Note: No matter what angle, placement or camera settings we tried, none of the pictures came out right. If anyone has any photography tips on clearly showing off a bowl of soup, I’d love to hear them, please!

This soup got me through months of laziness and countless colds. It is warm and can be as flavorful, or not, as you need it to be. I used to add a dash of cayenne, which would clear my sinuses out in no time when I was stuffed. Now I like it to be a little less punchy and a bit more savory.

Recipe: Tomato Rice Soup

Makes 3-5 servings

• 1 small onion diced, or about 1/3 cup (optional)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup short or medium grain rice
• 1 15oz can of tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the onions in the oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat.
2. When onions begin to turn transparent, add the uncooked rice and stir to coat the grains with the oil.
3. Add the tomato sauce. Fill the sauce can with water and add to the pot twice. Stir and raise heat to high.
4. Bring to a boil, stirring every few minutes to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom.
5. After a boil is reached, lower heat slightly to keep rice from burning. Season lightly.
6. Continue to cook and stir rice for 15-20 more minutes, or until rice tastes fully cooked. Some types of rice will split at the ends, others will just puff up and look a bit transparent. If the soup loses too much water, or seems to thick, add another can of water and allow to boil again.
7. Serve hot, warm or allow to cool and enjoy at room temperature. The soup will thicken while cooling as liquid is soaked up by the rice or evaporates. Package cooled leftovers in an airtight container you don’t love since the tomato will stain plastic a bit orange.

I love to eat this with a piece or two of thick crusty bread, dipping until the soup is cool enough to sip. This recipe is the simple version and I usually do something a bit different each time to shake things up.

Some suggestions for additions to this soup are:

• Add pieces of cubed meat (or slices of sausage) before adding the rice. This will extend the cooking time a bit as the meat will need to have enough time to become tender
• Add a cube or teaspoon of bouillon instead of salt and pepper
• Season with oregano and/or basil and sprinkle some grated mozzarella or parmesan cheese onto each bowl while the soup is still hot for “pizza” soup.
• Allow to cook a bit longer for a tomato flavored sort of risotto
• Add a dash of cayenne and some diced bell peppers for a kick
• Stir in a dash of your favorite curry powder, a dollop of honey and sprinkle some slivered almonds over each bowl
• Add some corn to give it a bit more substance and crunch