Clean the Freezer Soup

It seems kind of silly to post a recipe for soup in late April, but I was ready to type this up when we experienced major computer problems for about 3 weeks.  Some days it seems like Spring and others it feels chilly enough to still be Winter, so I decided to go ahead and post this soup recipe.  This is a hearty soup made primarily of vegetables, so it's perfect if you need to make something to share with vegetarians.  There is cheese in it, so make sure their diet includes dairy.

I cut this recipe out of a magazine years ago and make it at lease once each Winter.  My guys give this soup all 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by melting the butter in a Dutch oven.

To the melted butter I add the chopped onions and celery.  I cook these vegetables over medium heat until the vegetables are tender and the onions are translucent.

Once cooked, I add the flour to the vegetables and stir to combine.  I cook this for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly until the flour is no longer raw.

As I stir and it cooks, the flour adheres to the vegetables.

I slowly add the chicken stock, stirring the entire time.  Adding the stock a bit at a time at first helps prevent lumps of flour in the soup.

Next, I add the frozen mixed vegetables, corn, and hash browns, stirring to combine.  I do not defrost these vegetables before adding them.  Also, I couldn't find the mixed vegetables with the carrots cut in cubes, which is what I prefer to use.  It was a little weird to find a "baby carrot" when eating the soup.

After defrosting the chopped spinach and squeezing it dry, I add it to the soup.

Then, I add the seasonings - fresh parsley, dried thyme, black pepper, and salt.

I turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil.  Because I've added frozen vegetables, I let the soup boil for about 3 minutes, then I reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

The last step is to add the cheese, stirring until it is completely melted.  I like to use the extra-sharp cheddar cheese and it adds the most flavor.

This soup is pretty simple to make and it freezes well!  It's also a great way to get kids to eat spinach as it's hidden in the middle of vegetables they are most likely used to.  Enjoy!

Clean the Freezer Vegetable Soup

¼ cup butter

1 onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 (32-oz.) boxes chicken broth

1 (32-oz.) pkg. frozen hash-brown potatoes, thawed

1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen niblet corn, thawed

1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and celery; cook 7 minutes, stirring frequently or until tender.  Add flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Sitr in broth, hash-brown potatoes, corn, mixed vegetables, spinach, parsley, thyme, pepper, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Add cheese, stirring until smooth.

Yield:  10 – 12 servings

Note:  I defrost only the spinach so that I can drain it and squeeze it dry.  Otherwise, I put in the hash-browns, corn, and vegetables while still frozen and let the soup boil a few minutes before reducing the heat to simmer.  I also use extra-sharp cheddar cheese for more flavor.

Speedy Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup

There are days when I need to put a hot meal on the table, but it seems as though I will have no time at all to do so.  This tomato soup recipe is one where the ingredients are heated in a saucepan and the soup is ready to serve!

When I received my October/November 2012 issue of Taste of Home, I knew this recipe would come in handy at some point on a busy day, so I made sure I had all of the ingredients in my cupboard.  This soup is not quite as good as the Roasted Tomato Bisque (previously posted), but it still got 7's and 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

In a large saucepan, I combined two cans of tomato soup, two cans of evaporated milk (one 12 oz. and one 5 oz.), and 1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes.  Once heated though, I served it with a bit of sour cream, some shredded cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of crumbled bacon that was left over from a meal earlier in the week (I planned ahead on that one!).  That's all there is to it.  I paired the soup with some grilled cheese sandwiches.  It can't get any easier than that!  Enjoy!

Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup

2 (10-3/4 oz.) cans undiluted condensed tomato soup

2 cans (one 12 oz. and one 5 oz.) evaporated milk

1 (14-1/2 oz.) can undrained fire-roasted diced tomatoes

Optional toppings:

Sour cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bacon bits

In a large saucepan, combine and heat tomato soup, evaporated milk, and fire-roasted tomatoes until hot.  Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese and/or bacon bits.

Turkey Soup

As I was going through pictures I've uploaded to my computer, I was surprised to discover that I had never shared this creamy soup recipe that is perfect for using leftover turkey at the holidays.

This satisfying soup is easy to prepare and doesn't take long to cook.  I think that a hearty soup is the perfect thing to serve on a cold, wintery day.  I found this recipe years ago in one of those small recipe books that are sold near the registers at the market.  This soup gets 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

In my stock pot, I melt the butter and add the chopped onions and celery.  I cook the vegetables over medium heat until they are tender.

Once the onion and celery are tender, I add the carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.

In a cereal bowl, I combine the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, savory, and parsley flakes.  When all of the dry ingredients are mixed before adding them to the vegetables, it ensures they get more evenly distributed.

I add the flour and spice mixture to the vegetables, stirring to combine so the vegetables are coated.

I gradually add the milk, stirring constantly.  At this point, the mixture is very thick.

Then I add the turkey, stirring to combine.  I use a combination of white and dark meat that I've cut into  1/2-inch cubes.

As you can see above, the mixture is quite thick at this point.

I then add the turkey or chicken stock, which makes it look a lot more like soup!

I then cover and simmer the soup for 15 minutes.

The last ingredient I add is the frozen peas (yes, they get added in frozen form).  I put the lid back on and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Making this soup is a great way to use up leftover turkey, it doesn't take long to assemble or cook, and it will warm your innards (as my Irish mom would say) on a cold day! It's a win-win-win recipe!  Enjoy!

Creamy Turkey Soup

1 large onion, chopped

3 celery ribs, cut into ¼-inch pieces

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon savory

½ teaspoon parsley flakes

1 ½ cups milk

4 cups cubed, cooked turkey

5 mediums carrots, cut into 1/4 –inch pieces

3 cups turkey or chicken broth

1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas

In a stock pot, sauté onion and celery in butter until tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the flour and seasonings; gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened.  Add turkey and carrots.  Add enough broth; stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add peas; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Italian Stew

Cold days make me want something hot and satisfying for dinner, like a tasty stew.  This one is packed full of flavor and so simple to make.

I found this recipe in the September/October 1999 issue of my Quick Cooking magazine and I've been making it for years.  It's a hearty stew that I put in the "comfort food" category.  My guys give this recipe 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by placing the Italian sausage in my Dutch oven, breaking it up as it cooks over medium-high heat.  When the meat is no longer pink, I drain it to remove any excess fat.

While the sausage was cooking, I chopped the onions and sliced the celery and carrots.  After draining the sausage, I added these vegetables to it, stirring to combine and reduced the heat to medium.

In a very small bowl, I combined the Italian seasoning, basil, salt and pepper.

I added the seasonings to the sausage and vegetable mixture and cooked it for 5 minutes until the vegetables were crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

Then I added the tomatoes, stirring to combine.

To that, I added the tomato soup, again stirring to combine.

Whenever a recipe calls for adding water as well as canned goods, I always add a little bit of the water to each can to capture anything left in the can and add it to the dish.  My mom always did that, saying she didn't want to waste any of the flavor that could be left in the can.  Once all of the water is added, I bring the pot to a boil.  Then I reduce the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for 30 minutes.  Then I stir in the rice, cover the pot and cook for another 10 minutes.  I just realized I must not have taken a picture after adding the water, as the one above has the rice added already, sorry!

 

This hearty stew is bursting with flavor and will warm you to the core on a cold day!  Enjoy!

Italian Stew

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1medium onion, chopped

½ cup chopped celery

2 medium carrots, sliced 1/8 inch thick

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian stewed tomatoes

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed tomato soup, undilitued

2 cups water

¾ cup uncooked instant rice

In a Dutch oven, cook the sausage until no loner pink; drain.  Add the onion, celery, carrots, Italian seasoning, basil, salt and pepper.  Cook and sir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender.  Stir in the tomatoes, soup and water; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in the rice, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.


Yield:  4 servings

Potato Cheese Soup

My family has been making this recipe for years, and it's certainly one of our favorite dishes.  It's fairly easy to make and travels well in a crock pot to take to a common meal with friends.

My family lovingly refers to this cheesy potato dish as "Potato Cheese Stuff."  This is because it was originally called Potato Cheese Casserole when my mom happened upon it, but it's more like a soup when piping hot, so my friends started calling it soup.  Sometimes, I thin it and serve it as soup, other times I don't add the milk and use it as a side dish.  More often than not, I take it to a pot-luck style meal where it's considered soup, so that's how I'm presenting it to you!  This recipe gets all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

To begin, I peel and cut the potatoes and boil them.  People boil spuds in all sorts of ways, but I've found the fastest way is to cut them into chunks that are no thicker than about 1/2 inch.  The thicker the pieces, the longer it takes to cook to the center of each piece.  

After cutting them, I place them in a Dutch oven, which I've filled about 1/3 with water.   I actually turn the heat on high as soon as I add the first potato, to save on cooking time.  As I add each potato, it brings the temperature down a bit, so the pot never begins to boil until a few minutes after I add the last spud.  The picture above was taken just after I added the last one.  Once the pot comes to a full boil, I cook the potatoes for 10 minutes.  While the potatoes are cooking, I melt the butter in the microwave and shred the extra-sharp cheddar cheese.

Once the potatoes are fully cooked (I test them by sticking a fork into them to determine if they are tender), I drain the water and place them in a large bowl.  I then add the melted butter and toss gently.  As ingredients get added, the chunks get smaller as the potatoes get broken up a bit.  We like to have some small pieces in the final product, so we mix gently as we combine the rest of the ingredients.

Next, I add the shredded cheese, and again toss lightly.  My cheese of choice for this dish is Cracker Barrel Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese.  I've used other brands in the past and have to add more cheese to get the great cheesy flavor that one brick of the Cracker Barrel gives this soup.  The sharpness of the cheese (the amount of aging time) gives more flavor without having to use more cheese than the recipe calls for.  My rule of thumb is the sharper, the better.

The heat of the potatoes will begin to melt the cheese while I take care of the next step, which is to combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, green onions, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

The soup mixture then gets added to the potato and cheese mixture, again combining gently.  At this point, there are three choices for how to finish up the dish.  If I was taking it to a gathering, I would put it in a crock pot and cook it on low for 4 hours.  (It can also be made to this point, put in the crock of a crock pot, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to cook.  I remove the plastic and cover it before beginning to cook.)  About 1/2 hr. before serving, I add the milk if I'm serving it as soup in bowls.  The second option, which was the cooking method suggested on the original recipe, is to transfer it to a casserole dish and bake it in the oven at 350°F for 25 minutes.  This would be the option to choose if you wanted it to be thicker and served as a side dish.  The third option, which is the fastest method and the one I chose this time, is to transfer the mixture to a Dutch oven to cook.

I did use the same Dutch oven that I had cooked the potatoes in initially; I just washed it before using it again.  You can see how thick the mixture is at this point.

I turned the heat on to a medium setting, where I began to heat the soup.  I stirred it frequently so it didn't stick to the bottom of the pot.  Once heated through, you can see that the cheese has completely melted and it's not as thick as it was before.  It can be served as a side dish at this point, because it won't run all over the plate.

To make it a better consistency to be served as soup, I add 1 cup of milk, stirring in 1/2 cup at a time to make sure it is fully incorporated.  Because I've added cold milk, I let it cook another 5 minutes or so until it is heated through.

When comparing the picture above to the one before adding the milk, you can tell it's much thinner.  Even the side of the pan is evidence of that.  The soup is still on the thick and hearty side, which is the way we like it.  If you prefer a thinner soup, add more milk in 1/2 cup increments until you get your desired consistency.

This hearty, cheesy soup is great on it's own, but we love to have it with Broccoli Supreme (already posted on this blog) and ham.  Also, you will always get compliments if you take this dish to any common meal you attend!  Enjoy!

Potato Cheese Soup

6 large Russet potatoes, boiled

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

2 cups (8 oz.) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream

½ cup green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 cup milk

Place cooked potatoes in a large bowl; add melted butter and mix lightly.  Add shredded cheese; mix lightly.  In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, green onions and seasonings.  Add soup mixture to potatoes, mixing lightly to combine.

Cooking options:

·Place in casserole dish and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes (serve as side dish).

·Place in 5 qt. crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours, adding milk ½ hour before serving.

·Place in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through.  Add milk ½ cup at a time to thin to soup consistency, heat through.

Taco Soup

This is one of my favorite soups.  It's hearty and oh so flavorful, but the best part is that it's so simple to make.  Even kids like this soup because it has all the flavors of a taco.

This recipe came to me by way of an advertisement for a cookbook that showed up in the mail.  I never order cookbooks that way, but I will keep any recipe they share in order to entice me.  This was one of those recipes I saved and tried later.  If I had thought that all of the recipes in the cookbook would have been as flavorful and wonderful as this one, I would have ordered a copy!  This recipe was a winner from the start and it gets all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by combining the ground beef and onion in a Dutch oven and cooking it over medium-high heat.  As it cooks, I stir it occasionally, breaking up the meat.  When fully cooked, I drain off the fat and discard it.

To the meat I add the taco seasoning and the Ranch dressing mix.  Years ago, my first cooking teacher said it was best to add spices and seasonings directly to the meat so that it gets seared to it and is evenly distributed.  I was a good student and still do it that way today.

I thought I'd throw in a picture of the chili beans I use in this dish.  This brand has a great flavor and since 3 cans are used in this soup, it is a major contributor to the flavor of the final product.

After returning the heat to medium-high, I add to the seasoned beef and onions, the chili beans, stirring to combine.

I then add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, and stir to combine.

Next, I add the corn and the green chilies, again, stirring to combine.  

After stirring in the water, I bring it to a boil.  Then I reduce the heat and simmer it for 15 minutes.  During this time, I shred the lettuce and cheese and cut the tomatoes.

When it's ready to serve, this is how we like to top our soup.  We begin with the soup in the bowl.

We then top it with Fritos.  The recipe calls for corn chips, but the picture on the original showed Fritos, so that's what we use.  Any corn chip may be used.

Then we add some shredded sharp Cheddar cheese.

We follow that up with the shredded lettuce.  I know, I thought it was weird to add lettuce to soup, too.    Trust me, it just adds to the taco flavor of the soup.  I've served this to many people, who have tried it without the lettuce and then with it once I've convinced them and they say it's much better with it added.

Next on are some diced tomatoes.

The last ingredient is the sour cream.  I know you can hardly see the soup any more!  But, when you eat this all together, it truly has the flavor of tacos.

There aren't too many soups that are as flavorful as this one.  Plus, it's stick-to-your-ribs good!  Enjoy!

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

3 (15 ½ oz.) cans chili beans

1 ( 15 ¼ oz.) can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (14 ½ oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chilies

1 ( 1 ¼ oz.) envelope taco seasoning mix

1 (1 oz.) envelope Ranch-style dressing mix

1 ½ cups water

Toppings:

Corn chips, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook beef and onions in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until meat is browned and onions are tender, stirring until meat crumbles; drain.

Stir beans and next 7 ingredients into beef mixture; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In the meantime, shred lettuce and cheese and chop tomatoes.

Spoon soup into bowls; top with desired toppings.