Hamburger Soup

Winter has been so mild here in Houston, so any time the weather turns even slightly cold I like to grab the opportunity to make something warm and comforting and pretend it's actually winter out there.  I pretty much followed the pioneer woman's recipe for this soup but halved it, I added courgette to it and Randal said next time he would like to have corn included, but this was a really delicious warming soup on our semi cold day in Texas!

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 red potatoes, chopped
1 courgette, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3 cups beef broth
1 tsp worcester sauce
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a large pot brown the ground beef, drain, add in the onion and cook for a minute or two before adding in the garlic. 

Add in all the vegetables and cook for a few minutes, add in the tomato paste followed by the rest of the ingredients.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

SRC - Taco Soup

Time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal.  This month I was assigned the blog join us, pull up a chair and one of the first things I do when I get my blog assignment is send it to Randal so I can get his input on recipe selection, however this month he immediately jumped on the taco soup recipe and no matter what else I suggested, like the apple glazed pork or the bruschetta chicken  he would just keep on going back to the taco soup, so I gave up and went with his choice. We both liked this a lot! 

I really enjoyed Heather's blog and looking through all the delicious recipes and I still want to make that apple glazed pork soon!

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can rotel
1 can tomato sauce
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans kidney beans
1 can corn

Shredded cheese, sour cream and spring onions for serving.

In a large pan, brown the beef and drain, add in the onion and cook for a few minutes, add in the garlic, taco seasoning, chicken broth, and all the tomatoes, corn and beans.  Let simmer for 30 minutes, top with cheese, sour cream and spring onions.
     

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Tomato Soup

I bought a lot of vine ripened tomatoes last week because they were on a great sale at HEB, that left me trying to figure out what to do with them. My first thought was a tomato soup and after searching through various recipes I decided on this recipe from Ina Garten. We both liked this soup but we didn't love it, I thought it had too many onions in it and Randal thought there was too much garlic.
 

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions
2 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

3 cups chicken stock

1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream

With a sharp knife mark an x in the top of each tomato and place into a large bowl.  Cover the tomatoes with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes.  

Remove the tomatoes from the water and remove the skin and roughly chop the tomatoes.

In a large pan heat the olive oil and add the onions and carrots, cook for 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, basil, chicken stock and salt and pepper.  Simmer for 40 minutes.

Add the cream to the soup, then in batches run the soup through a food processor.

Baked Potato Soup

Randal suggested making this last weekend when discussing the menu plan for the week. I was quite surprised as I have never made this before and baked potato soup isn't usually something that Randal eats that often.  Considering this was my first time making this we both really enjoyed it.

3 large baking potatoes
4 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 leek, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp chicken soup base
1/2 tsp thyme
5 tbsp butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup sour cream
2 spring onions, sliced
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.

Wash and dry the potatoes, bake at 425 for 20 minutes.  Lower the oven temp to 375 and continue baking for 1 hour or until the potatoes are cooked through.  Set aside to cool.

In a large pan, fry the bacon until crisp.  Remove from pan.  Add the onion and leek to the bacon fat and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute.  Add in the chicken soup base and dried thyme, stir together then add the butter.  Once the butter has melted add the flour and let cook out for a few minutes before slowly whisking in the milk.  Add in the cheese.

Cut the baked potatoes in half and scoop out the potato and add it to the soup. Add in the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 20 minutes before serving.  Top each bowl with the cooked bacon, spring onions and some additional cheese.

Spicy Corn Chowder with Chicken

This is a really good soup recipe from  My Favorite Things, I added a poblano pepper to this chowder as I was trying to make something similar to Randal's favourite soup from central market, which is a poblano chicken chowder.  This came really close to that, although it wasn't quite spicy enough for Randal.

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
2 slices bacon
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 small potatoes, diced
3 cups corn
1 tbsp fresh thyme
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

Cut the bacon into strips and fry in a medium pan until crispy, set aside. To the bacon fat add the onion, jalapeno, bell pepper, poblano pepper and corn, cook for about 5 minutes.  Add in the thyme and season with salt and pepper.  Add in the potatoes, chicken stock and milk.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree.  Add back to the soup pot and add in the cooked chicken and heavy cream.  Let simmer for a few minutes, top each bowl of chowder with the bacon.

Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

I finally made a chicken and dumplings recipe that I really liked. I've not had the best luck in the past, but I really loved this herbed chicken and dumplings.

3 cups cooked and cubed chicken
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups mixed frozen vegetables
I onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 1/3 cups milk, divided
1/2 stick butter
1 cup bisquick
3/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp black pepper

Melt the butter in a large pan.  Add the diced onion and cook until softened, add in the garlic and cook for another minute.  Sprinkle the flour over the onion and stir together. Add the chicken broth, one cup of the milk and all of the dried herbs except the parsley, stir together.

Add in the cubed chicken and the frozen vegetables, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the bisquick and dried parsley, mix in the remaining 1/3 cup of milk, mix until smooth.  Drop the dumpling mixture onto the chicken and let cook for 10 minutes uncovered, then another 10 minutes covered.

Scotch Broth

This soup just tastes like home to me, although it is a traditional Scottish soup.  I made it with beef because I had a lot of pot roast leftover, but this would be just as good if not better with lamb.

600g leftover roast beef or lamb         
1 leek, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
2 onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
olive oil
3 litres beef stock
1 small swede, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large potato, peeled and roughly chopped
80 g pearl barley
salt and ground white pepper

Put the leek, celery, onions and carrots into a large saucepan, add a splash of olive oil and sweat them on a low heat for about 20 minutes, until they are softened and starting to sweeten. Add the beef stock and bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Add the swede, potato and pearl barley, then simmer slowly for a further 50 minutes.

Take the pot off the hob and whisk the broth quite hard to break down some of the potato and bind the soup together. Stir in the pieces of beef and season well with salt and white pepper.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

Randal chose this chowder recipe from These Peas Are Hollow when he was looking at recipes on my Pinterest board. His only request was that I add chicken to it, no surprise there as I don't think my husband has eaten a vegetarian meal in his life!

The original recipe uses frech corn but I cheated and used frozen, but it still ended up being a great chowder that we both enjoyed.

1 16 oz bag frozen corn
1 large chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, diced
3 strips bacon, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons thyme
1 bay leaf
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until slightly crisp.  remove from pan, reduce heat to low and add the onions and butter, cook until softened.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions, mix together and cook for a few minutes then slowly whisk in the chicken stock, bring to a simmer.

Add the potatoes, corn, bay leaf, thyme, whole milk, chicken and the bacon. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper.

Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny is a spicy British soup that is flavoured with curry, ginger and coconut milk. I started out usuing a Gordon Ramsay recipe but it seems that each recipe for this soup is different, so I ended up combining the best bits of a number of recipes and the end result was a delicious soup!

1/4 cup butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp flour
2-3 tbsp grated ginger
1 grated green apple
3 cups chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion, carrot and celery and season with salt and pepper, cook for 5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
Add the tomato paste, curry powder and flour, cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the ginger and apple and stir over a high heat for a few minutes, add in the chicken.
Add the stock and coconut milk and simmer until thickened. Add the rice and heat through. Season to taste.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Randal and I both love the tomato soup at Panera, and after stopping to have lunch there a few weeks ago I wanted to see if I could find a recipe for it. I found this one over at Running To The Kitchen and it's so good and really does taste like the soup at Panera!

8 tomatoes, quartered

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 head of garlic

1 tbspbutter

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1 tbsp tomato paste

3 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 piece of whole wheat bread, toasted & cubed

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with foil.

In a large bowl toss together the tomatoes, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the oil and salt and pepper.  Spread onto the baking sheet. Cut the top off the head of garlic, season with salt, pepper and a little olive oil, wrap in foil and place on the baking sheet. Roast for 1 hour.

In a large pan heat the remaining oil, add the onions and minced garlic and cook until softened.  Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic to the pan, along with the parsley, vegetable broth, tomato paste, brown sugarand bread. Simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes add the heavy cream and parmesan cheese.  Take off the heat and puree until creamy.

 

Indian Summer Stew

I bought some butternut squash last week without anything in mind to make with it, so I went looking through my pinned recipes and found this summer stew recipe from the food network. I made a few changes, I added some carrots and potatoes because I had a few needing to be used up, and I cooked it for quite a while longer than the original recipe as it took about an hour for the split peas to soften.
 
 

1 cup yellow split peas

2 cups butternut squash, diced

1 tomato, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp honey

1 lime, juiced

 

Rinse the split peas and place in a large soup pot with the squash, tomato, carrots, potatoes, coconut, tumeric, cumin, and the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered for an hour.

In a small skillet, heat the oil Add the mustard seeds and when they stop popping, add the red pepper flakes, garlic, and salt, cook for 10 seconds. Add the spices to the soup pot along with the salt, lime and honey.

Egg Drop Soup

I always order the egg drop soup when we go to PF Changs, but I always thought it was too complicated for me to try making at home.  Once I started looking around for a recipe, I quickly realised how wong I was.  This is seriously one of the quickest and easiest soups I have ever made, and I will definitely be making it again!

5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
1.5 tbsp corn starch
3 eggs
Chives

Reserve one cup of the chicken broth, pour the remaining 4 cups into a pan, add the ginger, garlic and white pepper.  Bring to a boil.

Beat the three eggs into a small bowl.

Mix the corn starch into the reserved cup of chicken broth, and pour into the pan of boiling broth, bring back to a boil and cook for a minute or two.  Take the soup off the heat, stir the soup while slowly pouring the eggs into the broth.  Garnish with chives.

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

I was a little worried about this soup when I was making it, I really thought the hubby wouldn't eat it so I quickly threw together some cheesy baked rice and mexican meatballs for him. In the end, he actually ended up liking the soup the best and even more so than me!


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper
Crushed tortilla chips

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, lower the heat to medium and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Increase the heat to high, push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming any foam. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Top with the tortilla chips.

Pappa al Pomodoro

I have been wanting to make this recipe from The knead for bread for a while now, and it just so happened that I had some stale french bread, so I was finally able to try it. The hubby was about as excited for this dinner as I was about my latest root canal, so I made him a BLT!



* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 2 small carrots (diced)
* 2 stalks celery (diced)
* 1 small red onion (diced)
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 20 leaves of basil (diced)
* 28 fl oz caned diced tomatoes

* 2 cups chicken or veg. stock
* 1/3 loaf of a hearty bread (diced)
* 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
* salt and pepper to taste

Dice the bread into large diced cubes and place into a bowl. Add a cup of chicken/veg stock to the bread and set aside. Pour half the olive oil into a saucepan, add in the minced garlic and saute for a minute or so. Add in the diced carrots, saute for about two minutes. Add in the onions and celery and continue to saute for another few minutes. Add in the chili powder and the sliced basil leaves. Continue to stir till they are completely incorporated. Add in the diced tomatoes including the juice and the rest of the olive oil. Continue to stir. Add in the rest of the chicken/veg stock and the diced bread. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, be sure to stir every once in awhile, So, not to burn. Add the grated parmesan cheese to the soup, stir till all the parmesan cheese is incorporated.

See other recipes at Mommy's kitchen

Southwestern Steak and Potato Soup

With the hubby and I being sick for the past few weeks, we have been eating a lot of quick and easy meals, and soup has definitely been high on that list! this southwest steak soup is great for a cold day!



1-1/2 lb Sirloin steak

2 Medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups Frozen cut green beans

2 cups Frozen corn

1 Small onion

1 16-ounce Jar thick and chunky salsa

1 14-ounce Can beef broth

1 teaspoon Dried basil

2 cloves Garlic, minced

Cut meat into 1-inch pieces. Set aside. In a slow cooker place potatoes, green beans, and onion. Add meat. In a medium bowl stir together salsa, beef broth, basil, and garlic. Pour over mixture in cooker. Cover and cook 6-8 hours on low.

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Curried Chicken and Cider Soup

We have a lot of apple cider in our fridge right now and so I've been looking for recipes to use it in. I had everything I would need to make this soup and decided to give it a try. I think maybe I like my curry flavours a little stronger, so next time I think I will play around with the spicesa little, other than that it was a good soup.



1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup apple cider
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1/2 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded and meat shredded

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and 1teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and cumin and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the cider, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add 4 cups water and the sweet potato and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Using a blender, and working in batches, puree the soup; return to the saucepan. Stir in the chicken and warm through over medium heat; season with salt and pepper.

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

This is a version of the hubby's favourite soup from the olive garden. It turned out a little too thick, so it needs some water or extra tomato sauce added.



1 lb ground beef
1 cup diced onion
1 cup julienned carrot
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 ounce) can v-8 vegetable juice
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 lb ditali pasta (I didn't have any, so I used mini elbows)

1. Brown beef in a large stock pot over medium heat, drain off fat.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. After 50 minutes boil pasta to al dente.

5. Drain well.

6. Add pasta to the large pot of soup and simmer for 10 minutes.

Lemon Chicken Soup With Orzo

I got this recipe from an Ellie Krieger cookbook, and as the weather has actually cooled off here in Houston I thought it was perfect timing to make a big batch of soup.
I think this soup turned out yummy, although it was a tad too lemony so next time I think I'll cut the amount of lemon juice in half.

4 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces chicken breast cut into small chunks
Pinch of salt, plus more to taste
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup) (I didn't have any carrots so left it out)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup orzo
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring, a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling. Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Whenever we go to the Olive Garden, I always order their Zuppa Toscana soup, so when I found this recipe on another food blog I knew I had to give it a try.
This is actually the second time I have made this soup in the last couple of weeks, this time I didn't have any spicy sausage links but I did have a roll of spicy sausage, so I fried that up instead of baking the links in the oven, it worked just as well.

Zuppa Toscana Soup:
4 spicy Italian sausage links
1 medium onion diced
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp chicken stock base
1 qt vegetable broth or water
3 potatoes cut into small chunks
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup of cream
salt and pepper




Melt butter and oil in a soup pan, add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent


Fry sausage, or if using links bake at 300 degrees for around 25 minutes, cut into half inch slices


The recipe calls for 1qt of water but I prefer to use vegetable broth, so add either water or broth, the chicken stock base, and potatoes and simmer around 15 minutes until potatoes are tender



Add the sausage to the soup


Add the chopped Kale


Pour in the half cup of cream, season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 5 minutes


I have to say that it turned out great and we will definitely be making it again!

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