Lasagna Soup

It's been beautiful weather in our little valley.  The snow has melted and signs of spring coming are everywhere.  I've been eager for the sunshine and long days.  Much to my surprise, this morning I woke up and found a blanket of white covering my yard for as far as the eye could see.  I thought I'd make it a good day by having some comfort food . . . a warm pot of soup.  So here it is.  I found the original recipe on Pinterest, here is the link:  http://thedeenbros.com      as usual I've tweaked the recipe a little and here is my version of this absolutely delicious soup.  If you like Italian food like lasagna, you're going to love this!  Its a quick and easy way to get your Italian fix.

What you need:

1 pound Italian sausage or Italian turkey sausage

32 ounces chicken broth

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with sweet onions

1/4 cup fresh basil chopped (if you don't have fresh you can use the dry seasoning, about 1 tsp)

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings

1 green bell pepper diced

1 onion diced

3 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup Parmesan grated

1/4 to 1/2 cup Mozzarella grated 

5 or 6 lasagna noodles broken into small pieces

(make sure their small they will double in size when cooked)

What to do:

1. Dice bell pepper and onion

2. In large stock pot brown Italian sausage, add diced green peppers and onion and garlic,

 allowing them to cook as sausage is being browned.

3. After above sausage is browned, add chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, 

Italian seasonings and fresh basil finely chopped.  Be sure to taste and add seasonings as desired.

4. Bring to a boil, then add lasagna noodles, turning heat down and allow to simmer for

about 20 minutes or until noodles are tender and ready to eat.

5. Add half of the cheeses and save the other half to garnish the top of each bowl with.

This takes about an hour to fix from beginning to end.  This includes your chopping and dicing time.

Of course, that's using a food processor to help me with the task of chopping my onions, which makes it quick and easy. The amounts of Italian seasonings and basil you add should vary according to your

taste buds, so please be sure to taste and add more if that's what seems good to you. As a side dish with this I fixed a green salad that imitated the Olive Garden salad.  You can purchase their dressing at Sam's Club (we love it at my house). I made an Italian spices and cheeses pull apart. This is super easy and can be found under the breads section of my blog.  Its a great way to have a little bread on the side and quick and easy to put together.  Hope you enjoy this delicious meal!

Just a little side note about using a food processor.  I had mine in a box in the pantry for at least a year before I ever took the time to learn how to use it.  I don't know why stuff like that seems so daunting sometimes.  I finally had the courage to take it out of the box and figure it out.  A little direction reading and some trial and error and it was worked like a charm.  So, if your anything like me and have a food processor that you need to figure out, "just do it".  I promise it will be worth the effort.  Now, I use my food processor all the time and love how it makes chopping, grating, etc. so easy.   You won't regret it!!

Southwest Crock Pot Chicken Soup

What you need:

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 can black beans (drai

1 1/2 cups frozen corn or 1 can corn drained

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

32 oz. chicken broth

3 cloves or 3 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 bell pepper diced (any color will do)

1 onion diced or finely chopped

1 heaping tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

Optional ingredients for garnishing: sour cream, tortilla strips & finely shredded Mexican cheese.

To stretch this recipe add a little more broth and season to taste, you could also add
extra peppers, corn or onion until you've reached a good consistency for soup.
This is a light and tasty soup.
Its healthy and low calorie, full of good ingredients.

What to do:

1. Put all ingredients listed above in your crock pot.

2. Cook for 6 to 8 hours.

3.  Remove chicken and shred then place back in crock pot.

4.  If needed add extra broth, if its not needed go ahead and eat, its ready!

This is the kind of recipe I love.  Full of ingredients that are healthy and good for you.
It has a great flavor that keeps you coming back for more.
 Another plus; this is a low fat recipe that is healthy!!!

I serve it with a hunk of bread and have a green salad as well.  This is a meal you'll love.

Easy Cream of Potato Crockpot Soup

What you need:

1 1/2 bags frozen southern style potatoes

32 ounces or more of chicken broth

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup Hormel real bacon bits

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 - 8 ounce block cream cheese

1 - large can cream of chicken soup

4 stalks green onion chopped

1/2 to 1 cup diced onions (optional)

ground pepper (about 1/2 tsp) 

What to do:

1. In large crockpot combine frozen southern style potatoes, celery, carrots
 and onions (if desired).

(If you have the time let them sit out for about 1 hour, so that they fall apart and into pot easily)

2. On top of potatoes and vegetables, put in cream of chicken soup and pour in chicken broth.

3. Cut cream cheese into squares and sprinkle around on top of ingredients in crockpot.

4. Sprinkle with ground pepper, half of the bacon bits - 1/4 cup
 and half of shredded cheese- 1/2 cup.

5. Put lid on crockpot and set on low for 6 to 8 hours. . . now you can do what you want.

6. Use the extra bacon bits, shredded cheese and chopped green onion to garnish individual bowls of soup.

I originally found this recipe on Pinterest.  It traces back to topfoodpics.com
The recipe is titled "Paula Dean's crockpot potato soup recipe.
It was super easy to put together and really delicious.  My family

loved this soup and it quickly disappeared.  This is great comfort food on a wintery day.

If you don't want this soup too thick, you can add additional chicken broth until you achieve the thickness you desire.  I put all the ingredients together in my crockpot the night before
 and just kept the pot in my refrigerator until morning.  This made it quick and easy to put it in the crockpot and turn it on before leaving for work.  I love having our dinner meal already in the works
 so I can come home and enjoy!!!

I changed this recipe by adding a little more potatoes, the bacon, cheese, celery and carrots.

It made a nice big hearty batch of soup.  This provided soup for 8 to 10 people and I think a few

of them had seconds.  There was one bowl left for lunch the next day.  I love leftover soup!

"Best" Kale Sausage Soup

What you need:

1 pound Italian sausage

1 diced sweet onion

1 red bell pepper diced

1 cup celery diced
1 cup sliced carrot

1 bunch kale chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil

32 ounces chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes with sweet onions

1 can white beans drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

What to do:

1. In large soup pan brown Italian sausage.

2. Add diced onion,  red bell pepper,carrot and celery and saute for a few minutes, stirring continually.

3. Cook until onion is tender, now add garlic and chopped kale.

4.  Reduce heat to low, continue to cook and stir until kale is tender.

This should only take a couple of minutes.

5. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, white beans and salt & pepper to taste.

6.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

This soup is amazing. . . YUM! I'ts delicious, healthy, colorful, light and easy to make.I think this will have to be added to the "favorites" category. We've made it twice in the last three weeks and doubled the recipes both times. It's great as a leftover and stores easily. It has plenty of great flavor from the sausage.If you want to kick it up a few notches you could use hot or spicy sausage. I've used mild both times and it was great. Next time I make it and double the recipe I might do half spicy and half mild. If you try this please let me know how it works out and what you thought of it. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family has. It's perfect for the cold nights we've had lately.

 It's hard to beat a good bowl of soup! One more great thing about this soup is it's PRETTY and fun to share with a crowd. Great for the holiday season and feeding a group.  I got the original recipe from my healthy food eating friend Janette's website sanerecipebox.com check it out for more good recipes.  ENJOY!

I need to make a statement of confession.  Before making this soup I had it in my head that kale wouldn't taste good.  I have no reasonable explanation for this, just my silly self. Probably the thought that something so good for me had to taste bad . . . wrong.  It was delicious and healthy too! Great combination. I have a feeling you'll be seeing a few more recipes that have kale in them as well(but only the one's that taste good).

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Another cold cloudy day . . . another soup recipe.  I've decided that I could live on soup if I needed to.  I love trying out the different tastes that come together as you 

combine seasonings and ingredients to make a bowl of soup.  

Put together like it is in this chicken tortilla soup you've got a winning combination! 

 Now that's coming a long way from the girl whose food couldn't touch on her plate. 
I found this recipe on thepioneerwoman.com its great.  My only complaint was that it disappeared to quickly. I'll probably double it next time.

What you need:
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 to 3 chicken breasts
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper (or any colored bell peppers you like)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with sweet onion
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
32 ounces chicken broth plus another 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons cornmeal and 1/3 cup warm water

What to do:
1.   Mix garlic, chili, and cumin powders together to make one seasoning mix

2.   Cut chicken breasts into chicken tender size pieces and season with the seasoning mix 
      Keep approximately 1 teaspoon of mix to sprinkle on onion and peppers when sauteing 
3.   Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
4.   Shred the cooked chicken pieces with two forks

5.   Dice onion and bell peppers
6.   Put some olive oil in the bottom of the soup pan on medium heat
7.   Saute onion and peppers with seasoning for a couple of minutes
8.   Add can of diced tomatoes and green chiles
9.   Add shredded chicken and chicken broth
10. Stir in tomato paste
11.  Blend cornmeal and warm water.  I use an airtight plastic container and shake to blend
12.  Pour cornmeal/water mixture into soup and stir, let this simmer for about 20 minutes
13.  Garnish individual bowls of soup with tortilla chips or strips and shredded cheese.

***This made about 6 generous servings.  I think next time I'll double everything but the chicken so it stretches a little farther.  Done with the ingredients as listed above (3 chicken breasts) it had tons of meat in it and could totally handle doubling the other ingredients and still be great.  ENJOY!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

What you need:

1. 2 quarts water

2. 8 chicken bouillon cubes or 3 heaping tablespoons of chicken base

3. 6 1/2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles

4. 2 10.75 ounce cans cream of chicken soup

5. 2 12.5 ounce cans chicken or you can use 2 cups shredded cooked chicken

6. 1/2 16 ounce container of sour cream

7. dried parsley or fresh parsley minced, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons

What to do:

1. In soup pot bring water and bouillon to a boil.

2. Add noodles and cook uncovered until tender, about 8-10 minutes.

3. DO NOT DRAIN: add cream of chicken soup, canned chicken (drained), sour cream and parsley.

4. Simmer and stir until sour cream melts, then its ready to serve.

5. Optional: you can add frozen peas and carrots (I usually keep it plain).

This soup is super easy to make. It can be done in less than 30 minutes and tastes great.  I've also heard it call Chicken Comfort Soup. I usually buy the canned chicken and chicken base (in spice section) at Sam's Club or Costco because it's a better price.  You will definitely make this again.  Enjoy!

Grandma Cooper's Tomato Macaroni Soup

It was pretty cold on Sunday.  The wind was blowing, the rain falling, and then it turned to snow.  As much as I'm ready to break out the grill, it was another soup day.  This soup was really easy and perfect for the stormy day.  It came from a church cookbook that was put together recently.  I happen to know and love Grandma (Arlene) Cooper so that made this soup even more enjoyable.  I will definitely make this again and again and again . . .

What you need:                                                            

1 42 oz bottle tomato juice                                                            

1 pound hamburger                                                                          

1 onion (I used red but you can use any kind)                                 

1/2 teaspoon chili powder                                                                   

1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 white and 1/4 brown sugar)                                                                                 

3/4 bag elbow macaroni                                                                 

1 teaspoon cumin                                                                                

1/4 teaspoon curry powder                                                           

5 stalks celery, diced

1/2 bag frozen corn (not part of the original recipe)

I added this and used  frozen super sweet white corn.

2 cans chicken broth

 1. Brown hamburger with chopped onion (I seasoned w/ salt & pepper)
2. Boil water and cook elbow macaroni, al dente in salted water 
3. In large soup pot combine tomato juice, chicken broth, hamburger,corn, and diced celery.
4. Add sugar,chili powder, cumin,  and curry powder. Stir well.
5. Add more broth or water until you have the desired amount of liquid in your pot.
6. Simmer for about 15 minutes and its ready to eat.

This turned out being a bit spicy (hot) for us so.  I think it was because I used El Guapo Cayenne chile pepper that a good friend gave me, instead of straight up chili powder (oops).  So then, I added 1 can tomato paste and three cans of water.  This really helped tone it down a bit. On the sugar I used 1/4 cup white and 1/4 cup brown. Everyone really liked this soup and it disappeared really fast.
This is good comfort food for whatever ails you. . . a new favorite for me.

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is the best soup!  A real crowd pleaser.  I usually double it and it still disappears fast.

What you need:
1 15 oz can black beans drained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with sweet onions
1 10 oz package frozen sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce (I use mild unless I double the recipe then I do one mild and one medium)
1 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 chicken breasts

What to do:
1. In 3 1/2 to 5 quart crock pot; add: black beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper.
2. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture in crock pot.
3. In large bowl, mix together with whisk; enchilada sauce and cream of chicken soup, and gradually               stir in milk until smooth.
4. Pour sauce mix over ingredients in crock pot. Cover with lid and cook on low heat; 6 to 8 hours or high heat; 3 to 4 hours.
5.Remove cooked chicken and cut or shred into bite size pieces.  Then add back into soup mixture.
6. Now it's ready to enjoy!  We like to top with tortilla strips, pepper jack cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

You're going to love this soup!  It is the number one requested soup at my house.  This is great for a party or gathering.  We had it on New Years Eve and it disappeared soon after the party started.  I found the original recipe for this on realmomkitchen.com (you can visit the page with the original recipe by clicking on the web name).  I've made it when I didn't have cream of chicken soup in the house and substituted that with Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Soup and it tasted really good.  I mixed it with about 1/2 cup chicken broth and it worked great.