CREAMY PARMESAN ITALIAN SAUSAGE DITALINI SOUP

 

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage (turkey or chicken sausage as a pork alternative)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup Ditalini pasta

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

Cook the Sausage:

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage, breaking it into small crumbles, and cook until browned. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.

Sauté the Vegetables:

In the same pot, add diced onion, minced garlic, sliced carrots, and chopped celery. Sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add Broth and Herbs:

Pour in the chicken broth, then stir in the oregano and basil. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Cook the Pasta:

Add the Ditalini pasta to the boiling broth. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but still firm.

Make it Creamy:

Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the cooked sausage, heavy cream, and grated Parmesan cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes, allowing the soup to thicken slightly.

Add The Spinach:

Stir in the fresh spinach until it wilts into the soup.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

PALEO SWEET POTATO CHILI

2 lbs hamburger
1 red onion chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can tomato sauce 29.5 ounces
2 cups petite diced tomatoes with juice
3 cups beef stock
1 cup carrots sliced
5 cups sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 cup chili powder
dash of oregano
dash of red pepper flakes
Instructions

In a large saucepan, brown hamburger, onions and garlic. Drain off the fat. Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Mix well, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Then serve!
Slow Cooker Option: Instead of simmering the chili on the stove, you can brown the ground beef, drain off the fat and place it into the slow cooker. Add the other ingredients and let it simmer on low all day (6-8 hours on high for 4-5 hours).

THAI COCONUT RAMEN

1 bell pepper

6 green onions

1 head of bok choy

2 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons red curry paste

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon fresh ginger

½ cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons honey

¼ cup soy sauce

6 cups chicken broth

2 chicken breasts

2 ramen noodle blocks

1 can coconut milk

2 limes, juiced

Toppings: lime wedges, cilantro, basil, soft boiled eggs, green onions, sriracha, chopped peanuts 

In a large pot or dutch over, saute peppers, green onions, garlic and bok choy stalks (save leaves for later) in a drizzle of oil.  Add red curry past, fish sauce, fresh ginger, peanut butter, honey and soy sauce.  Stir together and cook for 2 minutes on medium.  Add chicken stock and scrape the bottom and edges of the pot.  Bring to a boil, add chicken and cook for about 12 minutes until chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove chicken and shred, then add back to the soup.  Add noodles,  bok choy leaves, and coconut milk.  Boil for 5 minutes, finish with lime juice.  Serve with any combination of the toppings.

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

3/4 c. butter melted

1 c. flour

1 c. celery finely diced

1 c. onions finely diced

1 c. leeks finely diced

3-4 cups red potatoes diced

3/4 c. clams 

3/4 Tbsp. fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp. salt

3/4 Tbsp. whole thyme

6 bay leaves

4 shakes Tabasco sauce

3 c. chicken broth

3/4 c. clam juice

2 quarts half & half

Combine melted butter and flour in a glass baking dish, bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crumbly. In a large skillet, soften celery, onion, and leeks in a little butter until soft and slightly transparent. Remove from heat and place in a large pot with remaining ingredients EXCEPT half & half and butter-flour mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and no longer crunchy.  Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough. Remove chowder from heat and stir in half & half until blended and smooth. Heat to serving temperature (do not bring to a boil), stirring occasionally. It should be creamy and smooth. Add salt & pepper for extra flavor.

INSTANT POT ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP

1 lb hot italian sausage
3 medium russet potatoes (or, 5 small idaho gold potatoes), unpeeled
1 small onion
4 strips of thick sliced bacon, diced
4 cloves garlic
2 cups of kale (veins removed and sliced thin like ribbons)
5 C. chicken broth
1 C. heavy cream (or, half and half for a lighter version)
salt, pepper to taste

Add sausage to the Instant Pot to brown using the saute feature. Use your spatula to crumble it as you saute, slowly breaking it apart as it cooks.

Once the sausage has browned, add the bacon, garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes or until soft.

Turn the Saute function OFF, and drain the extra grease, keeping the sausage, bacon, garlic and onions in the pot.

Add the chicken broth and unpeeled potatoes to the pot with the existing sausage & bacon.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot, close the valve (seal), and set the timer to manual, for 4 minutes.

The pot will take some time to come to pressure - once at pressure, it will count "down" from 4 minutes.

Once the pot beeps (finished), allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.

Add the kale, stir in and let it sit a few minutes until it wilts in the pot.

Stir in the heavy cream/half and half and season with salt/pepper - to taste.

SAUSAGE AND TORTELLINI SOUP

2 tablespoons EVOO
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
2 large onions, chopped
3 celery ribs with green leafy tops, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, cored and chopped, a handful of the green fronds reserved
2 large pinches of red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 quarts chicken stock
2 9-ounce packages fresh tortellini (cheese, spinach, or mushroom)
1 1/2 cups fresh basil, about 25 leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for passing at the table

Preheat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO.  Add the sausage to the hot pot and break it up with a wooden spoon into little pieces as it cooks, 2 to 4 minutes.  Add the onions, celery, garlic, chopped fennel, red pepper flakes, and a little salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for a minute, then add the chicken stock.  Put a lid on the pot to bring the soup up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Uncover the pot, add the tortellini, and cook for 5 minutes.  Once the pasta is cooked through, add the basil and parsley, then taste and re-season with a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.  Chip up the reserved fennel fronds, stir them in, and serve.  Pass the cheese at the table.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon oil

¼ teaspoon minced garlic

2 cans white beans

1 ½ cans chopped green chiles

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon cayanne

2 14-oz can chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

Brown onion in oil.  Add chicken, garlic, beans, chiles, seasonings and chicken broth.  Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and add:

1 cup sour cream

½ cup whipping cream

ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP

ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 small pumpkin, chopped into large chunks (remove seeds)

2 medium onions, sliced

2 cloves of garlic

3 carrots

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Nutmeg

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place pumpkin, flesh down, in a large baking dish and fill with ¼” water. Place onion, garlic and carrots on a separate cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast all in the oven for 1 hour or until tender.  Let pumpkin cool and scrape flesh from the skin.  Discard skin.  Combine all ingredients (except salt and pepper and seasonings) in a saucepan and bring to boil.  Remove from heat and blend until smooth.  Return to saucepan and season to taste with salt, pepper, Pumpkin Pie Spice and nutmeg, and then serve with crusty bread.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP 

INGREDIENTS

3 large butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large onion, coarsely diced

1 quart chicken stock

4 ounces of cream cheese

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Pumpkin Pie Spice to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Carefully split the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Season the cut side of the squash with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set cut side down on baking sheet and place in oven for 15 minutes or until squash is tender. When cool, scoop out the center using a small spoon.  In a large bowl over medium-high heat, add remaining olive oil and diced onion. Cook onions until they become translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the roasted squash to the onions along with the chicken stock.  Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir on low for 15 minutes. Blend the soup using a blender until smooth. Add the cream cheese and blend again until completely incorporated. Season again with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and Pumpkin Pie Spice.

WISCONSIN CAULIFLOWER SOUP

From http://www.utahdealdiva.com/2011/01/wisconsin-cauliflower-soup.html

2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk**
1 1/2 cups water**
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

**Can substitute 1 can {12 oz} evaporated milk and 2 cups water for the 2 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups water.

In a large saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour and salt. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and water.

Add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. 

In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth.

Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Serve soup with remaining cheese as a garnish.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Soup:

3 quarts water

chicken broth (you can use 20 bouillon cubes, 2 cans of chicken broth, or whatever chicken broth seasoning you have on hand.  I always just put in enough to the desired taste. You can always add more at the end, and as you go.

1/8 c. dried onion

4 c. celery (chopped)

4 c. carrots (chopped)

4 chicken breast cooked & cubed or I use one “ready to eat” full rotisserie chicken and shred it  

*In a large pot, add the chicken base to the 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil. Add onion, chopped carrots and celery. While the vegetables are cooking, I make the noodles:

Noodles:

5 Eggs               ½ c. cold water 

1 tsp. Salt          1/3 c. olive oil

Flour

Beats eggs with wire Wisk. Add olive oil, cold water and salt. With wooden spoon add flour until you have a soft dough. It will be sticky, which makes really good noodles-(instead of having too much flour). I just keep adding flour until it forms a sticky dough. You can always add more flour as you go. But, the least amount the flour the better.

Flour your surface and roll out to ¼ inch thick. Using a pizza cutter- cut the dough into thin (or fat J) strips. (About 2-3 inches long). Drop one at a time into your pot, while the vegetables are still cooking. Add your chicken pieces. The noodles take about 12 minutes to cook depending on the temperature of water. Serve with chopped green onion on top.

BALLARD'S SPICY CORN CHOWDER

4-6 slices of bacon chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper
1 small jalapeño chopped and seed removed
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/4 c flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 large red potatoes well  scrubbed and diced
1 cup heavy cream
16 oz corn
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

In a small saucepan over medium heat, saute the bacon until crisp and browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and reserve the grease. There should be 4 TBSP of bacon grease in pan.  Add the onions and pepper to pan. Saute until tender and translucent, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the jalapeno and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour until thoroughly combined. Cook the flour until it reaches a slight blond color, about 1 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes; potatoes will become soft. Add the cream, corn, and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 15 more minutes. Garnish with chopped bacon bits.

We LOVED this soup!

WHITE CHILI

2-3 large chicken breasts (can use chicken strips) - frozen or thawed
1 medium red onion
2-3 garlic gloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3-4 cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 cans chicken broth (enough to cover the mixture once in the crock pot)
2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream **
1 cup heavy whipping cream **

Saute red onion and garlic in some olive oil until softened.  I did not do this step (as you will see from the picture below) and regret it because the onions were crunchy when everything else was tender.  Layer chicken on the bottom of greased crock pot, then add all other ingredients (EXCEPT sour cream, and heavy whipping cream - add these right before serving) stirring until all ingredients are incorporated.
  

Cook on low heat for 4 hours.  If chicken is fully cooked, you should be able to shred it easily in the crock pot.  Add sour cream and heavy whipping cream.  Stir and serve with shredded cheddar and tortilla chips on top.

CROCK POT SOUP

1 can of rotel
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans (drained & rinsed)
2 frozen chicken breasts
8 oz cream cheese
1 packet dry ranch dressing
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup milk

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook 6-8 hours. Shred chicken, and enjoy!

BROCCOLI SOUP

8 cups water
7 chicken bullion cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 bunch broccoli
3 carrots, grated
1 stick of margarine
1 can evaporated milk
3/4 cup flour

Boil onion, broccoli and carrot in broth until tender. Meanwhile combine margarine, milk and flour. Thicken and then add to broth. Stir thoroughly and simmer.

TACO SOUP

1 pound hamburger
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can kidney beans
1 quart of stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup beef stock
1/2 pkg taco seasoning

Brown hamburger and saute carrots and celery. Add remaining ingredients and simmer. Serve hot with sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

From Brenda Funderburk

2 jalapenos
1 whole chicken (you can go the easy route and use a rotisserie chicken)
1 diced onion
1 diced green bell pepper
2 packets of mild taco seasoning
2 teaspoons cumin
½ minced garlic clove
2 cans of Rotell™ tomatoes
1 large can of stewed tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro (some for garnish)
5 limes (some for garnish)
Sour cream (for garnish)
Grated Cheese (for garnish)
Tortilla Chips (for garnish)

Prepare chicken, place in large pot. Cover with water, add 2 whole jalapenos and boil for 1 hour. Remove chicken and jalapeno, set aside. Strain with a colander twice, reserve. Once chicken has cooled to handle, de-bone and de-skin the chicken, place bite-size pieces into broth. Place broth and chicken into the refrigerator until chicken fat comes to top and skim. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and one boiled jalapenos (remove seeds). Add sautéed vegetables, cumin, garlic, tomatoes, some cilantro and 1 lime. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with garnishes.

SOUTHWEST CORN SOUP WITH ROASTED CHEESE CHIPS

Photo and Recipe straight from Hot off the Garlic Press

We tried this soup this weekend and really loved it!

3 fresh cobs of corn
1 chicken breast
3 green onions
1 red pepper
2 cloves garlic
3 T. Semolina Flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half & half
1/4 cup cilantro
1 avocado, cut into small chunks
chips
cheese

Roast the chicken in a little olive oil and salt in a hot oven.

Meanwhile shuck the corn and then slice the corn from the husks. Cut the pepper / capsicum and green onions into a few pieces. Place all into a food processor. Add the garlic and flour. Blend altogether for a minute or two, until ground to a nice paste.

Pour into a saucepan and add the stock and cream. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-20 minutes.

At some point the chicken should have been done. Cut or shred it and add it to the soup at any point. Add the cilantro / coriander.

In the mean time, lay some corn chips out onto a cookie sheet. Top with cheese {I used white cheddar -because all of the cheddar is white here in case you are wondering why I always use it, and mozzarella} and broil in the oven until toasted and melted -being careful not to burn.

Place some chips in the bottom of the bowls. Top with soup and avocado and a few more chips and serve, garnished with more cilantro.

COCONUT-LIME CHICKEN SOUP

This is so flavorful and delicious! Every bite tasted better than the one before. It is also a pretty affordable dish.

1 2-lb rotisserie chicken
1 15-oz can coconut milk
2 cups water
1/4 cup lime juice (2 medium limes)
3 medium carrots, thin-sliced diagonally (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons green curry paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Fresh cilantro, lime wedges and chili pepper flakes for garnishing.

1. Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken. Shred chicken. In large saucepan, combine shredded chicken with coconut milk, water, lime juice, carrots, soy sauce, green curry paste and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 8 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.

2. To serve, sprinkle bowls of soup with cilantro and chili pepper flakes. Squeeze fresh limes and enjoy.

VEGETABLE CHOWDER

3 carrots - finely chopped
1 onion - chopped
2 Tablespoons butter

Sautee above ingredients in a pot.
Add:
4 Cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon sage
Bring to a boil;
Add:
2 yukon gold potatoes - peeled and diced
4 C. corn kernals
2 C. half and half.
Reduce heat to med. cover and simmer about 15-20 min. or until vegetables are tender.
Mix 3 tablespoons water and 3 tablespoons cornstarch in seperate bowl.
Stir into soup. Boil for a minute or two. Add 1 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Makes 8 servings. Also reheats very well!