Sausage Tortellini Soup

I saw this recipe a few days ago on Running Mama Cooks. Kelly is a fellow Nestie who also likes to blog about simple but yummy foods.

As soon as I saw this recipe I knew that I wanted to make it. I love soups. I especially love hearty soups that are almost like a stew. This was a HUGE hit in our house and I think it will be making it again very soon and very often.

I ended up using all 6 links that came in my package and used 32 oz of chicken broth. My supermarket had a sale on apple cider this week so they were completely sold out. I used apple juice and it was fine. I also used a larger package of tortellini. I think it was 12 oz. The next time that I make this I will use more chicken broth or maybe vegetable broth.

I can't begin to tell you how AWESOME this soup was. So so good. The next time I go shopping I think I'm going to stock up on tortellini to always have it on hand to make this soup.



Sausage Tortellini Soup

• 4 links of Italian sausage
• 4 cloves of pressed garlic
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup of water
• 3 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of apple cider
• 1 can diced tomatoes, 16 oz
• 1 can tomato sauce, 8 oz
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 medium zucchini, grated
• 8 - 10 oz pkg cheese tortellini
• 2 tsp dried parsley

Remove sausage from casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.

Brown sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. I use a potato masher to break up the sausage quicker. Drain fat if necessary. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.

Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with grated Asiago or Parmesan.

Mini Meatball Soup

This soup is a favorite here. I know its hot outside to be eating soup but the man requested soup. Ugh...it's too hot for soup, I thought, but he rarely makes requests. So I asked him what kind of soup he'd like me to make. Mini Meatball Soup. Hmmm...I haven't made that in a while. No problem, dear.

This is a Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meal recipe but it takes me longer than 30 minutes. I don't chop quite as fast as she does. Maybe I need to get a set of RR knives. Ooh and maybe some of those cute ramekins. The orange pots are pretty cool, too. But I digress. This is about the soup. It's a quick soup that is really delicious and super simple to make. I tend to use more carrots and celery than the recipe calls for because I like hearty soups.

Both of the babies love the soup. I puree the soup so that it's nice and chunky and will sometimes add some pureed sweet potatoes to make it even healthier.

Stephanie enjoying her chunky soup


Mini Meatball Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef, pork and veal combined
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 6 cups chicken stock or broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups dried pasta, rings, broken fettuccini or ditalini(I use multi-grain)
  
• 1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Directions

In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings.

Carrot Lentil Soup

I'm always on a mission to get my middle daughter to eat something that is not bread or goldfish crackers. So I was especially excited to find this recipe for Carrot Lentil Soup. I love lentils since they are fantastic sources of protein and fiber. Two things that I know Stephanie is not getting enough of in her daily diet.

The soup is very easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly and the next time that I make it I will add more carrots. I'm not sure if my carrots were on the small side but it wasn't a pretty orange like I saw in the original recipe.




I wasn't even going to take a picture because it looks like something I'd find in Eva's diaper. Looks aside, this was one yummy soup! I love how the carrots gave the soup just a hint of sweetness.

I took a bunch of plastic containers to freeze the soup into portions to have on hand for Stephanie's lunch. I'd like to double or even triple this recipe because I think it would be awesome for everyone to have for lunch with a sandwich.

Carrot Lentil Soup

1 1tbsp tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
3 3carrotcarrots, sliced
2 2oniononions, chopped
2 2cloves garlic, minced
1 1tbsp tbsp (15 mL) minced ginger root
1 1tsp tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
1/2 1/2tsp tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 1/4tsp tsp (1 mL) pepper
6 6cups cups (1.5 L) vegetable stock or chicken stock
3/4 3/4cup cup (175 mL) red lentils

Garnish
2 2tbsp tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh coriander or parsley
1/2 1/2cup cup (125 mL) plain low-fat yogurt
(Alternately, sour cream and dill)

Heat oil in saucepan over medium. Cook everything except the lentils and stock in the oil for about 5 minutes (until onions start to soften).

Add stock and lentils. Bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes. When carrots and lentils are soft, puree soup with immersion blender or in batches in regular blender.

Garnish with herbed yogurt or sour cream when serving. This soup freezes well.

Lentil Soup with Chorizo & Rice

I've been on the hunt for a recipe for lentil soup that is not tomato based. I grew up eating lentil soup that contained rice and meat but all of the recipes that I've seen contained tomatoes....until now. I am even more excited that it is a Chilean recipe since I am a Chilena!



Lentil Soup with Chorizo & Rice

Ingredients

• 8 ounces lentils
• 1 cup white rice, cooked
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 chorizo sausage, chopped
• olive oil
• cumin
• paprika
• salt & pepper
• 4 slices bacon
• chicken stock (optional)

Directions

1. Boil lentils in 4 cups of water (or chicken stock), add bacon, salt & pepper to taste.
2. and cook until tender. About 20 minutes depending on the age of lentils.
3. Once the lentils are tender toss the bacon and put lentils aside. Do not drain.
4. In a separate pot heat the olive oil and brown the onions until they are clear.
5. Add chopped chorizo and cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add cumin & paprika and mix in well.
7. Add cooked rice and mix in well.
8. Mix in the lentils & rice mix and cook for another 10 minutes stirring often.
9. Serve in bowl with the garnish of choice.

My verdict: Yes! I have finally found a recipe for lentil soup that I love, love, love!! The only thing I did differently was that I used kielbasa instead of chorizo but that is only because I sent Alberto to the store and that is what he came home with. It tasted fine with the kielbasa and I also think that pork or beef stew meat would work nicely as well. I added a bay leaf when I sauteed the onions and garlic and I ended up adding more water because it was too thick.

In the original recipe, the person who had posted the recipe wrote that in Chile a crumbled egg is sometimes sprinkled on top. On a whim, I decided to boil a couple of eggs and grated it to sprinkle on top. Everyone loved this soup and I will definitely be making it again!

I said I wouldn't do it but...

I actually have a recipe to post that doesn't require me posting a link to someone else's recipe.

This is a soup that I grew up eating that we called Porotos. It was one of the very few things that we liked when my mom cooked. When I got older and wanted to make it for my own kids I tried looking it up online and found versions that were kind of similar but not really the same. I called my mom and she told me how she basically made hers. I found it to be very bland. The next few times I made I kept playing around with the ingredients by adding stuff and playing around with the amounts until everyone was happy with how it tasted. I now make this soup about every 2 weeks because it's a favorite here and besides goldfish crackers it's the ONLY food I know that my super picky toddler will eat. I run it through the food processor so that it's nice and chunky and easy for her to eat.

My almost 12 year old has made this on own (while I supervised of course). So I decided to figure out the amounts I used so that when she's older she can make it for her own kids.





Porotos (Sausage & Bean Soup)

Ingredients

• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 lb sausage sliced (I used Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp allspice ( I usually end up adding a touch more)
  
• 1 packet beef bouillon
• 1 packet Goya sazon
• 8 cups of water
• 2 boxes of frozen butternut squash (I add it frozen and let it defrost in the soup)
  
• 2 cans cannellini beans (I use Progresso 19 oz)
• 1 can red kidney beans (Progresso)
• cooked pasta (I like to use macaroni or the wheel shaped ones)
  

Direction

Heat a large pot with EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and sautee for about 3 - 5 minutes. Add sausage and S&P, oregano, allspice, beef bouillon and sazon and cook until sausage is browned. Add water and squash and raise the heat to high. Once the squash has defrosted I add the beans and lower the heat to a medium low and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Check your seasonings and adjust to your tastes. Serve over cooked pasta. (I don't like to cook pasta in my soups because it makes for mushy leftovers) Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I love, love, love this recipe for chicken soup. It's so quick and easy to put together and so yummy. I think that the addition of vegetable broth is the key to making it taste so special. I am not up for making chicken soup from scratch but I think that this recipe is a great fake out. I really think that it tastes like it took all day to make.



Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
• 1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups egg noodles
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 can of cannellini beans (optional)
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

My verdict: I've made this several times already and we all love it. I usually add chick peas or cannellini beans to bump up the fiber but you don't have it and it isn't included in the original recipe. I love hearty soups so I always add more celery, carrots and chicken than the recipe calls for.

Crock Pot Lentil Soup

It is soooo freaking cold out. Thanks goodness that I don't have to go out with the babies. It's the perfect day to stay home in sweats (oh who am I kidding....we're still in out pajamas) and make some soup. I got this recipe for lentil soup from one of the ladies from a message board that I frequent. The ingredients are things that I always have on hand.

Crock Pot Lentil Soup





Ingredients

1 c. dry lentils
1 c. chopped carrot
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 c. chicken broth or veggie broth
1 1/2 c. water
1 (14 1/2 oz) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1/4 c. snipped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. cider vinegar

Preparation

Rinse lentils. In crock pot place lentils, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir in broth, water and undrained tomatoes. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley and vinegar (if desired). Makes 6 servings.

My verdict: Very good. Even my super picky 19 month old ate some. I ended up adding chunks of pork into the crock pot because, well....why not? I had a couple left over and cut them up into bite sized pieces. I liked it and maybe next time I'll make it with beef and use beef broth instead. I also cooked some pasta separately and added it to the bowls as I was serving dinner. I hate mushy pasta so I always cook it separately.

First snow storm = Pasta Fagioli

We're supposed to be getting a ton of snow today. As I type it still hasn't started but I already started cooking dinner. I thought that soup would be perfect on a day like today. I'd been eying a recipe for Crock pot Pasta Fagioli soup from Crockpot Tuesdays. I love being able to throw everything into a crock pot for a few hours and have a yummy meal without being cooped up in a kitchen all day. An active toddler and newborn make it very difficult to get dinner on the table sometimes.

I bought all of the ingredients and started assembling the soup and then....DAMN!! It doesn't fit into my crock pot. I poured the soup into a pot and its now simmering away on the stove top. I'm sure that it will taste the same but now I have to actually check on the soup and stir it ;-)

Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups beef broth
1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup dry pasta (to add at end)

Directions:

Brown the meat and drain well. Let cool a bit.

Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the crockpot. Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper and oregano. Stir in the meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. At end of cook time, stir in 1/2 cup pasta. Cover and cook for another hour on low.

Serve with parmesan cheese if you’d like. Enjoy! This recipe makes about 8 generous servings.