Meatball Tortellini Soup

When the temperature drops, there’s nothing like curling up on the couch with a bowl of hot, comforting soup.  This one fits the bill.  As an extra bonus, this soup is pretty healthy and great as a leftover meal the next day.  Add extra heat with the red pepper flakes.  If you are not a fan of ‘heat’ in your foods, than leave that ingredient out altogether. 

Meatball:
½ Pd. Hamburger
¼ C. Parmesan, grated
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Parsley, minced
1 Egg, beaten

Soup:
¼ C. Parsley, minced
1 tsp. Celery Seed
2 Carrots, diced
1 Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
4 C. Spinach, chopped
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
6 C. Beef Broth
16 oz. Cheese Tortellini
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Vegetable Oil

Combine all ingredients for meatballs. Season with salt and black pepper. Form into balls. Heat oil in stock pot. Fry meatballs in batches until cooked through. Set aside. Add more oil if necessary to the pot. Add carrots, onions, garlic. Saute until softened. Add spinach. Cook about 5 minutes until wilted. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Add meatballs, parsley and tortellini. Simmer until tortellini float to the top and meatballs are heated through. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Chipotle Turkey Chili

Is this a soup or a chili?  I don’t really know, but I do know that it tastes really good.  Especially on a cold day.  I like to have corn bread with this, but cheese quesadillas are also nice.  Don’t confuse the chipotle Mexican cooking sauce with the can of chipotles in sauce.  The latter is much stronger in taste.  The chipotle sauce I like is made by Herdez.

 

 

1 Pd. Ground Turkey

1 Onion, minced

4 oz. Green Chilis

1 C. Chipotle Mexican Cooking Sauce

15 oz. Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 ½ C. Frozen Corn

15 oz. Diced Tomatoes

4 C. Chicken Broth

8 oz. Sour Cream

Vegetable Oil

 

Saute onion in vegetable oil over medium-low heat until softened and translucent. Add ground turkey and chilis. Cook until completely done breaking up into small pieces. Add remaining ingredients except the sour cream. Simmer on low for about an hour to let the flavors develop. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve with lime and/or cilantro if desired.

Chicken Soup with Tomatoes and Paprika

Easy weeknight meal that only takes a few minutes to throw together.  The beans add a comforting feel to the soup.   Serve with baked chips or cheese quesadillas.  

2 Chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2 C. Chicken Broth
15.5 oz. Can Navy Beans
15.5 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes
½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
¼ C. Cilantro, minced
Sour Cream

Drain and rinse beans. Lightly mash. In a large saucepan, add all ingredients except sour cream. Heat soup over medium heat until simmering. Cover with a lid and continue to simmer for 20 minutes to let flavors meld together. Top with sour cream.

Corn Soup

Easy weeknight meal and reheats well for leftovers.  I usually make quesadillas to go with this soup.  Also good with crushed tortilla chips.  Make your own chips by lightly brushing leftover corn tortillas with oil and cutting into sixths.  Season with salt or spices and arrange in a single layer on cookie sheet.  Bake until lightly browned.

 

12 oz. jar Roasted Red Peppers, diced

2 Tbsp. Veg. Oil

1 Onion, diced

32 oz. Frozen Corn

4 C. Chicken Stock

½ C. Heavy Cream

Heat oil in large saucepan.  Add onion and sauté until softened and becomes translucent.  Add to the pan, corn red pepper and liquid from the jar.  Add the chicken stock.  Simmer on low for 25 – 30 minutes.  Puree until desired consistency.  Stir in cream.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Smoky Lentil Soup with Bacon

Comforting bowl of soup for a cold winter day.   When adding the paprika, use a good quality smoked paprika, not the regular paprika.  I never thought that there was much difference until I tried it.  There is a huge difference!   I like to serve this with a grilled provolone cheese sandwich made on crusty Italian bread.  But really, any sandwich would work well with this recipe.

 

4 slices Bacon

1 Onion, diced

3 Carrots, diced

2 Celery stalks, diced

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

6 oz. Tomato Paste

1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

14 oz. Fire Roasted Tomatoes, diced

1 C. Red Lentils

4 C. Chicken Broth

Salt

Pepper

Sour Cream

Parsley, minced

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon until cooked through and crispy.  Remove and drain on paper towels, leaving the grease in the pot.  Crumble the bacon.  Add the onions, carrots and celery.  Cover with a lid and cook until vegetables are beginning to soften, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic and paprika.  Cook 2 – 3 minutes.  Add 1 Tbsp. of the tomato paste.  Cover and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are soft.  Add the broth, lentils, tomatoes and the remaining tomato paste.  Cover the cook until the lentils are tender, about 35 -45 minutes.  With an immersion blender, puree to desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls.  Top with sour cream, bacon and parsley.      

Cuban Bean Soup

This is a very comforting soup and a great way to use up left over ham.  This is what we usually end up doing with our leftover spiral or picnic ham. If you prefer, you can do away with the ham hocks all together and add 1 C. diced ham from the leftovers instead.  Flavor the onions when you sauté them with bacon grease to add the depth of flavor you would get from the hocks.  It tends to have enough salt from the ham and does not need to have any more added to it.

 

1Lg. Onion, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, minced
60 Oz. Canned Black beans, drained and rinsed
28 Oz. Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Cumin
½ tsp. Oregano
2 Ham Hocks
Boiled Egg, peeled and chopped

Mix onions, garlic, cumin, oregano and pepper. Top with ham hocks. Cook until light golden, adding some grease if necessary. Add broth and beans. Cook until thick and beans are tender. Remove hocks and cool slightly. Shred meat from hocks. Return to pot. Add lemon juice. Top with chopped egg, or top with sour cream.

Southwestern Turkey Soup

I absolutely love the tubes of chopped herbs that you can now buy in the salad section of grocery stores.  What a time and back saver!  I'll still grow my herb garden, but in the winter, it's a nice alternative.  This is a nice hearty cold winter soup.  Add shredded chedder, sour cream, tortilla chips or extra lime when you serve.  Save your corn tortillas and cut into sixths.  Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and bake until crispy. 

 

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Onion, minced

3 Garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. Chili powder

½ tsp. Cumin

½ tsp. Oregano

10.75 Oz. Condensed Tomato Soup

28 Oz. Tomatoes, diced

4 C. Turkey, cooked and shredded

2 Tbsp. Lime juice

1 C. Water

3 C. Chicken Broth

14 Oz. Black Beans, drained and rinsed

2 C. Corn, frozen

½ C. Sour Cream

3 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in large stockpot.  Add onion and sauté until soft.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano.  Cook 2 – 3 minutes.  Add tomato paste.  Cook 5 – 7 minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Simmer for 20 -30 minutes.  Serve with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Potato and Leek Soup

A good alternative to the traditional version of potato soup.  A satisfying winter dish.

 



3 Tbsp.  Butter

3 Leeks, finely chopped

3 Lb. Potatoes, cubed

5 C. Beef Broth

½ C. Heavy Cream

¼ C. Parmesan, Grated

In pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add leeks.  Sauté until softened.  Add potatoes, stirring to coat with the butter and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.  Add broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Add cream and parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper.

Tortilla Soup

Very flavorful soup.  Grocery stores now stock already minced cilantro in the salad section which is a great time saver.  Use less chicken broth if you want a thicker soup as the recipe below tends to have alot of broth.  Leftover corn tortillas brushed with oil, cut into sixths and baked in the oven are a great low fat version of the chips that you buy in the stores.

 

8 C. Chicken broth

2 ½ lb. Chicken

1 Onion, chopped

1 Jalapeno, minced

15 oz. Tomatoes, diced

1 Tbsp. Veg. Oil

½ Bunch Cilantro, minced

3 Tbsp. Lime juice

1 C. Frozen Corn

Tortilla Chips, broken

Boil chicken in salted water until cooked through.  Remove and let cool.  Shred.  Heat oil in Dutch oven.  Sauté onion and jalapeno until softened.  Add broth, tomatoes, lime, cilantro, corn, chicken, salt and pepper.  Simmer until flavors blend and soup is reduced by about 1 Cup.  Ladle into bowls and top with the chips. 

White Bean Chicken Chili

This chili can be made in a number of different ways.  Leftover rotisserie shredded chicken also works well with this.  If you like more heat add additional jalapenos or for a mild version substitute bell peppers.  A great alternative to tomato based 'traditional' chili.

 

2 Tbsp. Veg. Oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Oregano, dried

¼ tsp. Crushed Red pepper

1 pd. Ground Chicken

45 oz. White kidney beans.

4 C. Chicken broth

1 C. frozen corn

2C. Fresh Spinach, chopped

Heat oil in Dutch oven.  Sauté the onion and garlic until softened but not golden.  Add the ground chicken.  Cook on medium heat breaking up the meat until cooked through, stirring to prevent sticking on the bottom.  Drain and rinse the beans.  Add beans and the remaining ingredients to the pot.  Simmer, covered, on low for ½ - 1 hour.  Add salt, pepper and adjust seasonings.

Pork Zuppa

This is a very nice hearty winter soup.  This is a recipe that I found from diabetic living and tweaked.  Don't be afraid of changing up some of the ingredients e.g. substituting chopped kale for the spinach or adding minced jalapenos for a little extra heat.  The base of this soup is delicious.  

 

1 Pound ground pork

1 Large onion, minced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. Oregano

¼ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Crushed red pepper

4 c. Chicken broth

4 Small potatoes, peeled and cut ½” cubes

12 oz. Evaporated milk

6 oz. Frozen spinach

2 C. Frozen corn

2 Carrots, peeled and grated

In large pot, cook pork, onion and garlic until pork is cooked through.  Break up pork into small crumbles.   Add salt, oregano and red pepper.  Cook an additional 5 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients.  Simmer on med-low heat until potatoes are tender and soup has thickened slightly.  Serve with crusty bread or over cooked brown rice