Yum Soup

This recipe is courtesy of my first grader.  They made this as part of a social studies project.  Some of the students in her class brought something to add to the pot and since it's made by kids you know it's easy and for it's simplicity it is tasty!  I use my homecanned vegetables, juice and broth in ours.

Yum Soup

1 pound cooked ground beef, drained

1 can mixed vegetables, undrained (2 if you want more veggies, drain the second one)

2 cans beef broth or ~4 cups homemade beef broth

3 cups tomato juice

salt and pepper to taste

saltine crackers 

Throw in a pot, heat, and eat!

Here is a scan of the recipe she brought home.  Luckily she was able to give me more details and measurements. 

Baked Potato Soup

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Beef and Barley Soup/Stew

Hearty stew that can be cooked in a couple hours on the stove top or low and slow all day in a crock pot. The crock pot version creates a creamier stew while the stove top version is more of a soup.

Beef and Barley Soup/Stew

2 pound roast, trimmed and chunked (crock pot) or cut into 3/4" pieces (stove top)

olive oil

6 cups beef broth 

2 cups water*

1-1/4 cup chopped/sliced carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup quick barley (more or less as you change the dish's consistency)

1 cup frozen peas

CROCK POT VERSION:

In a stainless steel pan heat oil, then brown beef pieces.  It is not necessary to sear on all sides if you do not have the time.  Dump meat into a crock pot.  Add some of the broth to the pan to get all the bits and flavor off.  Pour it also into the crock pot.  Add the rest of the broth, (*1 cup only of water,) carrots, celery, onion, and salt/pepper.

Cook on low for 8-9 hours.  The beef should be tender.  I add  in the barley about an hour before serving.  It gives me a chance to see how much liquid is in the crock.  If I think it is too much I add more barley to soak it up a little. 

Break apart the pieces of beef if they are large and add frozen peas in and give a stir.  The heat from the stew will thaw the peas. 

STOVETOP VERSION:
In a large pot brown beef in oil.  Drain off any oil.  Stir in broth, water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for at least an hour stirring occasionally. Add vegetables (except peas,) cover and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour until vegetables are soft.  Stir in peas, again the heat from the soup will thaw the peas.

White Chicken Chili

Play with the seasonings as you like.  If you like it spicier add more chilies and/or cayenne.  If I were making fajitas I would add lime juice and onion powder so it's nearly the same chicken meat and you could use the same here

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White Chicken Chili

olive oil

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

1-1/2 t cumin

couple dashes dried red pepper (cayenne) (more as you like)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
2 - 15 ounce cans Great Northern beans (white), undrained
2 cups chicken broth
4 ounce can green chilies, undrained
up to 1/2 cup sour cream

In a medium bowl add about 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil, seasonings, and chicken.  Turn to mix and coat. For best flavor grill chicken. Cut into nice size chunks.

Meanwhile, cook onions in a little bit of olive oil until soft.  Add broth and beans.

Stir in chunked chicken and cook for 20 minutes.  This will soften the beans a bit more and thicken your soup. 

 Stir in sour cream.

To serve, top with tortilla strips and more sour cream if you like.  

Crock Pot French Onion Soup

This soup smells fantastic cooking all day.  If you want it on a week day and don't have time to caramelize your onions before you leave the house cook them the night before and put them in your fridge.  In the morning you can put it all together come home to a tasty soup.

Crock Pot French Onion Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil

8 cups sliced onions

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup white Chardonnay wine

7 cups beef broth

salt, as needed

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 Bay leaf

1 teaspoon Kitchen bouquet (aff link) (optional for color)

3 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with a little bit of water

Heat oil in large non stick skillet over medium heat.

Cook and stir until they begin to turn translucent, about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with sugar, reduce to simmer and cook for, stirring often until brown and soft.  Should take about 30-40 minutes.  At first it won't seem like they are browning and then the color comes. Stir wine into onion mixture and cook for a minute or so. 

Pour beef broth into crock pot, add onions, bay leaf, thyme and Kitchen bouquet*. Stir.  You can add salt here or wait until the end after the soup has time to cook and mix flavors.

Cover and set on low for about 8 hrs or high for 4. When you are near serving time gently stir in your cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup. 

We served ours with grilled cheese sandwiches.  You could float a crispy piece of bread sprinkled with cheese on top and broil it. 

* I needed the Kitchen bouquet as my homemade broth wasn't very dark and I wanted more color. 

Ham and Corn Chowder

Ham and Corn Chowder

drizzle of olive oil

1 cup onion diced

1-1/2 - 2 lbs ham, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

2 cans creamed corn

2 cups whole corn, drained (or you can use 1 can drained)

3-4 cups Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and chopped (use more or less as you like)

4 cups milk (or half and half)

6 Tablespoons butter

8 Tablespoons flour

Fresh parsley

Salt/Pepper (to taste)

Drizzle olive oil into soup pot and cook onions until translucent.  I try not to brown mine but it's ok if it does. Add ham and stir to heat through.

Add broth, both corns, and potatoes.  Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are done.  My Yukons take longer than russet potatoes and seem to differ each time.  You'll need to pull a piece out and test it.  

Add milk.  I use our goat's milk which is very creamy so you could use half and half or whole milk if you want a richer soup.  Otherwise 2% or less would be ok as well.  

While the milk in the soup is heating up make a roux in a small sauce pan.  This is done by melting the butter and whisking in the flour.  Let it cook for about a minute then whisk into the soup. This will thicken your soup.  If you use russets you could leave out some or all of the roux and just smash your potatoes with a potato masher. Yukon golds don't break down much so I needed the roux in mine. 

I added a sprinkle of fresh parsley on my soup the first time we make it and after that I added it to the whole soup. I didn't add salt to ours as the ham had enough.

Feel free to experiment with flavors as you like!

Cheeseburger Soup

Cheeseburger Soup

1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup onion, chopped (or 2/3 cup diced)
3/4 cup carrots, shredded
3/4 cup celery, diced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
8 ounces Velvetta, chunked or 1 to 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Mexi blend cheese or cheddar
croutons

Dice veggies.
Add along with basil and parsley to beef and cook until veggies are tender.

Add broth and potatoes to beef mixture.

Bring to boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile make your roux. Start by melting butter in small saucepan.

Add flour

and cook for one minute.

Add roux to soup stirring so as not to have lumps.

This is what is should look like so far.

Add milk...

Velveeta....

and sour cream.

Stir until blended and everything is melted in. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheese and croutons if you like.

If you leave the potatoes out you can freeze the rest of the soup.  While it is heating on your stove throw in your cooked potatoes!

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Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan Soup - Sausage & Potatoes)

Zuppa Toscana

5-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
2-3 medium russet potatoes
2-4 cups chopped kale
1-1/4 pounds mild or spicy Italian brats (usually pkg'd this way with 5 brats)
Pinch cayenne pepper
Paremesan Cheese

Combine broth and cream or milk in Dutch Oven over medium heat. Peel and chop potatoes into even pieces. Add to soup.
Chop your kale, making sure to remove the leave part from the tough vein first.

I grew my own flowering kale this year. It's so pretty!
Add to soup.
Remove casing from bratwurts and cook. Drain. Add to soup.
Simmer for up to 1/2 hour or until potatoes are tender. Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Southwestern Chicken Soup                                                          Printable Recipe

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1 T olive oil
1-1/2 t cumin
1/8 t dried red pepper (cayenne) (more as you like)
3/4 t minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 green pepper, diced (1c)
1/2 medium onion, diced (1c)
2 ears corn or 8 oz bag frozen corn or 1 can corn, drained
28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Great Northern (white) beans, drained and rinsed
tortilla strips/chips **(or white corn tortillas and canola oil, see directions below)
sour cream
shredded Cheddar, Mexi-blend cheese, or Chihuahua Cheese
avocado

Mix half of the spices and oil together and add chicken to coat. Set aside for grilling.

Dice green pepper and onion and add along with the other 1/2 of the oil and seasonings to a large pot.

Cook until soft, 10-15 minutes.

Microwave corn for 5-6 minutes or boil. Add to grill with chicken to get char marks. (Means more flavor!)

Grill chicken.

Chop chicken into chunks and remove corn kernels from cob.

Rinse beans in colander. If you don't the brown beans will make your soup dirty looking.

Add everything to the pot...chicken, corn, tomatoes, beans, etc. Simmer for 25 minutes

**For tortilla strips

Cut tortillas into strips and fry in small amount of canola oil until crispy. Drain.

Dish it up anyway you like it with the cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, and/or avocado!

Pin it:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/273593746082498065/