Tuscan Bean Soup

I saw this recipe on Pioneer woman and it looked so good. Most of her recipes aren't very healthy so I was excited to see this and give it a try. The original recipe called for shrimp, but I left that out. I also didn't have fresh basil so I put a dollop of pesto on the soup once I ladeled it bowls. It was delicious!

Ingredients
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 cans (14.5 Ounce) Cans Great Northern Beans, Drained And Rinsed
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
1/4 cup Tomato Paste
3/4 cups Dry White Wine
1 can (28 Ounces) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes
6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 bunch Kale (more If Desired)
Plenty Of Torn Fresh Basil or prepared pesto

Preparation Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and stir to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to cook about 2 minutes, getting lots of flavor in the bottom of the pan. Stir in red pepper flakes and dried oregano; stir and cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour in wine and whisk, scraping the bottom of the pan a bit as you go. Allow this to bubble up and reduce, cooking until the wine is reduced by half.
Add canned tomatoes. Drain and rinse beans, then add to pot. Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine and allow it to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
Rinse the kale and tear it into chunks. Stir into soup. (It'll shrink quite a bit, so don't be afraid when you first add it!) Allow the soup to simmer for another 5 minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper (or even more red pepper flakes) as needed.

Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Lentil soup

I got this recipe is from my co-worker Kathy several years back. Her Italian mother made this frequently when she was growing up. The ingredients are so simple, but it tastes so good. I know lentils aren't everyones "cup of tea", but I love them. Warning, this makes a lot of soup!

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 bag lentils
11 cups stock/broth of choice (maybe a little less if not adding rice or pasta)
1/2-1 cup small pasta or brown rice(tonight I used ditalini which is the cutest little pasta ever!)
Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large soup pot. Saute onion, carrots, and celery until tender. Add garlic and salt/pepper to taste. Cook 1-2 more minutes. Add tomatoes, lentils and stock/broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add small pasta or rice. Cook until done. Rice will take much longer than pasta to cook.

To serve ladle into bowls, add a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. Yum!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I got this recipe from my BF Jami. It is seriously the best tortilla soup I've ever had. It always tastes better when she makes it too. I can't believe I'm just now putting it on the blog, because this has been a favorite for years!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
1-2 chicken breasts , boneless and skinless
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can rotel
1 can beef broth
1 can chicken broth
1 can tomato soup
1 cup corn (I use frozen)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drains or 1-2 cups mexican black beans
1-2 cans water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste
fresh tortillas/tortilla chips and cheese for topping

Directions
Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add all ingredients except for tortillas and cheese. Simmer for 50 minutes. Remove chicken from soup and shred. Return chicken to soup and serve with toppings. This is SOOOOO good and you can make it in a crockpot too!

Olive Garden's Pasta E Fagioli

I found the original recipe on crockpot 365 and it is also on my friend Maleah's blog. I don't use a full lb of beef and I decided I liked it better with italian seasoning rather than all oregano. You can use any combination of veggies that you want. You could add broccoli, squash, green beans, asparagus, corn, etc.. We all love this soup at our house!
Ingredients:
1/2 lbs ground beef, cooked and drained
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
2-14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups(32 oz) beef stock
1-2 teaspoons italian seasoning
salt and pepper
3-4 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 dry pasta shell macaroni(added during the last hour of cooking)

Add all ingredients except pasta to crockpot. Cook on low 8 hours and add the pasta during the last hour.

Time saving tip: I usually assemble this in my crockpot the night before I plan on cooking it. I keep it in the fridge overnight and just have to plug in my crockpot in the morning. If I end up having a hectic morning I'm so glad I took the extra time the night before.

Chicken Chili

This is my fool proof Chicken Chili recipe and one of our winter staples.

Put the following ingredients in your crockpot:

1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups of tomato sauce (I usually use 1/2 of an extra large jar of Prego spaghetti sauce from Costco)
2 cans beans, drained & rinsed (I usually like pinto and black beans)
1 chicken breast, uncooked
2-3 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Season to taste with: garlic powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
1 cup frozen corn (I usually add this at the end of cooking)

Set crockpot on low and cook for 7-8 hours. Shred chicken and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Time saving tip: I often put 1-2 extra chicken breasts in the chili to cook for another use later in the week.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I like this recipe a lot. Just don't over do it on the ginger! You can easily roast up the squash, shallots, and ginger ahead of time and then puree and reheat later. This is from Cooking light a few years back.
Ingredients
4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large shallots, peeled and halved (if they are XL you may only need 2)
1 (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced (Make sure you only use 1/2 inch or the ginger will over power the soup. It will only be about 6 thin slices.)
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons (1-inch) slices fresh chives
Cracked black pepper (optional)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Cool 10 minutes.

3. Place half of squash mixture and half of broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture and broth. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chives and pepper, if desired.

Chunky Vegetarian Chili

1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 peppers, variety of yellow, red, and green
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T brown sugar or honey
1-2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t italian seasoning
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of rotel
2 15 oz can black beans
1 15 oz can kidney beans
1 15 oz can pinto beans
1 cup corn

Heat oil in large pot over med-high heat. Add onion, peppers, garlic, saute 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Makes approximately 8 cups. I like to make this in the crockpot too!

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

This is a really easy recipe that everyone enjoys!

1 onion, chopped
4 T butter
1 can cream of mushroom, celery, and chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz
1 lb velvetta
16 oz broccoli florets, chopped

Saute onion in butter. Add all other ingredients and heat on low-med until hot.

Cheeseburger Soup

A co-worker of mine gave this to me a few years ago. It is pure comfort in a bowl!

Ingredients
1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cups onion
3/4 cups carrots
3/4 cups celery
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
4 Tbsp butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced and peeled potatoes
1/4 cup flour
8 oz velvetta cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sour cream (optional, I think it is fine without it)

Brown beef, drain and set aside. In the same saucepan saute veggies, spices in 1 T butter until veggies are tender(about 10 minutes). Add broth, potatoes, and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile in another smaller skillet melt remaining 3 T butter. Add flour and cook 3-5 minutes until bubbly. Add to soup, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce to low and add cheese, milk, salt/pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Add sour cream right before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

I made this recipe from the Aug 2010 Cooking Light. They suggested pairing it with tomato bruschetta. It was a great late summer meal.

Ingredients
2 slices applewood-smoked bacon
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
2 1/4 cups milk, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add 1/2 cup onions, celery, and squash to drippings in pan; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

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. 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.

Makes 4 servings at 285 calories each.