Welcome to our third Lenten Friday! Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite new soups.
I don’t like to limit soups to winter – they really can be great make-ahead meals any time of the year.
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Category Archives: soups and stews
Slow Cooker Pepperoni Pizza Soup
Happy National Soup Swap Day! It’s seriously one of my favorite days of the year.
I mean, really, what is better than getting together with your friends on a chilly January Saturday and eating lots of soup?
This Slow Cooker Pepperoni Pizza Soup is my contribution to this year’s soup swap. Since it’s essentially pizza in a bowl, it’s a crowd pleaser – and especially a hit with the kids.
Tomato Asiago PDO Soup #UncommonFlavorsofEurope
This post is sponsored in conjunction with #UncommonFlavorsofEurope. I received product samples from the sponsor to aid in the creation of this post. All opinions are mine alone.
Do you know where your food is from? Do you know what’s in it? It’s a perpetual goal of mine to do better when it comes to food quality. We’ve made some big strides by joining our local CSA, but I’m always learning – and have learned there are some things you just can’t get locally.
Take, for example, Asiago PDO. True Asiago PDO is made only in the Asiago Plateau region of Italy – and has been made exactly the same way for more than 1000 years. PDO stands for “Protected Geographical Indication”, and is issued by the European Union. Foods baring the PDO designation have the strongest possible links to historical practices.
Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew
This vegetable stew is what we made for Family Dinner Book Club last month, and it’s such a great option for Lenten Fridays. It’s a dump and go slow cooker meal – perfect for the end of the week.
I honestly wasn’t sure how this would be received by the kids since it really is just a big bowl of vegetables – but I was pleasantly surprised that they were happy with it. You could easily switch up the veggies to fit your family’s tastes – or add chicken or pasta.
Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew
(adapted from Chef Sarah Elizabeth)
Serves 6-8
3 red potatoes, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup cut green beans
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. paprika
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 lemon, for the juice
Add everything, except lemon, to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until potatoes are easily cut with a fork. Stir in juice of the lemon and serve.
Texas Style Chili #foodbloggers4tx
A note: The #foodbloggers4tx event was organized before Hurricane Irma started marching her destructive path through the Caribbean and Florida. While today’s post reflects on Harvey and helping those still picking up the pieces, my heart is with those in Irma’s wake, too – and I’ll have a post up with ways to help soon.
We, like most of the rest of the country, watched as Hurricane Harvey pummeled Texas. It’s so hard to watch so many people lose everything in these situations – where nature just takes over and nothing you do will help.
When it’s my neighbors or friends that are struggling, I tend to cook. Food is my love language, so a dinner or try of baked goods always makes be feel like I’m doing something good. But when the trouble is hundreds of miles away, I turn to groups that already on the ground feeding people – in this case, Houston Food Bank.
It’s hard to downplay how much good local organizations like the Houston Food Bank do. If you’re looking for a way to help out, donating to them is a great way.
Texas-Style Chili
(from House of Yum)
Serves 4
1 lb. ground beef
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup beef broth
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. onion power
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
Fritos, shredded cheddar, and chopped red onion, optional, for serving
Brown the ground beef in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking up, until no longer pink. Drain the grease and add the tomato sauce, broth, and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Stir in all spices until well combined.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve the chili over Fritos, topped with cheese and onion, if desired.
Chicken Tortilla Soup with Hatch Chilies
I’m really having a love/hate relationship with this cooler weather in the morning. I love fall and this summer was humid beyond belief so the break is so, so welcome. But it’s also reminder that winter’s knocking on the door. I feel like my favorite season is going to get crowded out fast this year so I’m trying to savor every minute of it.
This quick and easy soup is our first of the fall season. I always anticipate soups taking a lot time to prep but using a rotisserie chicken sped this along nicely. I loved the kick the hatch chilies gave it, but you could also use canned, chopped green chilies or omit the chilies altogether.
Chicken Tortilla Soup with Hatch Chilies
(from The Wicked Noodle)
Serves 8
4 large tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. cumin
32 oz. chicken broth
4 hatch chiles, roasted, peeled, stemmed and seeded, then diced
4 cups shredded chicken (or one whole rotisserie chicken)
Toppings: sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, avocado
Preheat the broiler. Half the tomatoes and place them cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and season with salt. Broil until the skins are beginning to blister and blacken, about 5 minutes.
In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about five minutes. Stir in garlic and cumin and cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Add the roasted tomatoes and their juices along with the chicken broth to the pot. Stir to combine and let simmer for 15 minutes. Puree with a hand blender, then stir in hatch chilies and chicken. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes and then serve.
Steak Chili
Friday is the official first day of spring and it’s actually starting to feel like spring here. This winter was pretty brutal with the below-freezing temperatures and ice storms, so I’m relishing the fact that most afternoons it’s warm enough for walking outside.
We are still getting a few cold days, though – my Mother-in-law texted a few days ago she was getting snow! – so I’ve been using them to cook a few more wintery dishes that I know I won’t want to make in a few weeks. (Bring on grilling weather!)
We usually make chili with ground beef, so the chunks of beef in this one were a nice change of pace. It packs a nice flavor punch for the minimal number of ingredients and is definitely something I’ll break out again next winter!
Steak Chili
(from Damn Delicious)
Serves 6
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. stew meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Slat and pepper, to taste
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapenos, minced
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups water
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, for serving
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Season meat with salt and pepper and add tohot pot. Cook for about 2 minutes, turning so that all sides brown. Add in onion, garlic andjalapenos and cook 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, kidney beans and enough water so that everything is covered. Stir well to combine.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded cheese.
Vegetable Minestrone
You’d think after the soup swap I’d be pretty much soup-ed out, but nope. The weather here is just too perfect for soup and I’ve been craving it like crazy.
This is a copycat of the Olive Garden minestrone – and it’s a good one. Serve along with a loaf of crusty bread and it’s the perfect snow-day lunch.
Vegetable Minestrone
(adapted from Cooking Classy)
Serves 6
4 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups water
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 tsp. parsley
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/3 cups diced zucchini
1 1/3 cups small shell pasta
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 can green beans
2 cups spinach
In a large pot, stir together the vegetable stock, water, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for two hours.
Add zucchini, pasta, garlic, kidney beans and cannellini beans to the pot and stir to combine. Cook until pasta is tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the green beans and spinach and cook a few minutes, until heated through. Serve warm.
Southwest Bean Soup
This soup was my contribution to the Soup Swap Party. It’s one my Mom has been making for years – it’s really easy and really good.
I generally expect soup recipes to take a while, but this one is super quick. The bulk of this soup is canned beans and canned tomatoes so the faster you open cans, the faster this makes it to the table. It took me about twenty minutes total, because I’m generally a terrible can-opener and was juggling the baby. I’m fairly certain you would be faster.
I eat mine without toppings (cornbread on the side is my go-to!) but it would be good with tortilla strips, cheddar or sour cream.
Southwest Bean Soup
(from Taste of Home)
Makes 3 quarts
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. canola oil
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
2 cans vegetable broth
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
In a large pot, heat the oil to shimmering and cook onion until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Chili Braised Beef with Cornbread Dumplings
Sometime back in August (or, July maybe?), I made a list of football food. Dishes I could cook up on Sundays while Mark and I were hanging out and watching the game. I had grand visions of lazy days and indulgent food.
What happened, you ask? Well, we’re Giants fans. I think that explains it well enough.
Still, there were a few things on that list that I couldn’t wait to make – whether we were footballing or not. This is one of them. Chunky, spicy beef topped with cornbread? I don’t think you could dream up a better meal for a chilly fall night.
Chili Braised Beef with Cornbread Dumplings
(slightly adapted from Donna Hay)
Serves 6
For the beef:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs. stew beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
2 chipotle chilies in adobo
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 32 oz. can cherry tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
For the dumplings:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 cup instant polenta
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and brown, about three minute, cooking in batches if needed. Remove the beef to a bowl.
Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the paprika and chipotle chilies and cook for 1 minute. Return the beef to the pan along with the brown sugar, tomato paste, cherry tomatoes, and stock, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 3–3½ hours or until tender.
Preheat oven 400F degrees.
Place the flour, baking powder, polenta, buttermilk, salt, pepper, cheese and cilantro in a bowl and mix to combine. Spoon onto the beef and bake, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes or until cooked through and golden.
