Tortellini Vegetable Soup

So, I added this recipe a long time ago with a link.  I just went to find the recipe and realized the actual link was the title…but, it took me forever to figure that out.  Knowing that I will forget that the next time I go to look at this recipe, I just decided to repost and type the recipe out.  This is so good.  It freezes really well also.

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 small zucchini, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

5 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

8-9 ounces fresh torellini

Heat olive oil in saucepan.  Add the onion, zucchini, and carrot.  Saute for 8-10 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the stock, basil, bay leaf, tomatoes, and salt to the pot.  Bring to low boil.  Add the tortellini and bring back to low boil.  Cook for 2 minutes, then reduce to simmer for 5-6 minutes longer.

My changes – First, I double this recipe.  The original would be great for just a couple people.  But, there’s 6 of us.  I need more.  ha!  Second, I always add more tomatoes – usually tomato sauce or paste – because I like more of a tomato flavor to this recipe.  That’s something you can decide for yourself and add what you’d like.  Also – I add frozen corn to this soup.  The more veggies I can get in it, the better!

Chicken Pot Pie Stew

I’ve been trying quite a few new recipes found on pinterest lately.  So far, all have been delicious.  This is another one.  I love that it’s another crockpot recipe.  With three kids in sports having many evening practices, I lean on the crockpot A LOT during the week.  One of my children DEVOURED this.  Like, she ate two full servings.  The others tried but did not love it.  They will try again. 🙂

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper ( I omitted this.  I love red, orange, and yellow peppers.  I’m not a huge green fan)
• 2 cups chopped potato ( I left peels on, but you can go either way)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup frozen peas
• sourdough bread, biscuits, or other bread of choice

In a crockpot, combine chicken, onion, pepper, potato, carrots, celery, broth, salt, poultry seasoning and garlic powder.  Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.  During last hour of cooking, add sour cream and peas.  Stir.  Stir and serve over biscuits or other bread.

 

Taco soup

Hi people.  I’m back.  It’s been a while.  A LONG while.  I know there is a taco soup recipe on here and it’s very good. But, I wanted to record this one also instead of just adding my changes in the comments of the other recipe. This is SO good people.  Like I wanted to lick the bowl when it was gone good.

• 1/2 c onions, diced
• 1/2 c red pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used minced garlic from a jar)
• 4-5 cups of skinny crockpot chicken (recipe found on this site)
• 16 oz salsa
• 14 oz frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 28 oz petite diced tomatoes
• 8 oz sour cream

Throw everything but the sour cream in the crockpot. Turn it on low for about 3 hours (Or longer…really doesn’t matter). 30 minutes before eating Stir in the sour cream.  We served with tortilla chips and cheese quesadillas. This is spicy. One of mine ate it and two others dipped there quesadillas and chips in it.  That’s a win in my book.

My only thought….this makes a LOT.  I think, next time, I am going to add spoonfuls of sour cream to the individual bowls so that I can freeze the rest.  We are a family that loves leftovers.  But, we only eat a meal one more time as leftovers.  I could probably eat this four times there is so much leftover.  Enjoy!

Pasta Meatball Soup

Tonight was momentous. My ENTIRE family ate soup and salad for dinner. Adapted to our liking from here.

1 14-oz bag Cooked Perfect Homestyle Meatballs (about 28)
1/2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 large celery rib, minced (about ¾ cup)
1 small onion (about 6 oz), chopped (about 1 cup)
2 Tbl minced fresh garlic (about 6 cloves)
32 oz less-sodium chicken broth (4 cups)
1 can (14.5 ounces) Schnucks diced tomatoes with olive oil, garlic & spices (I stuck in the food processor so there wouldn’t be chunks in it)
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup uncooked orzo pasta

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange frozen meatballs without touching in rimmed baking pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 4- to 6-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion and garlic and cook, covered, 6 to 8 minutes or until celery is tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in broth, undrained tomatoes, Italian seasoning and pepper; cover and heat to boiling. Add meatballs and orzo and cook 9 to 10 minutes or until orzo is tender.

Makes about 8 cups, which was about 5 servings for us.

Cal: 282
Carbs: 21g
Fat: 16g
Sodium: 1305 mg
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 15g

Easy Chicken Taco Soup

OK, you know how Sonya’s Skinny Chicken recipe is so delicious and easy and can feed an army? Or, if you’re just feeding your own family, how it leaves lots of yummy leftovers?

Well, last night, I used leftover Skinny Chicken to make a quick, easy Taco Soup that I’ll be making again for sure. I just made this for Matt and me because it was one of those nights when baseball practice meant we weren’t all home at dinnertime, etc. so Matt and I ate later than the kids. It’s fine anyway, because they all hate soup and I didn’t have the energy to fight them on it last night.

So here’s what I did, and feel free to adjust as needed based on how much you have leftover:

5(ish) cups leftover skinny chicken (this was a lot of the broth that’s left in the crockpot + some of the shredded chicken)
about 2 cooked, chopped chicken breasts (leftover from dinner the night before – I just threw it in so it wouldn’t go to waste, but it’s not necessary if you have plenty of chicken leftover in the salsa mixture)
3 sliced green onions
16 oz. chicken broth (you can use a can or bouillion or whatever you want)
half a bag of frozen, fire-roasted corn (regular frozen corn would be fine, too, but I had this kind from Trader Joe’s and it’s just perfect for soups like this)
beans (I didn’t add them this time, but that would have been really good)

Just heat it on the stovetop until hot. That’s it! This amount made about 5 or 6 good-size bowls of soup.

I served it with a cheese quesadilla. In the soup you can add crushed tortilla chips, avocado, diced tomato, sour cream, cilantro…whatever you like!

Chicken Stock

I’m hooked. Not only am I hooked on rotisserie chicken, I’m now hooked on making my own chicken stock. It’s just so unbelievably easy and tastes so much better that what’s in a can or from bouillon (though, there certainly is still a place for those!).

Here’s how I do it, following tips from my neighbor, Ann, and this Alton Brown recipe:

1 chicken carcass – we don’t eat a lot of the dark meat, so I pick all of the white meat and the thigh meat off the bone, and pretty much leave the legs/wings. I have less guilt about not using the entire chicken by making stock out of what’s left!
several carrots, cut into large chunks
several stalks of celery, cut into large chunks
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 large onion, quartered
several whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
thyme, parsley (fresh if you have it; a few shakes from a container if not)
Cold water

Put it all in a stock pot, fill with water (leave some room at the top or your stove will be a disaster), and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook it for a long time – Alton says 6-8 hours, I probably do about 4. And I cover it after the initial boil. Alton says to skim the stuff off the top, but I haven’t been doing that (please don’t tell him).

When it’s done cooking, let it cool so that you won’t burn yourself in the next step.

Using tongs, pull out all of the large pieces and throw them away. After cooking for so long, the vegetables aren’t really good to eat anymore. Then, using a mesh strainer, pour the broth through to remove any solids (this is much, much easier with two people – enlist the help of your beloved).

Then, refrigerate overnight. This allows the fat to rise to the top, and then you can skim it off the next day before using it or freezing it in ziploc bags (I freeze it in 2-cup increments since that’s about what comes in a can of broth).

When you use it, you’ll need to add salt, because there is none in the recipe, but that way you can just add what you need for the recipe you’re making.

Salsa Chicken Soup

I tried this tonight for the first time and it was delicious!  My husband mentioned multiple times how good it was.  It’s so quick and easy to put together, too!  Two out of three children ate it also, and that’s always a plus!

1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (I used more like 3/4 pound)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 3/4 cups water
1-2 tsp chili powder (I used just a little over 1 and it was spicy enough for us, but I also used medium salsa)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup salsa

shredded monterey jack cheese or pepper jack cheese, optional (I used a mexican 4 cheese blend cause that’s what I had extra of here)

In a large saucepan, combine chicken, broth, water, and chili powder.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add corn; return to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and corn is tender.  Add salsa and heat through.  Garnish with cheese.

**Next time I make this, I will be adding more corn.  It wasn’t enough for me.  I will also probably add some extra diced tomatoes because the only ones in there were from the salsa.  We will definitely be making this again!

Ravioli Veggie Soup

I was blessed with this recipe from my wonderful friend, Sarah.  I love that it is a no meat recipe.  I don’t have a ton of those, and this is a nice change every once in a while.  There are a lot of estimates in this recipe, but I tried hard to keep track of everything last night so that I could give a little more detail to this recipe 🙂  Two out of three kids ate at least parts of the soup….I call that success!

Start with about 4-4 1/2 cups of water in a big pot.

Cut up carrots, celery, and onions.  Add those to the pot.  Amounts depend on what you want.  I do about two big handfuls of each.

Boil this until carrots are soft.

Add a can of petite cut diced tomatoes and a 15oz can of tomato sauce.

Add in 2-3 bay leaves.  Remember to take these out when finished before eating!

Add in a can of corn, drained, and a can of green beans, drained.

Add in a couple big handfuls of frozen peas.  (This is the ONLY way I will eat peas.  Not a fan of them, but they are good here!)

I then taste the base of this soup and usually add in a couple teaspoons of sugar for what we like.  You can also add in tomato paste/more tomatoes for the flavoring.

The best part?  Little cheese ravioli from trader joe’s!  You’ll find them in the dry pasta section – not refrigerated.  I usually add about half the bag to the pot.  Let those cook for about 16 minutes.

You can also add a can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed.  This is optional.  Sometimes I add them, sometimes I don’t.  Depends on the mood!  🙂  Definitely add these at the very end, though.

I sprinkle shredded parmesan on top and serve with bread.  Enjoy!

** This is a great meal to make when you are having a couple people over as it makes a LOT.  I’ve also made this when I need to make a meal for someone else.  It definitely makes enough to give to another family for dinner and still have enough for ourselves to eat!

Bean and Bacon Soup

I’ve had this recipe for years and never tried it. But, last week I was frying up some bacon to make quiche for dinner, and wanted to use the rest in something else, so I thought of this soup. It has a can of Ranch Beans in it, and I had no idea what they were until I opened the can, but it turns out they’re just pintos in some slightly spicy tomato-y sauce. However, there is also some other kind of fatty preservative in there that I’d rather not eat, so next time I make this I’m going to try to just use a can of pinto beans and season it myself. I’ll post the details here if it turns out!

Anyway, this is so easy, and hearty and perfect for the middle of winter. it would have been great with cornbread if I would have had the time to make it! This only makes 3 servings (if you’re using it for a whole meal).

1 can Ranch beans
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I actually had to saute onion for the other recipe, so I just sauteed the portion for this recipe, too, and it was really good!)
6 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled

Combine first four ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

If you want a thicker soup, carefully mash some of the beans.

Top with bacon and serve!

Baked Potato Soup

Oh, how I love potato soup.  I REALLY love Bread Co’s baked potato soup and have always had my eye out for a recipe that comes close to that soup.  This one does!  This doesn’t make a ton, enough for Kirk and I to have leftovers one night.  So, if it’s a big family, you’ll want to double it.

3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (next time I’m making more as I heart bacon)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (I used the jar kind, already minced)
3 tablespoons flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large potatoes, baked, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp.  Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings.  Set bacon aside.  Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender.  Stir in flour, salt, basil, and pepper.  Gradually add broth.  Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil.  Garnish with bacon and cheese.

I also serve this with bread.  Yum.  Love it.