Soup Stir-Ins

What do you stir into your soup?

I'm a crackers girl. But which cracker I use depends on what kind of soup I'm having. Growing up my mom would make Lipton's Giggle Noodle soup. Saltines was always my cracker of choice for that one. For chili and stews, I opted for Ritz.

Then a few years ago I made a Cheesy Vegetable Chowder. As we were breaking Ritz crackers into our bowls my husband said, "You know what would be good in this soup? Those oyster crackers."

And a third cracker was thrown into the mix.

The thing is, in addition to crackers, I like to top some of my soups with grated Parmesan cheese, like Pasta e Fagioli, Sausage, Peppers and Onions Soup, and Hearty Pasta Tomato Soup. But a few weeks ago I was walking down the crackers aisle of my supermarket when I saw something that would forever change the way I would garnish my soups: Parmesan Goldfish.

This is the perfect soup stir-in. You get the crunch from the cracker and the wonderful deep flavor from the Parmesan. I don't serve soup without them.

And saltines, and Ritz, and oyster crackers, too.