This very simple and humble Spaghetti Soup, or as it's affectionately known in my house as Tia's Sketti Soup, is about as basic as it gets. Born out of lean times and needing to fill bellies quickly, it's a throwback favorite that I still make today. Basic as it may be, it is packed with flavor and brings back so many family memories!
Ingredients
Just a handful of basic ingredients is all you need. And I usually have all of these ingredients in my pantry in some shape or form. ANY pasta can be used, and I always have some tomato paste in there, chicken stock is even optional, sometimes I just use some bullion paste or just water if it comes down to it.
The most expensive part of this pot of soup is the bacon, and that's really not even that much. And it makes a GIANT pot of soup, that either feeds the crowd, or you can eat on it for a while. But it's so good you don't ever mind savoring it for lunch all week.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.
Method
After crisping the bacon and cooking the onion in the bottom of the pot. Bring the chicken stock or water to a boil. Then per Tia's very specific instructions, you work the tomato paste into the liquid by the teaspoon full. She would get some of the paste on the spoon, then wave it around in the pot until it slowly all falls off the spoon.
Tia was VERY SPECIFIC, this is the way it must be done.
Then add the pasta to the pot and the seasonings, and the soup is ready to eat when the pasta is cooked.
Notes & Tips
The pasta will soak up more and more of the liquid the longer the Spaghetti Soup sits around. Add some water to the pot as needed to thin it out.
I like to serve the soup with the pepper mill and some crushed red pepper in a bowl on the side. Everyone usually adds some more to their individual bowls to spice it up just the way they like it.
I know it's double carbs, but serving the soup with some crusty bread is like living in your best dream. Slap some butter on it and enjoy!
Substitutions
Chicken stock is my adaptation, but if you don't have it, use water. Just spice it up a little more with some extra salt and pepper. Remember this is the humblest of humble food!
The beauty of this recipe is you can use ANY type of pasta you like or have on hand. If you use real spaghetti, just brake it up into little pieces so you can eat it with a spoon.
More delightful soup recipes!
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup - Avgolemono
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📖 Recipe
Tia's Sketti Soup (Spaghetti Soup)
This is a recipe that a family friend, affectionately referred to as my Tia taught me. She says she made it up, and that it is the humblest of humble recipes and stems from lean times. But, it's delicious and brings back a flood of memories with each bite.
Ingredients
- 6 slices Thick Cut Bacon, diced
- 1 large Yellow Onion, diced
- 8 cups Chicken Stock
- 4 cup Water
- 1 6oz can Tomato Paste
- 4 cups Pasta, Orecchiette or Elbows
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes + more for serving
- Green Onions, for serving
- Crusty Bread, for serving
Instructions
- In the bottom of a large stockpot heated over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crisp. Remove the crisp bacon and almost all of the leftover fat from the pan.
- In the drippings that remain in the pot, sauté the onion until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the stock and water to the pot and bring it to a boil.
- When the stock comes to a boil, work the tomato paste in a spoonful at a time and shake the spoon around in the stock until it dissolves into the pot. Doing this slowly is key, otherwise, all the paste sinks to the bottom and will burn. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and the crushed pepper flakes to the pot.
- When the tomato paste is all worked in, add the pasta and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring often so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Turn the heat to low and let the soup rest for 10 minutes. This allows the starches to release from the pasta and thicken the soup.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, I typically add a bit more salt.
- Serve with more crushed red pepper on top if desired and green onions if you like and crusty bread for dipping in the soup.
Notes
Notes & Tips
The pasta will soak up more and more of the liquid the longer the soup sits around. Add some water to the pot as needed to thin it out.
I like to serve the soup with the pepper mill and some crushed red pepper in a bowl on the side. Everyone usually adds some more to their individual bowls to spice it up just the way they like it.
I know it's double carbs, but serving the soup with some crusty bread is like living in your best dream. Slap some butter on it and enjoy!
Substitutions
Chicken stock is my adaptation, but if you don't have it, use water. Just spice it up a little more with some extra salt and pepper. Remember this is the humblest of humble food!
The beauty of this recipe is you can use ANY type of pasta you like or have on hand. If you use real spaghetti, just brake it up into little pieces so you can eat it with a spoon.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 142Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 285mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 8g
This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.
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