Minestrone Soup

On Sunday afternoon, when I planned my dinner menu for the week, I knew that I had a wild week ahead of me. I knew that I'd be working late a couple of evenings during the week, andI had an evening meeting at church. I needed simple meals, and I wanted at least one thing I could make ahead of time and reheat as needed. I remembered a recipe for minestrone soup that Chet made recently, and thought it would work well. I knew it would make a lot of soup, so I'd have plenty for lunches as well.
This was perfect for a hectic week. The soup came together effortlessly one evening while I was making another dinner. It's pretty hearty, but light at the same time, if that makes sense. It would be the perfect soup to take to someone who's had surgery or isn't able to get out of the house. And it's cheap, too! I don't know exactly how to give credit for this recipe; I got it from Chet, who got it from someone else. If you think it's your recipe, let me know and I'll be sure to give you credit. If you're looking for a simple, easy dinner that's healthy and inexpensive, this is it! Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

Chet Lawrence

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained (I used Italian-style)

15 oz. can Great Northern beans, drained

3/4 cup small pasta (I used whole-grain elbows)

1 box frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and drained)

15 oz. can green beans, drained

15 oz. can dark red kidney beans

2 chicken bouillion cubes

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes (with all juices). Fill empty tomato can three times with water and add to pot. Drain and rinse all beans and add to pot. Add spinach. Add bouillion and black pepper to taste. Cook until beans are tender. Add pasta and spinach. Cook until pasta is tender. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

I'm not a picky eater, but I do have a little problem with texture. If the texture of a food gives me the creepin' willies, I just can't eat it, no matter how good it tastes. Tapioca is a fine example of this. The flavor of tapioca pudding is delicious, but the texture of those tapioca pearls is too much. I feel like I've got a mouth full of fish eyeballs...I just can't do it.
David, on the other hand, will pretty much eat anything that won't eat him first. There are some things he doesn't like much, but he still eats them. But this soup? Nope...not on the list. He hated it. He admitted that the flavor was fine, but he couldn't get past the texture. He said he felt like I was serving him baby food!
You see, I had used the immersion blender (thanks, Earl and Shirley!) on this Tuscan Chickpea Soup. I had in mind that it would have a delightful, velvety mouthfeel. It was pretty good (not quite velvety), but David just didn't care for the texture at all! So we won't have Tuscan Chickpea Soup here at the Orr house ever again, but it's worth trying, if you don't have any "texture issues" in your household! I took it for my lunch for several days, and it reheats nicely. It's a hearty soup, what with all the chickpeas and all, and it great on crisp, cool fall days. It's easy to throw together, and of course, you get to use the immersion blender!

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

adapted from a recipe from Core and More Recipes

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, chopped (I omitted this)

1 large bell pepper

4 cups chicken stock

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary (could've used more)

salt and cayenne, to taste

3 (15.5 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

14.5 oz diced tomatoes, drained

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and bell pepper and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in stock and next 5 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to process/puree the soup until smooth. You can also puree the soup in batches using a regular blender. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and serve with a splash of additional balsamic vinegar on top.

Potato, Ham, and Spinach Soup

I've had designs on making this soup for well over a year. I used a recipe from the Louisville Courier-Journal as my starting point, but I made several changes along the way. I clipped the original recipe out of the paper sometime last fall or winter, and tucked it away in my recipe file, which grows larger by the week. I finally decided to rummage through it last Sunday and found this one. It's perfect for a chilly fall day, except those seem to have left Kentucky. Now, we've got highs in the mid-70s! Good grief...I thought we'd finally gotten rid of summer for awhile, but she's reared her ugly head again. Fall, please come back!
This soup is full of ham, potatoes, beans, and spinach. It's the perfect soup to make when it's time to use leftovers, because you could dump just about anything in here, and it would be good. The original recipe called for smoked sausage and kale. I used ham and spinach instead. I've really tried to like kale, but I just haven't seemed to acquire the tastebuds for it yet. I'm still willing to try it, though...maybe I just haven't had it the right way yet. Anyway, here's the recipe for this yummy, hearty soup. If fall hasn't fled your area, it would make a perfect dinner for those nights when you're snuggled up on the couch watching football! Enjoy!

Potato, Ham, and Spinach Soup

adapted from a recipe from the Louisville Courier-Journal

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 lb. ham

1 large onion, diced

6-8 large cloves garlic, minced

4 large potatoes, diced

1 large bunch spinach

2 quarts chicken stock (or a mixture of stock and water)

2 15oz. cans of white beans, drained and rinsed

salt and lots of black pepper

Heat olive oil in a wide, deep soup pot over medium heat. Add ham, chopping it into bite-sized pieces.

Add onion and garlic. Stir often, until softened, about 5-10 minutes.

Add diced potatoes. Wash and remove long stems from spinach. Cut into wide slivers. Add potatoes and spinach.

Add chicken stock and increase the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the potoates are very soft. Use a potato masher to roughly mash the potatoes in order to thicken the broth. Add beans and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

White Chicken Chili

It's definitely fall in Kentucky! The leaves are turning colors and there's a nice chill in the air. Fall is without a doubt my favorite season of the year. I love the colors, the chilly weather, wearing sweaters and sweatshirts, drinking hot chocolate, and sneaking afternoon naps to the sounds of football. I love the flavors and foods of fall, too. Probably one of my favorite fall and winter foods is soup. And, believe it or not, I used to be intimidated by making soup. For some reason, I always thought that making soup was really difficult. I don't know where I got that idea, but I'm glad that I forged ahead and started making soup, because now it's one of my favorite things to make! Poor David...I'll probably soup him to death by the time Spring rolls around, but I can't help it. It's the perfect cool weather supper! Saturday, I decided to make one of our very favorite soups...White Chicken Chili.
I got this recipe last fall while we were on vacation in Florida. We had flown down for a few days to see David's mom and dad, and I cut this gem out of the Bradenton Herald. It was hard to be in the mood for chili while visiting sunny Floria, what with all the fishing, boating, and sunning on the beach, but I knew we'd be back in chilly Kentucky before long, and this soup sounded so good! I'm so glad I saved this recipe. We've made it a dozen times since then, probably, and I even make it for last year's Spring Soup Supper at our church (not to be confused with the Chili Supper), where it was very well received. It's so simple to make, and the flavors are wonderful. As with most chilis, the flavor is even better the next day! I wish I knew who to give credit to...I only know that the recipe was titled "Michelle's White Chicken Chili" and was featured in the Bradenton Herald last fall. If you know Michelle, please let her know that her White Chicken Chili is wonderful!

White Chicken Chili

Michelle/The Bradenton Herald

2 packages McCormick White Chicken Chili seasoning mix

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 can navy beans

1 can cannellini beans

1 can great Northern beans

1 can black beans

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes with mild green chiles

4 cups chicken broth (or more, depending on the desired thickness)

Heat the oil in a large soup kettle. Add the chicken. Cook and stir about 5 minutes until no pink remains.

Drain and rinse all the beans. Stir in the seasoning mix, beans, soup, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors.

Erin's Notes: I usually use the leftovers from a whole roasted/rotisserie'd chicken instead of cooking chicken specifically for this soup. If you've got smoked chicken, by all means, use it. I had some and used it in a pinch one time last year, and it makes the flavor out of this world. It makes for the best.soup.ever. I also don't use the Ro*Tel tomatoes...just plan ol' diced tomatoes. David and I are wusses when it comes to spice, and whatever spice is in the flavoring packets is plenty for us. But if you like a little kick, by all means, go for the Ro*Tel!