Vegetable Soup

2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil 

1 medium chopped yellow onion 

3 stalks chopped celery

4 peeled and chopped carrots

4 cloves minced garlic

1 qt chicken broth 

26 oz can crushed tomatoes 

3 medium peeled and 1/2­' thick diced potatoes

2 bay leaves 

1/2 tsp dried thyme 

salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 1/2 cups chopped frozen or fresh green beans 

1 1/4 cups frozen or fresh corn 

1 cup frozen or fresh peas 

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute for five minutes, then add garlic and saute a minute longer. Pour in broth and add tomatoes, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then add green beans, corn and peas. Reduce heat to medium ­low, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.  Remove bay leaves and serve hot.

Easy Peasy Crockpot Pea Soup

It's funny how my favorite cold weather foods is one that is so inexpensive!

1 (16 oz) bag split peas - love both yellow and green

4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1-1/2 cups onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

7 cups hot water

Layer ingredients IN THIS ORDER in your crockpot.  DO NOT STIR!

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Remove bay leaf and serve.  Soup will thicken as it cools, so I added more water than the original recipes called for.

Beef and Double Bean Chili

1 lb. lean ground beef 
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 T minced garlic 
2 tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp. chipotle pepper
2 tsp ground cumin 
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 (28 oz) can Brook's chili beans
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
2 cups beef broth
2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice

Saute ground beef and onion in a meduim size stock pot for about 10 minutes or until beef is well-browned,  Add the minced garlic and cook a minute or two more; then add the spices and saute about 2 more minutes. 

Dump both cans of beans and the beef broth into the stock pot with the meat, onions and spices. Mix with a whisk or fork until the refried beans are well mixed into the broth.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.  This is a thick chili, so add more broth as the soup simmers if it gets too thick.  When chili is done, stir in the lime juice and serve hot.

Chicken Soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
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• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Brown in batches, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; reserve the pot.
• 
  
• Add the celery, carrots, onions, thyme, and garlic to the drippings in the pot and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and transfer the chicken to a plate; let cool. Shred the chicken with 2 forks and return it to the pot (discarding the skin and bones).

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This recipe comes from Brenda's Canadian Kitchen and includes my adaptations.  Enjoy!

4 T butter
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 T cornstarch
1 quart half and half
2 cups milk
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
2 cups chicken breast, cooked and diced
2 cups chicken broth *
1 pound potato gnocchi
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped **
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese – optional

Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat. When the onion becomes translucent, add the flour, and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding milk & half and half.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

Into the roux add the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings. Simmer until soup is heated through.

* I boiled my chicken with carrots, celery and seasonings which I used for broth.
** I used a 10 oz. frozen box of spinach.

No Cream Creamy Broccoli Soup

1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 medium)
1 cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
3/4 cup chopped onions (about 1 medium)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
3 Tbsp. EVOO
4-5 cups chicken broth *
1/2 tsp. pepper
4-1/2 cups broccoli florets (about 2 small bunches)
1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Saute carrots, celery and onions in hot oil in large saucepan on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add garlic, broth and pepper; stir. Bring to boil.
STIR in rice. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes or until rice is cooked.  Add broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes.

ADD soup, in batches, to blender or food processor; cover. Blend until pureed. Return soup puree to saucepan. Add milk and cheese; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
* next time I'll use more broth since the soup was a bit thick

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Just like spaghetti sauce, I have been working for years to find a recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup that is "just right". I am sure that our tastes have changed a bit over the years and I also use less salt, but I believe that this soup is the best!  I make my chicken and stock the day before I plan to serve the soup.  Make sure to allow ample time to prepare the noodles.

Chicken Soup:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 celery ribs, finely diced
1 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken broth
1 recipe for egg noodles *
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Skim the fat or any impurities off the top of the stock and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Broth:
1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), rinsed, giblets discarded
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
2 large white onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 tsp. thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Place the chicken and vegetables in a crockpot and cover with water. Toss in the thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours or until the chicken is done.

Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When its cool enough to handle, place the skin and bones back in the crockpot and hand-shred the meat or cut into cubes and place in a storage container.

Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Pour the stock back into the crockpot with the bones and skin.  Add additional water until the crockpot is almost full.  Turn the crockpot on high and cook for an additional 5-6 hours.  Allow the stock to cool and strain again.  Place the stock in desired containers and  refrigerate for up to one week or freeze.

* The recipe for egg noodles makes A LOT, so I either cut the recipe in half or add additional chicken broth from the freezer.  Last time I added three additional quarts of broth.

Crockpot Pinto Beans

This recipe was adapted from the Newlyweds.

1 lb pinto beans
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 onion
4-6 garlic cloves
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 jalapenos
1/2 lb ham pieces
water

Start by rinsing your beans very well, checking for any beans to discard, dirt etc. Add washed beans to crockpot along with enough water to almost fill the pot.  Stir in vinegar and let sit overnight or for up to 12 hours.

Drain and rinse beans, then place them back in the crock.  Chop and de-seed jalapeno, chop onion and garlic and add to beans. Add spices, stir well.  Dump in rotel tomatoes stir well. If water isn’t covering all ingredients go ahead and add more to almost reach the top of the crock. Cover and cook on high for 7-8 hours. Serve alone or with cornbread. Enjoy!

Pasta Fagioli

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 lg. onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz. diced tomatoes with juice
4 c. light red kidney beans, cooked
1 quart tomato juice
30 oz. tomato sauce
4 c. water
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 lb. gemelli noodles

Brown the ground meat in a very large pan over medium heat. Drain off fat. Add diced onion, carrots and garlic to the ground beef and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the pasta and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the pasta RAW about 15 minutes before it is done.

Serve sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese.

This a copycat recipe of the soup from Olive Garden.

O'Charley's Chicken Harvest Soup

Yes, this is a copy-cat recipe, but when I made it, it wasn't thick like it was in the resteraunt. Granted, I only used about 1/2 the amount of noodles because that was all we had, but I don't think that was the problem. I added some cornstarch water and that helped a bit. Other changes I made - I used one pan to cook everything rather than the three pans suggested and didn't use carrot or onion when I boiled the chicken. Not sure if my changes made that much difference in the thickness or not. It was still good - more like a traditional chicken noodle soup - but not like I remembered.

1/4 pound butter
3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 to 3 quarts water (I used 2 qts.)
2 tablespoons chicken base
2 quarts chicken stock (see chicken tenders recipe)
1 pound fresh carrots, diced
6 to 7 ribs celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 teaspoon white pepper (I used black)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Cooked chicken tenders (recipe follows)
10 ounces egg noodles

In a large pot, melt butter. Add flour and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly add the 2 1/2 to 3 quarts of water, stirring constantly. (The amount of water used depends on how thick you want the soup.) Simmer 20 minutes. Add chicken base and chicken stock.

While chicken stock mixture is cooking, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a separate pot. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook 6 minutes. Drain. Add to chicken stock mixture along with white pepper and garlic powder. Simmer 10 minutes. Add diced cooked chicken tenders.

Cook noodles in a separate pan of boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add to soup. (Noodles will continue cooking in the soup.) Simmer soup 2 or 3 minutes more and serve.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Chicken Tenders for Harvest Soup
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons chicken base
1 small onion, cut into quarters
1/2 rib celery, cut into 2-inch segments
2 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, thawed

In a large pot, bring water, chicken base, onion and celery to simmer. Add chicken. Gently simmer until done, about 5 to 6 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain chicken and reserve stock. (This can be used for the stock in the preceding recipe.) Place chicken in the freezer to stop the cooking process. When cool, use a sharp knife to dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to soup.

Makes enough for 8 to 10 servings of soup.

Spaghetti and Meatball "Stoup"

by Rachel Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
2 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups tomato sauce or 1 (14-ounce) can plus 1 (8-ounce) can
3 cups chicken stock, available in a box on the soup aisle
1 pound ground beef, pork and veal mix (meatloaf mix) available at butcher counter
1/2 cup grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano, plus more to pass at table
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a few handfuls
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half
1 cup basil leaves, torn or shredded
1 loaf Italian crusty bread, for dunking

Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stock and cover pot. Turn up heat and bring to a fast boil.

While soup comes to a boil, mix the ground meat with cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls.

Remove lid from soup and slide balls into soup. Bring back to a boil then stir in spaghetti. Reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender and balls have cooked through. Stir in basil and remove "stoup" from the stove. Serve soup with bread and cheese.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 box Long Grain and Wild Rice
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1-1 1/2 c. cooked chicken, diced
2 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 c. heavy cream

Pour the wild rice mix into a large pot. Add the amount of water specified on the box. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Stir to combine. Cover and cook until rice is done and vegetables are tender. Add the cooked chicken.
Add the flour and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cook for a minute or two. Add the chicken stock and the cream. Allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes until the soup is heated through.

I like this one because it doesn't use cream soup. Even though it uses heavy cream, you can thicken using milk as well. :)