Ham Bone Soup

This is my favorite Ham Bone Soup that I have tried yet.  The flavor is great and it really is a low maintenance soup, especially if you have a food processor.  You can cook it on the stove top or in the crock pot, and it turns out great either way. If you really are a big fan of ham, you  may want to save some chopped ham and add that to the soup in addition to the meat that falls off the bone.  (If you are wondering, use the ham bone leftover from cooking a spiral ham, once all the rest of the meat is gone.)

My kids (and husband) all loved this.  It is perfect on a really cold day and it makes a TON.  So, feel free to freeze the leftovers if needed.

1 meaty ham bone
1 parsnip, chopped (looks like a big, white carrot)
4 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 onions (whatever your taste preference), chopped
2 sweet potatoes (not yams. Light brown skin, white flesh), peeled and chopped
2 cans white beans (navy, great northern or cannelloni)
1 can chopped tomatoes (I never use this)
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper (or to taste)

Combine everything in a pot over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Before serving, help the rest of the meat fall off the bone.

OR: Combine everything in the crock pot.  Cook on low 4 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Roasted Vegetable Chicken Soup

Once again, this soup was an attempt to use up our Bountiful Basket produce.  And, it was a hit.  Let me expound.  I thought it was good. Different from your average chicken noodle soup, maybe not spectacular, but good.  My children, on the other hand, LOVED IT.  Tayleigh and Eric both had 3 bowls each, and Eden had 2. They were slurping up onions like noodles and eating peppers like they were no big deal.  This is definitely a repeat recipe at our house. And on top of all of that, it is a great way to use up leftover chicken. 

• 1  cup  (1-inch) cubed carrot
• 1  cup  (1-inch) cubed onion
• 1  cup  coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 1  cup  (1-inch) pieces celery
• 1  cup  (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper
• 2  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 1  cup  water
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 4  (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2  cups  uncooked whole wheat rotini pasta

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; drizzle with oil, and toss well to coat. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan lined with foil. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.

Combine water and next 5 ingredients (through chicken) in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. (If you decide to just use leftover chicken, just throw everything in except for the pasta and simmer for 30 minutes.) 

Add roasted vegetables; simmer 30 minutes. Bring soup to a boil. Add pasta; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Skillet Beef Stew

This was an attempt to use up leftover roast beef.  I took this recipe from Real Mom Kitchen and tweaked it to what I had and it turned out awesome. John didn't love the sweet potatoes in it, but he doesn't really like much of anything, anyway! :)

• 2 cups chopped leftover roast beef
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups  beef-flavored broth
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (I just used milk)
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard (or 2 tsp. ground mustard)
• 1 lb peeled, diced sweet potatoes (not yams. They are not orange on the inside, they are white.)
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. In 12-inch nonstick skillet,melt butter. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft. Add carrots and cook for 3 minutes. (To speed things up, place chopped potatoes in bowl with about 1/4 water.  Cook in microwave 3-5 minutes) Stir in salt, pepper and flour. 
2. In small bowl, mix broth, whipping cream and mustard with wire whisk. Add to beef mixture. Stir in potatoes and roast beef.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook 15 minutes until vegetables are tender and sauce is slightly thickened. If the sauce is too thin at the end of the cooking process, increase the heat to medium-high and cook uncovered another few minutes until the liquid reduces and is slightly thickened.  Sprinkle with parsley. 

Egg Drop Soup

I am a big fan of egg drop soup.  Partly because that is how my mom used to make Ramen Noodles for us.  She would boil the water, drop in an egg and then add the noodles. It was sooo good. I still eat it like that.  When I came across this recipe for Egg Drop Soup at Jamie Cooks it up, I had to try it. 


Couple of things.  First, I halved it when I made it.  It worked out great, but I did reduce the amount of olive oil and next time I am definitely adding more eggs. Like I said, I halved it, but still added 3 eggs and it just didn't do it for me. So, next time, more eggs. You could probably add more or different veggies as you prefer,but the carrots and peas were great. 


12 C water
11 bullion cubes
1/2 C chopped carrots
1/2 C frozen peas
2 T soy sauce
1/2 T rice vinegar
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 t sesame oil
2-4 T olive oil 
4 beaten eggs
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped.


1. Place all ingredients but the eggs, green onions, and the peas in a large pot.
2. Bring to a hard rolling boil. Let it just a keep on boiling until your carrots are tender.
3. Add your peas let it boil until they are heated through. This shouldn't take long, only 2 minutes or so.
4. Add your eggs while the soup is still at the hard rolling boil. They should cook up pretty fast for you. 
4. Remove from the heat when the eggs are cooked and add your green onions. Enjoy!

Tortellini Soup

John apparently doesn't like tortellini, but I thought this was wonderful. Perfect for a cold winter night!
This is from The Frugal Girl.


Tortellini Soup, from The Frugal Girl
1. Brown:
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2. Add, and simmer 30 minutes:
5 cups beef broth
1 pint (2 cups) canned tomatoes
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup sliced carrots
1 medium pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon rosemary (I omit this)
3. Add and boil for 1 minute:
½ cup red wine or sherry
8 oz. fresh tortellini, or 4 oz. dry tortellini, cooked according to package directions
4. That’s it!  Enjoy.

White Bean Chili

I was looking for a bit of a change and also a way to use up some leftover chicken. This fit the bill perfectly.  

• 2 cans white beans (navy, great northern), drained
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, finely chopped ( I used leftover rotissere chicken and it worked perfectly)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions

 Put the beans in large pot with the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat.

In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot with beans. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Serve with cornbread, if desired.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1½ cups of chicken stock (broth)*
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp ground pepper
dash paprika
1½ cups milk
¾ cups plain flour

* I like to use homemade chicken stock, made from leftover roasted chicken carcasses, which I freeze for storage.  Homemade stock will be really flavorful, however you can, of course, use bouillon cubes or powder.

Method:

Add ½ cup of the milk to the chicken broth in a medium saucepan. And then add the herbs and spices.You’ll need to heat the mix until boiling, and continue to boil for 1 or 2 minutes whilst whisking the mixture.

In the meantime, add the plain flour to the remaining 1 cup of milk. And whisk together until you have a nice smooth batter. Then pour this into the mixture in the saucepan, And continue to heat whilst whisking, until the mixture is nicely thickened, about 1-2 minutes. This recipe makes the equivalent of two cans of condensed soup; I divide mine into two and freeze in labeled portions until needed, when I thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. The recipe can also be easily doubled, tripled etc.

Minestrone with Pesto

6 1/2 c. stock or water or combo
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 leek, sliced
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried
salt and pepper
3/4 c. frozen peas
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 c. cooked or canned beans
3 tbsp pesto sauce
freshly grated Parmesan

In med. saucepan, heat the stock to simmering.  In a saucepan heat the olive oil. Stir in onion and leek and cook 5-6 minutes or until onion softens. Add the carrots, celery and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring often for another 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Pour in the hot stock or water, and stir well. Add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Stir in the peas and tomatoes. Cover the pan and boil for 5-8 minutes.

About 10 min. before serving, uncover and stir in beans. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in pesto.Simmer 5 more minutes and remove from heat. Allow to stand a few minutes and then serve with fresh Parmesan.

Turkey Frame Soup

1 meaty turkey frame
4 c. water
4 c. turkey or chicken broth
1 large onion, quartered
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt
Chopped cooked turkey
1/4 c. sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4  tsp. black pepper
3 c. sliced veggies such as carrots, parsnips, turnips
1 1/2 c. pasta (rotini or penne)
1 15 oz. can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
Grated pamesan

Break turkey frame and place in large pot. Add water, broth, onion, garlic, and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove turkey frame. Cool, cut meat off bones and chop. Add enough turkey to equeal 2 c. Set aside. Discard bones. Strain broth and skim fat.

Return broth to pot. Stir in tomatoes, Italian seasoning and pepper. Stir in veggies. Return to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add pasta. Simmer, uncovered 8-10 minutes or until pasta is tender.  Stir in turkey and beans and heat through.

Sweet Chili

When I did this, I used 2 cans of kidney beans, 2 cans of chili beans, and a can of great northern beans.  I didn't have any tomato paste, so I used tomato sauce. I added a tablespoon or two of BBQ sauce and everyone loved it.

Sweet Chili

In a soup pot, brown:

1 pound hamburger
1 medium onion
Drain off grease.

Then add:

5 (15 oz) cans of Kidney Beans, undrained
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 cans tomato soup
4 tsp. chili powder
3/4 cup brown sugar

Simmer for 1 hour.

From Real Mom Kitchen

Creamy Potato Soup

2 c. thinly sliced onions
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 c. milk.
3 tbsp. flour
1 lb. yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced
4 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
8 oz. Swiss-style cheese such as Gruyere or Swiss, shredded
snipped fresh herbs
2 oz. baby swiss cheese, thinly sliced

In 4 qt. Dutch oven cook onions in hot oil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Whisk together milk and flour; add to onions. Cook and stir 5 minutes.
Add potatoes and chicken broth. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and cook 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
Puree soup, half at a time in blender. Return to pot; add shredded cheese. cook and stir over medium heat just until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh herbs; garnish with sliced cheese. Makes 8 one cup servings.

Circles and Squares Vegetable Pasta Soup

1 32 oz. vegetable broth
1 c. medium size pasta
2 c. frozen diced hash brown potaotes with onions and peppers
2 c. frozen peas and carrots
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies


In a large covered saucepan bring broth to boiling. Add pasta, potatoes, peas and carrots, and undrained diced tomatoes. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serves 4.

Rancher Stew

Lindsay Walden
1 lb hamburger
1 onion
1 can corn
1 can white hominy
1 can yellow hominy
1 can diced green chilies
2 cans stewed tomatoes
3 cans Ranch Style Beans

Brown hamburger with onion. Add everything else. Do NOT drain anything.

Cheese-Corn Chowder

Lindsay Walden
3 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup water
2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Dash of black pepper
3 cups milk
1 (10 oz) package frozen whole kernel corn
2 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon parsley

Boil potatoes in water with bouillon, red pepper, and black pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir 2 ½ cups milk and corn into cooked potato mixture. In small bowl mix together remaining ½ cup milk and flour. Stir it into the potato mixture. Stir over medium heat until slightly thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Top with parsley.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Lindsay Walden
4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (save 8 cups broth)
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon
Bear Creek Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 can drained and washed black beans
1 can diced tomatoes and jalapenos
½ bag frozen corn
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Cheese
Cook chicken and shred (save broth). Set aside. Whisk Bear Creek Tortilla Soup Mix into broth. Then add chicken back in. Add 1 can drained and washed black beans. Add tomato/jalapeno mixture. Cook one hour on low (simmer). Then 10-15 minutes before serving, add ½ bag frozen corn. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and chips.

Jambalaya

Lindsay Walden
2 TBS oil
1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
½ cup onion chopped
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup chili sauce
¼ cup water
1 (14 ½ oz) can tomatoes, chopped with juice
8 ounces polish sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ tsp dried leaf thyme, crumbled
Pepper to taste
Dash cayenne pepper

Heat oil. Saute chicken and sausage for 5 minutes, then add onion, green pepper and garlic. Saute for a few minutes longer, then add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes.

Potato Corn Chowder

Julie M. Ward
8 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup crumbled bacon or bacon bits
1 can cream of chicken soup (we use the family size)
3 cans chicken broth
1 8oz. package cream cheese
1 med. onion, chopped
1 can corn
pepper to taste
Put potatoes, bacon and onion in crock pot. Whisk together soups, softened cream cheese and pepper (it will be a little lumpy). Pour mixture in with potatoes and stir it around. Cook 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Now the recipe I have says to take about 1/3 out and run it through the blender to thicken it up but as far as things I HATE doing, cleaning out a blender is pretty high on the list. So I use my hand-held/immersion blender instead (got it at DI for $3 if you’re interested) and it gets the job done. We like to sprinkle some cheese on top and dig in.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Rachel Ward

Either 4 cans chicken broth, or 4 c. water and chicken bouillon or a mix
2 med. Carrots, chopped
2 med. Stalks celery, chopped
2 c. cooked egg noodles
Chopped cooked chicken

(This is my own made up recipe, so bear with me.) Heat chicken broth and chopped chicken in large pot. Meanwhile, boil carrots and celery and in separate pan cook noodles. Add thyme, rosemary to carrots. When veggies are finished cooking dump into chicken broth, water and all. Add bay leaf, more thyme, oregano, and basil, really any of your favorite herbs. Heat through. Drain egg noodles and add to pot. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Taco Soup

Rachel Ward

1 lb. ground beef
1 16 oz. can tomatoes
1 can corn
1 taco seasoning packet (or about ¼ c.)
¼ c. onion, chopped (I use dried onion, a small handful)
1 can kidney beans
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
Chips and shredded cheddar

In large pot brown ground beef and sauté onions; drain. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, corn and tomato sauce. Add taco seasoning, bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with chips and cheese
(I don’t like canned tomatoes, so instead I use 2 cans of corn and 2 cans of tomato sauce.)

Corn Chowder

Rachel Ward

1 lb bacon, chopped
1 med. Onion, chopped, (fresh or dried, either works)
2 med. Stalks celery, chopped
2 tbsp. flour
4 c. milk
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 can creamed corn
1 can potatoes chopped (or just cook a few cups of chopped potatoes separately)
Paprika

Cook bacon in 3 qt. pot over med. Until crisp. Drain fat, reserving 3 tbsp. in saucepan. Drain bacon on paper towels; set aside. Cook onion and celery in bacon fat over medium heat about 2 minutes, stirring until tender. Stir in flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Gradually stir in mil. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in pepper, corn an potatoes. Heat until hot. Stir in bacon. Sprinkle with paprika.