Cream Of Tomato & Basil Soup
It’s so satisfying to make a meal that is quick, easy and delicious. This soup is all three. Make sure that you use fresh basil because it makes this tomato soup extra special.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Milk
14 Ounces Tomato Puree or Diced Tomatoes – Undrained
8 Ounces Cream Cheese
3/4 Cup Chopped Basil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon White Pepper
Put all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until the mixture is super smooth. Pour the mixture into a sock pot and heat over a low heat for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat and transfer to bowls. Garnish with small basil leaves. Serves 4
Butternut Squash Soup
This soup is the PERFECT fall soup. Enough said!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Chopped Onions
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
2 Pounds Peeled, Seeded & Cubed Butternut Squash
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Half & Half
In a large size stockpot over a medium high heat, sauté the chopped onions in the olive oil for 2 minutes or just until they are soft. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth (or vegetable broth), butternut squash and the kosher salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Ladle in the squash and the liquid into either a food processor or a blender. Pulse until the mixture is a nice puree. Return the pureed squash mixture to the stockpot and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the half and half and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 8
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Don’t buy the condensed cream of mushroom soups because it’s not difficult to make your own and it tastes so much better. After making it homemade you’ll never want to go back to the canned stuff. Sorry Campbells!
INGREDIENTS
7 Tablespoons Butter – Divided
1 Pound Sliced Fresh Button Mushrooms
1 Chopped Onion
1 1/2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
3 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
2 Cups Half & Half or Whole Milk
1 1/2 Cups Sour Cream
Chopped Fresh Parsley For Garnish
Take the sour cream out of the fridge and let sit until it gets to room temperature. In a heavy large stockpot melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over a medium high heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir often. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Stir frequently. Slowly pour in the chicken (or vegetable) broth and continue to stir. Slowly pour in the half & half (or whole milk) and continue to stir. Stir constantly and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the mushroom mixture. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Serve hot and garnished with parsley. Serves 4
Chicken Orzo Soup
Soup is one of the great things about fall especially chicken soup.
INGREDIENTS
4 Slices Chopped Bacon
1 Pound Boneless Chicken Thighs
1 Cup Chopped Onion
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
2 Cups Diced Tomatoes
4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Uncooked Orzo
2 Cups Cooked Cannellini Beans
1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley
1 Tablespoon White Wine
Grated Parmesan
Chop the chicken thighs into small pieces. In a large size stockpot, sauté the chopped bacon just until it is crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel. Add the chopped chicken thigh pieces and cook them for 5 minutes until they are slightly browned. Add the chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the minced garlic, kosher salt, pepper and cook for another minute. Stir in the diced tomatoes and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add the uncooked orzo. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until tender. Add the cannellini beans, chopped parsley, white wine and bacon. Cook for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 8
Italian Sausage Soup
This soup is a meal in itself and perfect for this fall weather.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Mild Italian Sausage
2 Cups Chopped Carrots
1 Large Chopped Red Onion
1 Cup Chopped Celery
3 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
1/2 Cup Sliced Mushrooms
3 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Cooked Garbanzo Beans
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Teaspoon Sage
1/2 Cup Water
2 Cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
Slice and remove the casings from the sausage. In a large size skillet sauté the sausage for 5 minutes. Drain off any grease. Add the carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, butter and sauté over a low heat until the vegetables are soft. Add the parsley, chicken broth, garbanzo beans, sage, salt, pepper and water. If you don’t have time to cook your own garbanzo beans then using canned is ok. Cook on low for 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve hot. Parmesan cheese is for topping the individual soup bowls. Serves 4
Fresh Corn Soup
I am certainly enjoying the corn harvest and have been making all sorts of corn dishes like corn salad, corn salsa, corn chowder, corn cakes and corn bread. Try making my corn soup with freshly picked corn. Make sure to use the fresh picked corn right away as it does have a tendency to lose some of its sweetness.
INGREDIENTS
1 Diced Onion
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
4 1/2 Cups Water
1 Tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
5 Ears Freshly Picked Corn
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Carefully cut the kernels off the ears of corn. To do this, stand each ear of corn upright on its wide end, then use a serrated knife to carefully saw down the length of the cob, rotating and repeating until all of the kernels are removed. Set the kernels aside. Melt the butter in a large heavy soup pot. Add the diced onion, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the water and bring to a boil. Add the corn kernels and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes. In batches puree in a blender or food processor. Pour the pureed soup through a mesh strainer back into the cooking pot. Add the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Stir and heat for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with the remaining freshly ground pepper. Serves 4
Spinach Soup
Many times spinach can get lost in soups, but not this soup as it contains 12 cups of spinach. A touch of lemon adds a little something to complete the flavor of this beautiful soup. Garnish with either croutons or bacon bits.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Diced Onion
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Cloves Minced Garlic
1/3 Cup Unbleached Flour
3 Cups Half & Half
2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
12 Cups Baby Spinach
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Croutons – Optional
Bacon Bits – Optional
In a large stock pot heat the olive oil over a medium high heat and sauté the onion for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the half & half and either chicken or vegetable broth. Stir and bring the soup to a simmer over a medium heat. Add the 8 cups of spinach and cook for 6 minutes. Reduce to a low heat. Cook for another 5 minutes. You can use one of these devices to puree: a handheld blender, a food processor or a blender. Puree all of the soup in batches, if needed, and return to the soup pot. If you are using a handheld blender then you may puree right in the pot. Stir in the remaining 4 cups of spinach. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute more. Ladle the soup into soup bowls. Garnish with croutons or bacon bits. Serves 8
*If you want to lower the fat content then use fat-free half & half.
Fiesta Bean & Chicken Soup
With all of the rain we’ve been having I felt like making a nice homey soup. I came up with this hearty, but not too heavy, bean and chicken soup. It turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
INGREDIENTS
5 Ounces Pinto Beans
5 Ounces Red Beans
5 Ounces Black Beans
8 Cups Water
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Ounces Cooked & Diced Chicken Breast
1 Large Chopped Onion
4 Chopped Green Onions
8 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Cup Corn
2 Diced Tomatoes
2 Cups Salsa
6 Small Chopped Red & Yellow Peppers
1 Large Chopped Hot Pepper
6 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Bottle White Wine
1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes,
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
Rinse and drain the beans. Soak the beans for at least 6 hours or overnight. Place the beans in a large soup pot with 8 cups of water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Boil uncovered for 20 minutes. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 3 hours until the beans are soft. Do not drain the beans. Uncover and add the chicken broth and stir. Add the olive oil, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, ground cumin and chili powder. Stir. Turn up the heat to medium and add the wine. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the onions, chicken, garlic, green onions, corn, tomatoes, red & yellow peppers, hot pepper and stir. Cook for 10 minutes and then add the salsa. Simmer for an hour to blend the flavors. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately. The soup can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. If necessary, thin with additional chicken broth when reheating. Serves 8
Potage Paysanne
Potage Paysanne or Peasant Soup is easy to make and absolutely delicious.
INGREDIENTS
2 Diced Carrots
2 Cubed Potatoes
2 Sliced Leeks
1 Diced Onion
1/4 Head Rough Chopped Cabbage
2 Chopped Tomatoes
2 Cubes Diced Celery
6 Minced Garlic Cloves
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
2 Cups Cooked White Beans
6 Cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tablespoons Parsley
1 Tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
In a stock pot add the olive oil and heat over a medium heat. Add the carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions, leeks, celery, cabbage, salt pepper, red pepper flakes and parsley. Cook for 8 minutes stirring frequently. Add the vegetable or chicken stock. Cook for two hours on medium low heat. Stir frequently. Add the cooked white beans, chopped tomatoes and cook on medium heat for another 30 minutes. Transfer to soup bowls or a soup tureen and serve. Serves 4
Mom’s Minestrone Soup
This easy and delicious soup can be made ahead. I like to make it to have for lunch after church. Mom’s Minestrone Soup can be made for lunch, dinner or a first course. Great in all seasons!
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Vegetable Broth
2 Diced Tomatoes
2 Cups Cooked Navy Beans (Canned or Home Cooked)
2 Chopped Carrots
1 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Zucchini
2 Cups Ditalini Pasta
1 Teaspoon Thyme
1/2 Teaspoon Sage
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
4 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
2 Tablespoons Basil (Optional)
In a stock pot combine the vegetable broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. If you want to cut down on the cooking time you can cook on high for 3 hours. 35 minutes before the soup is done cooking add the pasta and zucchini. Cover and cook for 35 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves. Transfer the soup to individual bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese or basil if you like. Serves 4
