Homemade Vegetable Soup and Crabcakes with Natasha!

My roommate Natasha and I have random moments of healthiness, and one night, we found ourselves with an abundance of veggies and a can of crab meat. Sticking to the plan of vegetable soup, it was time to throw together some crabcakes to round out the meal with protein.

Vegetable Soup

Veggie Soup a la Natasha

This comfort food staple for health-conscious eaters is super easy to make, and it serves a lot of people – or leaves you with a lot of leftovers for later meals.

Serves 6

1 box of low-sodium chicken stock

1 can of stewed tomatoes
4 medium carrots, sliced into coins
1 bunch of celery, in small chunks
4 russet potatoes (or 8 red potatoes), peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, in medium chunks

1. Heat chicken stock in a large stock pot. Add sweet potato. Bring to a simmer.
2. Cut up stewed tomatoes so they’re bite-sized pieces. Add to soup with carrots and potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil.
3. Add celery and onion. Let simmer until sweet potatoes are fork-tender.

Crabcakes

I didn’t measure things when I made these, but below are the approximate amounts. They’re incredibly simple and take very little time to prep.

Crabcakes

Makes 6 crabcakes

1 can of crabmeat (I prefer Trader Joe’s), drained and picked through for shells
1 large egg
1/2 cup minced onion
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1 tbsp. dried parsley or fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used crushed crackers in the photo)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together egg, onion, shallot, hot sauce, parsley, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Stir in just 2 tbsp. breadcrumbs.
3. Fold in crabmeat, combining gently so as not to mush up or break the crabmeat too much.
4. Form into patties about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, and 1/2 inch thick. Coat in remaining breadcrumbs and let rest for a few minutes while you clean up.
5. Bake on prepared cookie sheet for 7-10 minutes, or until crabcakes start to look brown. Serve with remoulade or aioli.

Because I neglected to use cooking spray and added a little too much of the breadcrumbs, and I used inferior crabmeat NOT from Tader Joe’s, my crabcakes weren’t as delicious as I wanted them to be, but the above recipe reflects the changes needed to make sure you find more success than I did that night.

Happy eating!