These are just a few of the soups I have made this cold (single-digit temps!), blustery, snowy, dirty-aired-Utah January.
I personally think they are all delicious, so pick the one you're in the mood for. All photos are courtesy of the recipe provider.
from Our Best Bites
Simple, hearty (even though it's meatless) and satisfying! I love minestrone with lots of grated Parmesan on top and some yummy crackers!
from two peas & their pod
This was good "recovery" soup for Hylan when he was sick because of all of the healthful ingredients, especially the abundance of lemon! He especially liked it because of the orzo--compared to theirs, I must have added a lot more orzo, or not as much broth to mine though, because it became almost a pasta dish instead of a soup the next day after the pasta absorbed all of the broth. Equally as yummy, just less soupy.
from Betty Crocker
I love, love, LOVE Split Pea Soup. Seriously, I crave that and the Bean with Bacon soup made by Campbell's. Well, this soup was so easy and so very cheap (because we all know dried beans/legumes are CHEAP!), and I'm assuming probably healthier, or at least filled with less sodium--not that I care about that, if anything, I have low blood pressure and need more salt.
Anyway, I had to substitute a ham steak and bacon for the ham hock because I couldn't find one in my local grocery stores (stupid Utah, I know Pennsylvania would not let me down in the pork department). Perhaps, I didn't try hard enough, surely ham hocks exist in Utah. Anyway, gosh if you love split pea soup, you must must make this soup and revel in the delicious aromas that will waft from your slow cooker!
from Mimi's Fit Foods
I loved how easy this recipe was and the fact that I had all of the ingredients in my pantry to make it within hours of seeing the post. By the way, this is a great blog written by a friend from my former ward. She tests recipes and posts all about the nutritional content (because she's a Nutrition, Health, & Fitness Coach professionally), so it's just a fabulous resource!
The "cream" part of the soup is actually bread, and by happy coincidence, I had some leftover homemade oat bread that worked perfectly to thicken this soup. I also ate mine with a topping of shredded pepper jack cheese and crackers. Delicious and super nutrient-packed. Love the antioxidant power of lycopene-enriched tomatoes, don't you?!
Easy Chicken and Dumplings
from America's Test Kitchen
"The Best Simple Recipes"
This picture is actually from a variation of the recipe, but it looks exactly the same minus the herbs, which you could obviously add if you have them handy!
I have been craving Chicken and Dumplings since I was going to make it for a New Year's Day Party with my sister's family that never happened due to illness. I really loved the simplicity of this version of the classic because it still packed delicious flavor without needing to simmer all day long, or needing to make your own broth, etc.
The only annoying part is picking the chicken off the bones of a store-bought rotisserie chicken. I mean the convenience and flavors are fantastic, but picking chicken isn't my favorite task. I always miss some tiny little bone and it irks me, but seriously, that effort is worth it for the flavor the chicken adds to the soup.
The next time I make this recipe, I may add some cream at the end, or thicken it with a little roux in the beginning just because a hearty, creamy, chicken and dumpling soup sounds so good to me too.
Also, I think this was Hylan's favorite of all the soups I made. He raved over it--he politely eats the other soups (and in the case of the minestrone, asks where's the meat?)--but this one he absolutely loved. I especially know when he likes something if he will eat it as leftovers, which he has! Winner, winner, chicken and dumplings dinner!
Here is the recipe. I hope I'm not breaking copyright laws or something by publishing it for you. Shh, our secret:
Quick Chicken and Dumplings Soup
(from America's Test Kitchen, "The Best Simple Recipes")
serves 4 to 6
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, sliced thin (I used more)
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth*
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
1. For dumplings, whisk flour, water, eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper in bowl, set aside.
2. Melt butter in Dutch oven (or stock pot) over medium-high heat. Cook onion, carrots, and celery until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.
3. Stir chicken into pot, season with salt and pepper, and return to a simmer. Working quickly, drop teaspoon sized pieces of dough into soup. Simmer, covered, until dumplings are set, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve and ENJOY!
So, there you go for some yummy soup ideas.
*By the way, of all the chicken broth/stocks I've tried, Swanson's Chicken Broth is the best tasting brand I've found. I like the convenience of the 4 cup boxes, but I can get a case of the 30% reduced sodium 2 cup cans at Costco, so I'll use those too. They have different varieties of their broth, like "Natural Goodness," "Certified Organic," etc, but since I trust their brand in general, I usually go for which kind is on sale or cheaper--and that is almost never the organic, free range, or "natural" kind, ya know what I mean?
