Quick Wonton Soup

Brrr...baby, it's cold outside! The chill in the air has me craving soups and stews. I've found myself curled up on the couch, under a blanket or two and a mug of something to warm me up. I came home from the gym the other night and found myself unprepared for soup craving. I was too lazy / didn't want to be bothered with making something that included defrosting and lots of simmering.

I raided my refrigerator and found vegetable scraps (celery and carrots) leftover from a weekend stew. At this point, I figured I'd at least get some vegetable soup but knew I would need some protein. In my freezer, I found some mini-wontons that my husband bought. (He always buys himself a "treat" from Costco. It's usually something that can be prepared easily on days he needs a quick snack or small meal.) My mind really started spinning at this point. Some more digging around and I found myself throwing together a quick wonton soup. For my husband, I chopped up half a Serrano pepper and simmered that into his broth since he loves his spicy food (see variation).

I am especially proud of this recipe because it not only used fresh produce that may have spoiled otherwise, but I also cleared out some freezer space!

Quick Wonton Soup

Ingredients:
1/3 stalk of celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1/2 onion diced
2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
15 frozen mini wontons
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp pepper
salt to taste
slices of ginger (optional)

1. Heat a small pot with olive oil on medium high heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, add onions and let them become soft (approximately 2 minutes). Add celery, carrots, ginger if using and stir.
2. Add stock to de-glaze any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover and let it come to a boil. 
3. Uncover to add wontons, season with salt and pepper and let soup return to a boil before reducing the heat to low.
4. Simmer for 5 minutes

Variation:
Add jalapenos or another pepper to add some spiciness to the broth