Curried Butternut Soup

I've tried a few basic butternut soup recipes and never seem to quite get it right. This one finally tastes like a good blend of flavors. It's not the most amazing butternut soup ever, but it sure is a good base butternut soup recipe if you don't have one. It's from Mark Bittman.

1 onion, diced

2 c butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

5 c broth

1c coconut milk

Salt to taste

1. Sauté onion. 

2. Add butternut squash and seasonings.

3. Add broth and coconut milk. Simmer 20 minutes.

4. Blend until creamy.

Optional: 

african: add 2 T peanut butter or crushed nuts

Indian: add cilantro

...serve with garlic bread

Meatball Soup

This soup is yummy and subtly spicy..somewhere between Mexican and Italian, but definitely its own personality.

1 T oil or butter
1 onion, diced
1 red or green bell pepper, diced (opt)
3 celery sticks, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 + 1/2 tsp. chile powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 c finely chopped black olives
1 1/2 c cooked rice (give or take)
1 lb cooked ground turkey, Mexican or Italian seasoned (cumin, chili powder, garlic, etc.)
6 c chicken broth (plus extra water if necessary)
1 c salsa (if mexican, or 1/2 -1 c tomato paste/sauce for Italian)
1 small can green chilies (opt.--best with Mexican)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté the onion, celery, pepper and garlic together in oil or butter for 5 minutes, season well with salt and pepper and stir often.
2. Add in the chile powder, oregano and thyme cook 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the olives, rice, meat, broth and salsa/tomato and chilies. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes. Stir and taste often - seasoning as needed.

*This tastes good with chicken too. And we like having it with garlic bread to dip in the yummy flavored broth. I generally don't use salsa, so don't worry if you don't have it and use tomato sauce instead...I just use my canned tomato sauce without flavoring because the rest of the soup has so much. The simmering for a long time is key to getting the flavors melded together well.

*Or just do simple italian style: Italian seasoning and tomato sauce with bay leaves. It still turns out yummy. I drop freshly made mini meatballs directly into the soup and let boil for 30 minutes until done. The bay works best if it can simmer in the broth for an hour though...so start it in advance, before meatballs go in.

White Chicken Chili

So this isn't a thick typical chili. It's more a soup with white beans and chicken and a mexican food type flavor. But it's good and always better if you add cheese and milk/creamy stuff at the end, but not needed.

• 1 T  oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 c cooked chicken (I usually use an oven-baked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to save on time), shredded
• 2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can (4 ounces) green chiles
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1/2 t. oregano
• 4 c. chicken broth
• salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• 1 lime, juice (opt.)
• cilantro (opt.)
• 1 c shredded cheese (opt.)

1. Saute the onion in a pot.
2. Add Beans, corn, green chilies, cumin and oregano to the large pot. Then the broth.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the broth to reduce. Add salt and pepper (to taste) and juice from one whole lime. 
4. Serve with cilantro, cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc. as desired (but not needed)

I normally don't add the optional (unless cilantro and chips) and then have a side of cornbread if we don't do the chip option.

Tuscan Bean Soup

I love this soup because there's no cream or milk in it and it's loaded with kale! This recipe is very versatile and measurements are quite forgiving.

2 T oil (I use butter or chicken fat)
1/2 c.  yellow onion, chopped 
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 cans drained cannellini beans (or I soak mine the night before and cook them all day in crockpot)
1 t fennel seeds
6-8 c broth ( i use homemade chicken broth)
1 c. tomatoes, diced
2-4 cooked sausages, in small pieces (i used the little chicken sausages at Costco, but any sausages or ground sausage works)
6 c. kale (just the leaves, remove hard stems)
1/2 c brown rice or barley, etc (opt)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Sautee the onion and garlic in oil/butter 5 mins. 
2. Add beans, fennel, broth, brown rice and tomatoes. Cook for awhile (about 20 mins if not adding brown rice, but 1 hour if you are. And I use dehydrated tomatoes sometimes)
3. Blend half of the soup (so it's thicker).
4. Add cooked sausage and kale and cook 5 more minutes.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

Yum. 
I use dried beans and soak them overnight, then drain and cook all day in the crockpot. So I normally do about the amount two cans would be so I can blend up about one can's worth. Then I add the other stuff and cook from there if you want. And dried onion and garlic works well for that too.
Also, if you want to add celery or carrot or even more kale before you blend, then you get that much more veggies blended into the thickness of the soup (hidden). :)

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

This recipe is from the 365 days of slowcooking blog. Cheryl thinks it's great, so I'm posting it. :)

Crock Pot version
Makes about 2 quarts (about 8 servings)
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 c finely diced celery
1 c finely diced carrots
1 c finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 c chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ c flour
1 c Parmesan cheese
½ c butter
2 c milk, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Stove-Top Version
If you want to make this recipe on the stove-top you can! Here is the adjusted recipe:

3 c diced tomatoes with juice (you can use canned)

1 c finely diced celery

1 c finely diced carrots

1 T fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

4 cchicken broth

1/2 c flour

1 c parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 c vegetable oil

1 c finely diced onions

4 T fresh basil or 1 Tbsp dried

1/2 bay leaf

1/2 c butter

2 c milk

1 tsp salt

1. Heat oil in 4 quart soup pot. Add celery, onions and carrots. Saute 5 minutes. Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (15 minutes).

2. While soup simmers, prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add back into soup pot.

3. Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup begins to thicken. Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend. Stir warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Zuppa Toscana

This recipe is similar to the Olive Garden soup, but I've tweaked it a little...

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

4 slices bacon

1 onion, diced

1 T. minced garlic

2-3 stalks celery (optional)

8 cups chicken broth

1 can white beans (2 cups cooked dried beans)

1 cup carrots, diced

2 cups milk (or 1 cup cream for thicker)

1/4 bunch kale leaves (or spinach)

salt to taste, if desired

1. Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain,  but reserve 2 T drippings. Stir in the onions, garlic and celery with the drippings; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pwhite beans and carrots and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the milk and cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the kale or spinach into the soup just before serving.               

*The original called for potatoes, but I prefer the change with beans and carrots. But this recipe is super flexible. It's mostly the bacon and sausage flavors that make the soup. Someone said they just add in milk with cornstarch for thickness, but I don't mind it thin. As long as you eat it with our good artisan bread!

French Onion Soup/Dip

Rainy weather plus overabundance of onions = French onion soup!
This is a very versatile recipe dependin gon preferences.

2-4 onions, thinly sliced (depending on your like of onions)
2 T butter
1 T sugar (I used rapudura)
1-3 T balsamic vinegar (or apple juice or something similar)
8 c beef broth
swiss cheese (for topping soup and/or bread)

1. Sautee onion in butter for 12 minutes until brown and limp.
2. Add vinegar or juice for one minute until evaporated (to flavor and help the pan not blacken from sauteeing)
3. add sugar and cook one more minute.
4. Add Broth and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. ladle into soup bowls and top with some grated cheese and even sliced cheese if you want to then put bowls in the oven to broil the sliced cheese over the soup bowl.

*Tastes great using garlic butter french bread toasted/broiled with swiss cheese on top to dip/break into the soup! The original recipe called for sherry instead of vinegar, but I used pomegranite flavored vinegar and it tasted great.

Ukrainian Red Borscht Soup

1 (16 oz) pkg pork sausage, cooked (opt.)

3 medium beets, peeled and shredded

3 carrots, peeled and shredded

3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 T oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 -1 (6 oz) can tomato paste (or ketchup, to taste)

2 quarts water

1/2 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded

1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (opt)

3 cloves garlic, minced (opt)

salt to taste

1 t. sugar (opt, but not needed)     

1 t vinegar, any type (opt. -- if you didn't add in ketchup)   

1. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. (add meat now if desired)
2. Fill the pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook 10 minutes.
3. Add the carrots, beets, cabbage and tomatoes; cook 10 more minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt (and sugar if needed).

*from www.allrecipes.com

Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

1 (2 pound) butternut squash
3 T unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. minced fresh ginger root
1 T curry powder
1 t salt
4 c. chicken broth
2 Pears, peeled & diced
1/2 cup half and half (or yogurt, milk, sour cream)

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven until very soft, about 45 minutes. Scoop the pulp from the peel, and reserve.
2. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and salt. Cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in the pears and the reserved squash, and simmer until the pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.
4. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender. Puree in batches until smooth.
5. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the half and half, and reheat.

*Cheryl found this recipe on allrecipes.com when looking for recipes that had ingredients she got from her Bountiful Baskets produce. Apparently she got rave reviews about it from Mom and Dad, so I had to post it.

Mexican Mud Soup

1 lb. chicken, cubed
1 c. dried black beans, rinsed (or 2 cans, drained)
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. mushrooms (opt.)
1 c. corn (or 1 can)
1 jar salsa
1 1/2 t. cumin powder
1/2 c. sour cream (opt. topping)
other opt. toppings: cilantro, avacado, cheese, chips, etc.

Put all in a crockpot (dried beans at the bottom so they cook a long time, but I'd boil 10 mins first to help them break down a little better) and cook for 4 hours on high (if using canned beans, reduce time to about an hour).

Submitted by Shelley Schneider

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb lean ground beef
3/4 c onion (diced)
3/4 c carrots (shredded)
3/4 c celery (sliced)
1 t basil
1 t parsley
4 T butter
3 c chicken broth
4 c potatoes (peeled,diced)
1/4 c flour
1 1/2 c milk
8 oz cubed cheese (1 cup shredded cheddar cheese)
3/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 c sour cream (opt)

Brown beef. Saute veggies in herbs and 1 T butter. Add broth, beef, veggies and potatoes. Melt rest of butter, add flour and then add to soup. Reduce heat. Add milk, salt, pepper, and cheese. Add sour cream after you take pot off stove and right before you serve! ENJOY!!!

Submitted by Cheryl Sanger

Cream of ....[any Vegetable] Soup (dairy-free)

This recipe is great if you have lots of a certain vegetable, but don't know how to use it all up. I frequently do it with celery, asparagus, and zucchini.

2 medium onions or leeks, diced
2 celery, diced (opt.)
2 T butter
2-5 c main big vegetable (asparagus, zucchini, etc.)
2 quarts stock
sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

1. Melt butter in a large pot and add onions, celery and main big vegetable.
2. Add stock, cover and cook at least 30 minutes.
3. Puree soup with a handheld blender just till blended some; season to taste.

Variations:
celery base: ham, potatoes and peas (add cubed potatoes and simmer 30 minutes, then add ham and peas)
asparagus base: same as above
zucchini base: add corn and black beans?

Creamier taste w/o dairy: If you want to make this creamier, then blend ¼ cup of light olive oil 2 tsp nutritional flakes (cheesy/nutty tasting) and 2 tsp salt (or to taste) and add to the soup. The whipping of the oil makes it creamy.

Potato Leek Soup

3 leeks, peeled, cleaned, chopped
2 T butter (organic, unsalted is my favorite)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
4 potatoes
6 cups chicken stock
several sprigs of thyme tied together
(sometimes use 1 T dried thyme if you can't find fresh)
1 cup sour cream (Daisy is my favorite)
sea salt and pepper
finely chopped chives for garnish (optional)

Saute leeks until soft in butter and olive oil. Add potatoes and stock, bring to a boil and skim. Add thyme and simmer until all vegetables are soft. Let cool. Remove fresh thyme if you used that. Puree soup with a handheld blender with sour cream until frothy. You can chill it for Vichissoise, but I like hot soup unless it is a chilled fruit soup. Serve in chilled bowls though and garnish with chives for a decorative masterpiece. (My kids love this soup!)

Wasatch Mountain Soup

(delicious Fall soup!)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 T cooking oil
2 cans white or navy beans
1 15oz can hominy, rinsed and drained (can of corn will suffice)
1 14 oz can chicken broth
1 9oz pkg. frozen cooked chick breast strips
1/4 cup lime juice
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer Tillamock brand)
Bottled green salsa
Tortilla strips
Fresh cilantro

In a large saucepan, cook onion in hot oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in hominy, beans, chicken broth, frozen chicken, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, Serve with cheese, salsa, tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Spring Garden Soup

A very fresh tasting soup!

3 leeks, trimmed and rinsed
3 each- carrots and parsnips, peeled and finely diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
4 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
6 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
12 large fresh basil leaves, slivered
1 t dried tarragon
1 1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t ground nutmeg
Salt to taste

Finely dice leeks, then rinse well. Drain and place in a bowl along with the carrots, parsnips and garlic. Melt butter and oil in a pot over low heat. Add the leek mixture and cook, covered for 10 min, stirring occasionally. Add broth and potatoes and cook, covered for 10 min. Add remaining ingredients; cover and cook over medium heat for 15 min more. Remove the cover, reduce the heat to low and cook 30 min. more. Serves 8.

Asparagus Soup

This is a German soup Paul ate on his mission and it has now become our favorite and Christmas tradition.

1/2 c. chopped onion
2 T butter
1 1/2-2 lbs white asparagus (or green; reserve heads to use at end; but cut the stems)
5 1/2-6 c. chicken broth (this is key...add more bouillon for flavor as desired)
opt. 1/2 c. cream/milk/etc.
salt and pepper to taste (don't skimp on the salt!)

1. Sautee onion in butter 4 minutes until soft
2. Add asparagus stems (not heads) and steam 5 minutes
3. Add broth and boil gently 30 minutes (until asparagus is soft)
4. Puree soup in blender; return to pan (may need to strain asparagus stem fibers out)
5. Add asparagus heads and simmer (med-low) 5 minutes
Serve hot with sour cream optional

Submitted by Shelley Schneider

Bok Choy Soup

myrecipes.com

4 garlic cloves
1 piece fresh ginger (1 in. square), cut into chunks
2 pork loin chops or beef steaks
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 T olive oil
4 c beef broth
2 T soy sauce
1 head bok choy
1 sm. onion, diced

1. Whirl garlic and ginger in a food processor until minced. Trim fat from pork.
Sprinkle meat with half of garlic mixture and all the salt.

2. Heat oil in a 5- to 6-qt. pan over high heat. Brown half the pork lightly, stirring occasionally, 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer meat to a cutting board and cut across the grain into 1/4-in. slices.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining garlic mixture and diced onion to pan and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add broth soy sauce and galungal root. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, trim end from bok choy, rinse, separate leaves, and cut in wide diagonal slices. Stir bok choy into stew and simmer just until wilted and tender. Stir in pork slices and cook until cooked through.

Optional: I like to throw in some rice noodles or serve over a bowl of jasmine rice to add a little bit more substance and my kids LOVE this light and delicious soup!