into the squash and it was tender.)
And that’s it! Easy, right?
As I ate this, I thought about my family and about Phoenix. I was so proud of myself for being to create a little piece of home. Enjoy!
Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.