Lasagna Soup

I love soup! Even in the summer. It doesn't matter if it is hot or cold. Usually I like my soups, cream based, but I tried this one and really liked it! I made my soup and cooked it in the crockpot all day. Then I added my noodles and the cheese in the bowls like it says in the recipe. It gets kinda crazy around here after school and it was nice to have dinner pretty much done.

The recipe is from A Farm Girl's Dabbles

for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Baked Potato Soup

Slow-cooker soup-- totally easy, totally delish and hearty!

*Note: I didn't put in NEARLY that much garlic. I like garlic 'n all, but I don't want to stink like it for a week.*


Ingredients:
- 5lbs Russet Potatoes, washed but NOT peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch(ish) cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 10 cloves of garlic, whole
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 16 oz cream cheese (I used 8oz regular and 8oz lowfat)
- 1 TBS seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning (I use Aunt Cora's Soulful Seasoning)

Garnishes:
- Crumbled bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions
(I also had diced ham. I like diced ham on my baked taters.)
Directions:
- Add potatoes, onion, garlic, seasoning and chicken stock to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
- Remove and puree the garlic cloves along with 1/2 to 1/3rd of the soup, and then reintroduce to the remainder in the crock pot.
- Stir in the cream cheese and allow to melt. Stir every 10-15 minutes until soup is well blended.
- Top with your choice of garnishes & serve!

Pumpkin Stew

I got this recipe from my sister in laws mom. When you scoop it into your bowl and the get some of the cooked pumpkin, so good! This will be a new Halloween tradition.

 

2 lbs of stew meat, cut into 1 in. cubes

3 tbsp oil (divided)

1 cup water

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 in. cubes

4 medium carrots, sliced

1 large green pepper, cut into 1/2 in. pieces

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp instant beef bouillon granules

1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes, undrained, cut up

1 pumpkin (10 to 12 lbs)

In a dutch oven, brown meat in 2 tbsp oil. Add water, potatoes, carrots, green pepper, garlic onion, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Stir in bouillon and tomatoes.

Wash pumpkin, cut a 6 -8 in. circle around the stem. Remove seeds and loose fibers. Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan. Spoon stew into pumpkin and replace the top. Brush the outside of the pumpkin with remaining oil.

Bake at 325 for 2 hours or until the pumpkin is tender (do not over bake). Serve stew from pumpkin, scooping out a little pumpkin with each serving.

8-10 servings

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half and half
1 14 ounce can chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese – optional
1 pound potato gnocchi – can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets
Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter, when the onion becomes translucent, add the flour, and make a roux, let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

Into the roux add in the carrots, celery, and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings

Minestrone Soup

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 lb Pancetta (bacon works too)
1 lb zucchini - chopped
2 ribs Celery - chopped
1 Carrot - chopped
1 Onion chopped
1 Bay Leaf
2 cloves Garlic - Minced
32 oz Chicken Stock
15 oz. can Cannellni Beans (undrained)
15 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
1/4 lb Penne

In a large pot heat oil and add pancetta (or bacon). Cook until brown. Add zucchini, celery, carrot, onion, bay leaf and garlic. Cook until veg are tender. Stir in chicken stock, beans, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is done. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

** if you want to make this ahead of time, you can, just wait to add the pasta until about 10-15 minutes before you are ready to eat. Otherwise the pasta gets soggy and gross.