Loaded Cheesy Potato Soup

Well, it's official: No matter how much I tried to avoid it, I can no longer deny that I have my first cold of the season. Scratchy throat, runny nose, general feeling of malaise...you name it, I've got it. Just one of the joys of having kids: I seem to be susceptible to every germ my sweet little petri dishes bring in to the house.

Thankfully, we live in a world where meals like this creamy, luxurious, flavorful, drool-worthy cheesy potato soup exist. Although this soup isn't a magical cure-all, its smooth texture is perfect for soothing a scratchy throat -- and for soothing the soul.

Recently one of my co-workers was talking about her craving for cheesy potato soup -- a craving that was instantly passed along to me the second I heard her mention it. She was kind enough to print out a copy of this recipe for me when she found it online, and we both made it that very weekend -- and we (and our families) absolutely loved it. 

This soup is the height of comfort food. The texture is so velvety and creamy, which contrasts nicely with the toppings, and it's incredibly flavorful. And it's loaded with cheese and bacon, so really, how could it possibly be anything other than delicious? A lot of times the leftovers of soups like this get thick and gluey, but I'm happy to report that wasn't the case with this one. I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day, and they were just as good as (if not better than) the night before. 

What I'm saying is, this is basically the ultimate cheesy potato soup. Please, please try it -- you'll love it!

Loaded Cheesy Potato Soup
adapted from Food Network

6 slices bacon, chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed
1 cup whole milk
One 12-ounce bottle light-bodied beer
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar (about 8 ounces)
Dash hot sauce
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Sour cream, for topping
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or green onions, for topping

 

1. Add the bacon to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook until browned and crisp; remove to paper towels to drain, reserving the drippings. 

 

2. Add the butter to the bacon drippings in the pot. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the saucepan to toast the flour, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the stock, and then the milk and beer. Stir in the potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and, using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to low heat. Add 1 cup of the cheddar, a handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth after each addition. Add additional chicken stock if necessary to adjust the consistency. Sprinkle with hot sauce, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Divide the soup among bowls and top with the remaining cheddar, sour cream, the reserved bacon, and green onions or chives.

Completely Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Recently I've been doing more batch cooking to make dinners easier for myself during the week. I prepare a big batch of meat all at once, then use it in multiple meals. Not only is it cost-effective, it really does make pulling dinner together much quicker. Last weekend I wanted to make a few pounds of chicken to shred, and I decided to poach the chicken so I could make my own stock. Of course, chicken noodle soup was one of the first meals I thought of, to use both the stock and the shredded chicken.

I've been making chicken noodle soup for a long time -- first with boxed stock and store-bought noodles, and later, with boxed stock and homemade noodles. This was the first time I'd ever made it completely from scratch, and it was a huge success. I can say with certainty that any semi-homemade version I make going forward is just not going to measure up.

This does require quite a bit of time to prepare -- making the noodles and drying them, simmering the stock for a couple of hours -- but it was a great weekend activity for us. The boys loved helping me make the noodles, and I was able to get other things done while the stock was simmering. And the time spent was beyond worth it. The flavor of the stock was so deep and rich, and the noodles were so chewy and flavorful, rich with the flavor of cooking in the stock. Chicken noodle soup is one of the humblest yet most delicious dishes in the world, in my opinion, and this version is just perfect.

I'm giving you the full recipe for the noodles below (you'll only need about 3/4 of the noodles it yields, depending on how noodle-y you like your soup) and the full recipe to make a gallon of stock (you'll only need about half of the stock and a quarter of the chicken for the soup). But having egg noodles, stock, and chicken on hand is never a bad thing, right?

Completely Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

For the noodles:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Make a well in the center of the flour. Add egg yolks, egg and salt; mix thoroughly. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is stiff, but easy to roll. Knead for about 5 minutes adding additional flour if necessary to make a dough that is not sticky. Divide dough in 3 or 4 equal parts. Roll dough, one part at a time, into thin rectangle on well floured board, to less than 1/8 inch thick. Make sure that your dough is well floured. Roll up each piece of dough into a log, then cut across the log in 1/4-inch strips. Cut the long strips into shorter strips, to the length you desire your noodles. Place cut noodles onto a baking rack to dry, for at least 2 hours.

For the stock:

3 pounds bone-in chicken, light and dark meat (I used chicken legs and breasts)
Salt and pepper
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled, quartered, root attached
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
16 cups water

Rub chicken generously with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of a stock pot. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay, and thyme. Pour in the water and cover. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred; reserve. Return the chicken bones to the pot and increase heat to high. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking, uncovered, until stock is rich in color and reduced slightly, at least 1 hour. Strain into a plastic container.

For the soup:

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery from the heart, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup white wine
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 to 3/4 pound egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until vegetables are tender. Stir in the shredded chicken. Add the wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until reduced. Add the chicken stock and heat to boiling. Stir in as many noodles as you want; cook until noodles are chewy, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Reduce heat and stir in the peas. Serve.

BBQ Chicken Chili with Pineapple Pepper-Jack Quesadillas

Chili? In JULY? you're saying right now. To which I heartily respond: YES! Chili in JULY! It's BBQ chicken chili, and since I associate BBQ'ed anything with summer, I believe this a perfectly acceptable dish for the season. Of course, Joe did point out that I actually made this on the hottest day of the summer so far, which we both found a little ironic -- but it didn't stop either of us from chowing down. 

The idea for this chili actually came to me in the middle of the night. I woke up with it on my mind and added it to the notes area of my phone and promptly forgot about it. When I was browsing that section a few days later, I came across the idea and had absolutely no recollection of putting in there. In any case, I'm glad I did, because this chili is smoky, sweet, tangy, and spicy, and we both loved it. The BBQ sauce works so well with the chili spices. I love the flavor of pineapple and BBQ sauce, so I thought the quesadillas were the perfect balance to the chili. The pepper-jack gave them a great heat, and Joe and I agreed that we both could have eaten just the quesadillas for a meal and been very happy.

Not to discount this chili, though. We certainly were happy to have it for dinner, even if it was 95 degrees outside.

BBQ Chicken Chili with Pineapple Pepper-Jack Quesadillas

For the chili:

4 strips bacon, chopped
1 pound chicken tenders, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup beer
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup chipotle or hickory BBQ sauce
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 can corn, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained

Sour cream, cilantro, and shredded cheddar cheese for topping

For the quesadillas:

4 flour tortillas
4 tablespoons crushed pineapple, well-drained
1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese

1. Add the bacon to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy; using a slotted spoon, remove and place on a paper towel to drain.

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and added to the bacon drippings. Cook until browned and cooked through, then place on the paper towel with the bacon. 

3. Add the butter to the pot, then add the red onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add the beer to the pot, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits. 

4. Add the chicken stock, BBQ sauce, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, vinegar and brown sugar. Heat to bubbling, then reduce heat to medium-low and add the corn, beans, and reserved bacon and chicken. Cook over medium-low heat until desired thickness.

5. To make the quesadillas, add 1/4 of a cup of cheese to half of a tortilla and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of pineapple; fold over. Cook in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray until both sides are browned. Cut into wedges.

6. Serve chili topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cilantro, with the quesadillas on the side.
   

Sausage and Tortellini Soup

This soup is one of those Pinterest-famous recipes. You know, the ones that you see hundreds of times in your Pinterest feed because everyone pins and re-pins it? I've tried a few of those recipes, and this may just be the best one yet. This soup is truly as delicious as everyone says it is.

Of course, I made a lot of my own modifications to this soup. The result was a creamy, cheesy, flavorful soup that Joe and I happily ate for days. It's really saying something that I had to fight Joe for the leftover lunch portions, since he's not typically a huge fan of soup. This is seriously, seriously delicious. I loved the dimension of smokiness that the fire-roasted tomatoes added; it worked so well with the sausage and the creamy broth. Garlic bread is the perfect vehicle for soaking up the incredible flavor of that broth.

Mushrooms, zucchini, and baby spinach or kale would be delicious additions to this soup. I may even try stirring in a spoonful or two of pesto next time I make it...and there will most definitely be a next time.

Sausage and Tortellini Soup

heavily adapted from Party in My Kitchen

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound bulk Italian sausage, mild or spicy

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock (1 quart)

1 can evaporated milk

1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 bag frozen cheese tortellini

3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, divided

Shredded parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break into bits with a wooden spoon. When the sausage has lost nearly all of its pink color, add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is softened, then add the garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds.

2. Add the white wine to the pot and let it reduce, stirring with a wooden spoon to release any bits stuck to the bottom. Add chicken stock, evaporated milk, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

3. Add the tortellini to the pot and continue cooking for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tortellini is heated through. Stir in two tablespoons of the parsley.

4. Garnish eash serving with parmesan cheese and some of the reserved parsley.

Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Black Bean Chili

Judging by what I've seen on Pinterest and in my blog reader lately, it seems that chili is a traditional meal for many families on Halloween. In our house, that isn't the case. We usually order pizza or get Chinese take-out before heading out for trick-or-treating. Tonight is no exception; I'll be picking up sesame chicken and crab rangoon for us to enjoy before Joe and I and our little Luigi and Firefighter Will head out in the dreary, cold, rainy weather.

But I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to share this chili recipe. It's loaded with orange sweet potatoes and black beans, so it's perfect for Halloween. I made it over the weekend, when I'd originally planned to make sweet potato and black bean tostadas (which are still on my list to try); but then I found ground chicken on discount at the grocery store for 99 cents, and Joe mentioned that he was craving chili -- so this recipe was born.

This chili is absolutely fantastic -- spicy and just slightly sweet. And it's pretty healthy, too! If you have seasonal beer or hard cider on hand, use that to deglaze the pan (Joe only had one Oktoberfest beer left in the fridge, so I decided to save it for him to drink, but it would've been delicious in this chili). We topped our bowls with chopped avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, crispy tortilla strips, and a squirt of lime juice. Absolutely delicious!

Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Black Bean Chili

3 tablespoons butter

1 red onion, choppped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground chicken

2 cups chicken stock

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can diced chili-ready tomatoes, undrained

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

Generous pinch of cinnamon (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can black beans, drained

Shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips, and lime wedges for serving

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion and sweet potato, season with salt and pepper to taste, and saute until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add ground chicken and stir to combine, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through. Add about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock (or beer, or hard cider) and use a wooden spoon to release the browned bits at the bottom of the pot.

2. Add the rest of the chicken stock, all of the tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon and salt and pepper. Heat to bubbling then reduce heat and simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes, up to as long as you want. About 10 minutes before serving, add the beans. Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.

Smoky Chicken and White Bean Chili

I know you're probably scoffing at me right now. "Chili? In July?" you're asking. And the answer is yes, folks, chili in July! I'm one of those people who enjoys soup year-round. Think about it for a minute. Soup is cooked on the stove-top, so it doesn't require an oven heating up the house. And since practically everyone eats a hot dinner, even in the summer, I don't see what the difference is between having soup in July and soup in January.

If my faultless (ha) logic hasn't convinced you, you'll be completely convinced when you try it. This chili is so good. The fire-roasted tomatoes, bacon, and smoked paprika give it such a wonderful smoky flavor. Since it's more smoky than spicy, even the boys enjoyed it. And it comes together in no time, and it's relatively healthy. I'll take a big bowl of this chili any day of the year!

Smoky Chicken and White Bean Chili

adapted from Tasty Kitchen

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups shredded chicken

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 quart chicken stock

2 14.5-ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes

2 14.5-ounce cans cannelini or Great Northern beans

7 ounces fire-roasted diced green chilies

Salt and pepper to taste

Shredded cheese for topping

1. In a hot Dutch oven, cook bacon for about 3 minutes.

2. Add the onion and garlic to the bacon. Lower the heat to medium low and cover pot. Cook, stirring as needed until the onions are translucent and just starting to caramelize.

3. Add the chicken, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and chili powder to the pot and continue to cook for 10 minutes, covered.

4. Stir in the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, white beans, and green chiles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a slow boil and cook, uncovered, stirring as needed until the liquid has reduced to your preferred thickness. Top each serving with shredded cheese.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of those recipes I’ve literally been making for a couple of years now, and just haven’t gotten around to sharing yet. When I put it on a recent(ish) meal plan, I told you guys that I’d definitely share it this time.

The universe must’ve been laughing, though, because the very night I made this for dinner, I got sick with the stomach flu. And…well, yadda yadda yadda, you know how those things go. So here we are, a month later, and I’m finally able to post this recipe. (I’m being intentionally vague; I know you don’t want the details.) It’s still March, which is still soup weather in my book! All year is soup weather in my book, for that matter.

We love this soup so much. It’s cheesy, creamy, spicy, and flavorful. The corn chips provide the perfect crunch. It’s so easy to make, and the leftovers reheat really well. It’s definitely not the healthiest soup in the world, I’ll grant you that; but once you take the first bite of it and taste how delicious it is, I highly doubt you’ll be thinking about the calories.

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

adapted from Krista’s Kitchen

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1/3 cup flour

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

12 ounces Velveeta, cubed (I used 2% milk Velveeta)

8 ounces shredded Monterey jack or pepper-jack cheese

1 16-ounce jar salsa

1 can corn, drained

1 cup milk

Corn chips, sour cream, and green onions for topping

1. Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until the chicken is nearly cooked through.

2. Add onion and cook until softened. Stir in the flour until blended, then gradually stir in the broth. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes, until slightly thickened.

3. Stir in Velveeta, shredded cheese, and salsa. Cook over medium-low heat until cheese is melted. Add corn, then stir in milk and heat through.

4. Garnish each bowl of soup with corn chips, sour cream, and green onions.

The Best Roasted Tomato Soup Ever

I have a recipe for tomato soup that I make every so often, and my family really enjoys it. But it’s always sort of bugged me that the recipe calls for cans of condensed tomato soup. Call me crazy, but if you’re making homemade tomato soup, shouldn’t it...not include canned tomato soup? Otherwise, why not just open the can and heat it up?

Of course, I have nothing against canned soups of any kind, especially condensed ones. But still, when I had a recent craving for tomato soup, I wanted to try a completely-from-scratch version using fresh tomatoes. Given my love of roasted tomatoes, I knew I was almost guaranteed to enjoy this recipe from Tyler Florence.

I of course made my own modifications to his original recipe (I seem physically incapable of leaving a recipe entirely alone without changing it in some way), and let me tell you guys: That soup may look really humble up there in that bowl with no garnish, but what the picture can’t reveal is how incredibly flavorful, silky, and amazing it tastes. The ingredients are so humble and simple, but they taste so rich when they’re combined. The roasted tomatoes give the soup a deep, slightly sweet, caramelized flavor. It is honestly the best tomato soup I’ve ever had – anywhere, anytime – and is without a doubt my new go-to recipe. Joe, Andrew and Will all devoured this soup, and we all had seconds. I served it with classic American-cheese-and-white-bread grilled cheese sandwiches, and it was beyond delicious.

Make this soup. I promise you will love it.

The Best Roasted Tomato Soup Ever
adapted from Tyler Florence

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (I used a mixture of cherry and Roma tomatoes)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes onto a baking tray. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.

3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and cook until onions are translucent. Stir in garlic cloves; cook and stir 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.

4. Remove roasted tomatoes from the oven and transfer to the Dutch oven. Add 3/4 of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third. Remove bay leaves and discard.

5. Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

This is one of the first recipes I ever pinned on Pinterest. I’ve since gone on to pin (or re-pin) more than 500 food-related items, but I kept this one in the back of my mind, because it was one I knew that I definitely wanted to try. Roasted garlic, roasted cauliflower...Um, YUM. As soon as the weather cooled down enough that soup seemed like an appropriate dinner option, I put it on our menu.

The beauty of this soup is in its simplicity. It’s literally only four ingredients, not including oil and seasonings, and that allows its flavor to really shine through. It’s intensely flavorful, slightly sweet from the roasted garlic, slightly sharp from the leeks, and slightly earthy from the cauliflower. It’s creamy without containing a hint of cream. Underneath it all is the nutty flavor brought out by roasting the vegetables. I served it alongside a humble grilled cheese sandwich and topped each serving with croutons for some crunch. This was such a simple, delicious dinner.

Roasted Cauliflower, Leek and Garlic Soup
slightly adapted from Tartelette

1 small head of cauliflower
1 whole head of garlic
2 leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and position a rack in the middle.

2. Trim the outer leaves from the cauliflower head. Cut in quarters, remove the core, and cut the cauliflower into medium size florets. Place on a large baking sheet.

3. Peel each garlic clove and place the peeled cloves on the baking sheet with the cauliflower.

4. Trim the white part from the green stalk of the leeks. Keep the white part and cut into medium sized chunks. Wash well under water and place also on the baking sheet.

5. Drizzle with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes.

6. Let cool slightly. Place in a food processor, start running the machine and add enough stock to have a creamy soup. Re-season if necessary with salt and pepper. Serve.

Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Chicken Bacon Ranch Chili

Ohhh, man, do I have a delicious recipe to share this week.

This chili was inspired by two Rachael Ray recipes -- this one and this one. Rachael shared the turkey version on a recent episode of 30 Minute Meals, and I immediately knew I'd be making it. When I checked her website a few days later, I found the chicken version. And that's when my wheels really started turning.

What goes perfectly with chicken and ranch dressing? That's right. Bacon. It's just one of those magical flavor combinations for me. Mix 'em all up together in a pot of spicy chili, and it's bound to be delicious.

I'm no stranger to putting ranch dressing in chili. Back in the day, when I was a waitress at the Waffle House (Have I ever told you about that experience? Remind me to do that sometime.), I used to put ranch dressing in my chili all the time. Both of Rachael's versions were white(ish) chilis, but I knew I wanted mine to have some tomatoes in it to echo the chili-ranch combo I used to love so much. So I added some. 

Rachael used poblanos, I used jalapenos. Rachael used ground chicken (or turkey), I used chopped chicken breast. Rachael used a combination of herbs and sour cream for her dressing, I used store-bought drizzled over the top (and added a packet of dry ranch, too, to up the flavor). And then, you guys, in what was possibly one of my most brilliant moves of all time, I topped the chili with a pile of tortilla strips that I fried in bacon grease. Have you lost all respect for me? I don't care, it was amazing. The bacon added such a great richness to the chili, which paired perfectly with the spice and the creamy, cool dressing.

Definitely, definitely try this chili. We loved it, and I'll make it again for sure. And be sure to check out Taste and Tell's Saturdays with Rachael Ray!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Chili

heavily adapted from Rachael Ray

1/2 pound bacon, cut into small pieces

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into small chunks

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 packet dry ranch dressing mix

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups chicken stock

1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 can white beans (Great Northern or cannelini), drained and rinsed

Ranch dressing

Shredded cheddar cheese

Flour tortillas

1. In a Dutch oven, cook bacon until crispy; set aside on paper towels to drain. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the skillet and reserve.

2. To Dutch oven, add chicken and cook over medium-high heat until browned and nearly cooked through. Stir in onion, garlic, and jalapeno; cook until vegetables are slightly softened. Season with chili powder, cumin, ranch dressing mix, and salt and pepper. 

3. Add chicken stock and, with a wooden spoon, release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in tomatoes, beans and reserved bacon and simmer over medium-low heat until heated through, bubbly, and slightly thickened.

4. While chili is cooking, heat reserved bacon grease in a shallow skillet over moderate heat. Add flour tortillas, one at a time, and cook until browned and crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain. Cut tortillas into strips.

5. To assemble chili, ladle into bowls. Top with a sprinkling of shredded cheese, a pile of tortilla strips, and a generous drizzle of ranch dressing.

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

 

Chowder (or soup in general) is not a traditional choice for a summer meal. But this chowder is actually perfect for summer, since it’s loaded with the season’s bounty: summer squash and corn. It’s hearty and satisfying, but still so fresh and light.

What I love most about this chowder is that it relies on the corn itself to thicken it, rather than a roux or heavy cream. The corn is pureed with milk, then added to the soup to heat through. It’s a great way to save on calories, and really serves to imbue every single bite with the flavor of corn. We had impromptu dinner guests the night I put this on the menu, and they loved it just as much as we did. I topped each bowl with a square of baked puffed pastry, and we really liked the crunchy texture it added to the soup. I will definitely make this again. I’ll probably even double it next time, since Joe couldn’t get enough.

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder
slightly adapted from Cooking Light

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup sliced green onions, divided
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 pound yellow summer squash, chopped
1 pound frozen white and yellow baby corn kernels, thawed and divided
2 1/4 cups 2% milk
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Set bacon aside on paper towels to drain. Reserve 2 teaspoons of drippings in pan.

2. Add butter to pan, then add 1/2 cup onions, celery, and squash to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3. Reserve 1 cup corn; set aside. Place the remaining corn and 1 cup milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups milk, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to blender; process just until combined.

4. Add pureed mixture and reserved 1 cup corn to pan. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon bacon, 1 tablespoon remaining onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese.

One year ago: Summer vegetable and pesto tart

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time at all, it should be apparent to you that I love soup, I love my Crock pot, and I love cream cheese. So when I saw this recipe, which encompasses all three of those things plus butternut squash, I knew I’d be making it sooner rather than later.

I couldn’t believe how flavorful this soup was, given that the ingredient list was really pretty short. Because of that short ingredient list, you can really taste each component of the soup so clearly -- the thyme, the bay, the butternut squash and garlic and onion -- which combine to give it an overall warm, earthy, slightly sweet flavor. And the texture is incredible -- creamy, velvety, and smooth. Joe and I and both of the boys practically licked our bowls clean.

The only thing I’ll do differently next time is to use the actual ladle as my spoon, so I can get this into my mouth that much faster. :) This is definitely my favorite soup of the year so far!

Creamy Butternut Squash Soupadapted from Taste and Tell
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cubed

1. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds.

2. In a 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker, combine the onion and garlic and all remaining ingredients except the cream cheese. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

3. About 40 minutes before serving, remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and place about 1/3 of the mixture at a time in a food processor or blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Return the mixture to the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add the cubed cream cheese and stir. Cover and cook on low an additional 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Italian Wedding Soup

My first experience with Italian wedding soup came when I was around 10 years old or so. My mom was dating an Italian man whose mother was one of those Italian grandmotherly types you always hear about -- she hovered in her kitchen for hours cooking mouthwatering, authentic Italian food. I can still remember the taste of her pizelles.

One evening Mom’s boyfriend brought over a huge pot of Italian wedding soup his mother had made for us, and I remember...not liking it very much at all. Maybe it was the spinach that inspired my disdain, because my love affair with that particular green vegetable didn’t begin until I was well into adulthood. I’m sure if I could taste that soup now, with my more grown-up palate, I’d love it -- because I certainly loved the Italian wedding soup I made it for us recently.

Joe comes from an Italian background, too, and he’s always loved Italian wedding soup. He’d been bugging me to make it for a while, and I finally gave in. I’m so glad he annoyed me about this (but don’t tell him I said that), because we all really loved this soup. I can get my boys to eat pretty much anything that contains ditalini pasta, because they like sticking their fingers through it and eating it right off their hands -- they’re such goofballs -- but in the case of this soup, they actually ate the other components too...even the spinach! That, my friends, is what I call a WIN.

This soup is flavorful, colorful, hearty, and delicious. It’s pretty quick, too, as far as soups go. The brand of Italian sausage I bought had a little too much fennel in it for my tastes, but I think I was the only one who felt that way. I’ll definitely be making this again.

Italian Wedding Soup
slightly adapted from heidikins cooks

For the meatballs:

1 pound Italian sausage
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and black pepper to taste

For the soup:

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, shredded
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 bay leaves
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk1
1/2 cups ditalini pasta
4 to 5 ounces baby spinach

1. Mix meatball ingredients.

2. Heat olive oil in large stock pot and saute onion and garlic until soft. Add carrots and celery and saute another few minutes. Meanwhile, with wet hands, start forming small meatballs -- about 3/4 inches across.

3. Add chicken stock and milk to vegetables and bring to a boil. Drop meatballs into boiling soup, add pasta, and let it boil about 8 minutes; reduce heat. Let simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Add spinach, and when the spinach is wilted the soup is done. Garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Creamy Meatball Minestrone Stew

The first recipe of 2011! And believe me, if you’re looking for the perfect stew to warm you up on these cold winter days, look no further: This stew is the answer. Full of meatballs, pasta, beans, and vegetables, it is the very definition of “hearty” -- and it’s delicious, too.

This is one of those recipes I knew I was going to make the instant I saw it, and we all really enjoyed it. The cream cheese gave the stew great flavor and texture. Joe and I both agreed that this would taste much better with homemade meatballs, so I’ll definitely take the time to make my own next time. The original recipe calls for 3 cups of water, but I omitted it because I wanted a nice, thick stew-like meal. That’s exactly what I got, and it was so comforting and delicious -- the perfect meal for a cold winter night.

Creamy Meatball Minestrone Stew
adapted from Tablespoon

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, shredded
1 large zucchini, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 30-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 pound frozen Italian meatballs (or make your own)
1 26-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
32 ounces beef broth
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
8 ounces small uncooked pasta (like ditalini or orzo)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add zucchini and carrots. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.

3. Add beans and all remaining ingredients except cream cheese. Simmer 20 more minutes.

4. Taste for seasonings, adjust as necessary, and add cream cheese. Stir until incorporated.

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

Well, I wasn’t able to post yesterday, because that stomach virus that my boys had? Well, they passed it to me. So I blew NaBloPoMo, which I’m irritated about, but I had a good excuse, but I’m not going into detail because it’s not the kind of thing you want to read about on a food blog, so...moving on.

Anyway. This soup is awesome. It’s so flavorful and delicious, and it is literally ready in ten minutes. TEN MINUTES. How’s that for a weeknight home run?

We all absolutely loved this dinner. I topped our servings with shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions, and crushed tortilla chips for texture, and served it with cheese quesadillas for dipping. I’ll be making this one a lot, and I strongly recommend that you try it!

Black Bean and Salsa Soup
adapted from Everything Moms

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup chunky salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can cream-style corn
Sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions and crushed tortilla chips for garnish, if desired

1. In an electric food processor or blender, combine beans, stock, salsa, cumin, and chili powder. Blend until fairly smooth.

2. Transfer the bean mixture to a saucepan and stir in cream corn. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Taste for seasonings, and add salt and pepper if needed to taste.

3. Ladle soup into bowls, and top each bowl with desired toppings.

Fall Minestrone

I have the perfect fall soup for you today. This was one that our entire family enjoyed; Will loved the sweet potatoes and the beans, and Andrew loved the ditalini pasta (which, by the way, he ate by sticking his fingers in the holes in the noodles, and sucking them off of his fingers once he had a full hand of pasta. It was adorable).

But never mind my child’s strange eating habits. Let me tell you about this hearty, flavorful soup. It’s incredibly satisfying and filling, but it’s also really healthy for you. It’s packed with vegetables, beans, and a little bit of pasta to give it body. All you need is a buttered roll to dip in the flavorful broth, and it’s the perfect supper for a chilly autumn night. And it’s something you can feel really good about eating, too, which somehow makes it taste even better.

Fall Minestrone
adapted from My Recipes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrot
2 1/2 cups cubed sweet potato (about 1 large sweet potato)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen green beans
1 16-ounce can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta
2 cups baby spinach
Parmesan cheese, if desired

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and sweet potato; sauté until potatoes are nearly tender. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper to taste and Italian seasoning. Reduce heat to medium, add tomato paste and stir until vegetables are evenly coated and paste turns a rich brown color.

2. Add chicken stock and green beans; return to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add cannellini beans and ditalini. Cook until ditalini is al dente, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted. Taste for seasoning and reseason as necessary. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle individual servings with cheese, if desired.

Empty-the-Pantry Taco Soup

I know, I know, you’re like, “Soup? On the first day of July? [Side note: Can you believe it’s July already?] Is she crazy?”

Well, here’s the thing. Yes, I may be a little crazy, but I love soup year-round. Especially a soup like this that can be thrown together in five minutes and tossed in the Crock pot to cook all day. That means I get to come home to a delicious meal that I didn't have to put any effort into, and also one that doesn’t heat up my kitchen to 100 degrees. And this soup? It tastes like a taco. Seriously, you just can’t go wrong with this combination of ingredients.

This soup is absolutely delicious, and easily customizable to whatever you have on hand. Use creamed corn instead of whole kernel, which would probably give the soup great texture. Use chili-ready tomatoes instead of plain old diced tomatoes to bump up the chili flavor. Use black beans instead of pinto beans (I did). Use any toppings you want. I promise, you really just can’t go wrong with this flavor profile. It’s good in any season!

Empty-the-Pantry Taco Soup
source: adapted from Krista’s Kitchen

1 pound ground sirloin

1 chopped onion

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 envelope ranch dressing mix

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 can green chilies, undrained

1 can chili beans, undrained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

4 cups beef broth

Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Crushed tortilla chips

1. Cook the ground sirloin and onion in a skillet until beef is browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the ranch dressing and taco seasoning packets and cook and stir for another minute.

2. Transfer to slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, green chilies, beef broth, chili beans, black beans, and corn. Cook for 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.

3. Top each serving with a sprinkle of cheese, a dollop of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and any other taco toppings you like.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

I know, I know: It's March-almost-April, and it's not really "soup season" anymore. But if your weather is anything like ours here in Ohio, it's bound to change in five minutes, and you just may have a few more rainy, chilly days before it warms up for good. On one of those days, this soup is the perfect thing to make for dinner.

I'm loving roasted vegetables lately. I just love the deep, slightly charred flavor that results in roasting them. And I mean, just look how beautiful they are. How could anything so gorgeous not taste amazing?

You can use any combination of vegetables you like for this soup; asparagus would make this more spring-y, tomatoes would make it sweeter, and potatoes would make it heartier. Trust me, you don't want to wait until the fall to try this one.

Roasted Vegetable Soup
source: adapted from Pillsbury Christmas 2007

2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups sliced zucchini
1 red onion, halved lengthwise and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can vegetable broth or chicken broth
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat oven to 475 degrees. In small bowl, combine oil, rosemary, salt and pepper; mix well. Set aside. In large bowl, combine all vegetables. Add oil mixture to vegetables and mix well to coat. Place vegetables in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.

2. Bake for 30 minutes or until vegetables are golden brown and tender, stirring halfway through baking time.

3. In large saucepan, combine roasted vegetables, broth, cream, and parsley; mix well. Cook and stir over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated and slightly thickened.