Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup

Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup

1 link smoked turkey sausage (12 oz)

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

1 medium onion, diced (approx. 3/4 cup)

32 oz fat free beef broth

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cups fresh spinach

4 oz uncooked pasta - I used bowties

Cut the sausage into 1/4 inch slices and place in a large stock pot.  Add carrots, celery and onions.  Saute until vegetables start to soften and the sausage is browned.

Add broth and 2 canned tomatoes.  Simmer about 20 minutes or until carrots are cooked.

Add pasta and fresh spinach. Cook according to past directions. 

Makes about 10 1-cup servings.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 small bay leaf
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes, do not drain
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups skim milk

 Place about 1/2 cup chicken broth in the bottom of a soup pot.  Saute the carrots, onions and celery until tender.  Add chicken broth and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil.

 Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan.   Stir in the flour and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

 Add 1 cup of the soup mixture to the saucepan and stir.  Mine got very thick at this point.

 Add about 2 more cups of the soup to the saucepan. Stir until well blended.  Add this back into the soup pot.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese and milk.  Heat through.

Vegetable Bean Soup

Vegetable Bean Soup. The original recipe was from Quick Cooking magazine but I made a few changes. This is a good low calorie dish. You can adjust the vegetable amounts as you like or omit and substitute for your own tastes. The original recipe called for barley but I substituted pasta 

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

3 green onions diced

1 medium zucchini diced

1/2 cup fresh spinach diced

3 cans low far chicken broth

2 cups uncooked pasta 

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 

1 can Italian diced tomatoes, undefined

Put olive oil in bottom of a large soup pot. Add carrots, celery and onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add zucchini and spinach and cook a few minutes more until spinach is wilted. 

Add chicken broth and pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente. Add kidney beans and diced tomatoes and heat through. 

Cabbage Soup

Cabbage Soup

4 slices bacon, cut up into pieces about 1/2 inch wide
2 leeks or 1 medium onion
5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup chicken broth
4 tbsp chicken flavored soup base
4 cups (or more) water
1 can diced tomatoes - do not drain
1 lb bag of cole slaw mix (or a meduim head of cabbage, shredded)

Cook the bacon in the bottom of a large pot until crisp.  Meanwhile, cut the leeks into 1/2 inch slices and separate into rings.  Use the white bulb and some of the green stems.  Rinse well to remove dirt.  Drain.
Put leeks in the pan with the bacon and stir to deglaze the pan.  Add the potatoes and 1 cup of chicken broth.   Add tomatoes and a can full of water.  Cook until potatoes are very soft, adding water as needed.  Add soup bases andm stir well. 
Stir in cole slaw mix and cook just long enough to soften the cabbage.

Onion Soup

 Onion Soup

3 large onions, sliced and separated into rings
1 stick margarine
beef broth - 4 to 6 cups
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
Bread - a slice of French bread but I did not have that on hand and had some hamburger buns we needed to eat or freeze. 
Provolone cheese

Place the onion slices in the crockpot and top with the stick of margarine cut into slices.  Cook on HIGH for 30 -45 minutes. The onions will start to soften and may brown a little.
Mix the flour, worcestershire, pepper, sugar and thyme in a bowl.  It will be a thick glob - so add a little of the beef broth until smooth.

Pour that over the onions and follow with enough of the broth to cover the onions.   I used about 6 cups of beef broth for mine.  Add the bay leaf.  Allow to cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.  Add more broth if needed as it cooks. 

When soup is almost finished, broil the bread until brown and toasty on both sides.  Top with a slice of provolone cheese and broil until cheesy is melted and browned. 

Remove the bay leaf from the soup.

Ladle soup into a bowl and float the cheesy bread on top.  You can also put the soup in individual ovenproof bowls and place the slice of toasted bread on top.  Lay the slice of cheese on the bread and place the bowl under the broiler for a minute or two until the cheese is bubbly.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

 Broccoli Cheese Soup - original recipe was found at Allrecipes.  I made just a couple changes.

1 cup onion, diced
6 Tbsp margarine
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste (I did not use much)
4 cups skim milk
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups broccoli, diced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 pound Velveeta (I used the 2 % milk variety)

In a stock pot, saute the onions in the butter on medium heat. Add the flour, salt and peppr and stir to make a paste. Add the milk slowly, stirring with a whisk. Cook on medium high until bubbly and thick, stir often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.



Broccoli and celery boiling in chicken broth.
 

Meanwhile, in a smaller pan, bring the chicken broth to a boil.  Add the celery and broccoli.  Cook about 5 minutes or until tender.  

 Add the broccoli and celery to the milk mixture.  Mix well.
Cut the Velveeta into cubes and add to the mixture.  Stir constantly to prevent sticking.  Heat until the cheese is all melted. 

This recipe made about 8 one-cup servings.

Kale, White bean and Sausage Soup

Kale, White Bean and Sausage Soup

I got this recipe through the food co-op - the original recipe is here
But of course I made a few changes.

14 oz package of smoked sausage, sliced
1 bunch kale, torn into pieces
1 can canellini, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
10 cups water with chicken soup base added to make broth
2 cups carrots diced
1 1/2 cup celery diced
3 tsp minced garlic
1 cup diced onion
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sausage.  Cook until the sausage is browned.
Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and bay leaves  Saute until the vegetables just start to get soft (about 7-10 min).  Add the kale and let it cook down.  Add the beans and broth.  Let simmer until flavors are blended. Stir in the red wine vinegar.
My soup was fairly salty so I added a couple potatoes diced to help absorb the salt.  I liked the potatoes in it so probably will add then again.  Could have used a few more - or some pasta too.

Makes about 16 cups.