Hearty Minestrone Soup

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Nothing warms you up on a cold winter day better than a delicious hearty soup. This hearty minestrone soup recipe is loaded with tasty ingredients that take very little effort to put together. All you need to do is chop an onion, some celery, carrots and garlic and the rest just gets dumped into the pot. The soup is made hearty by cooking it with the lid slightly open to let out some steam. This reduces the broth by steaming off the water but keeps in all the good flavor. This soup is meat free but you can add in some cooked Italian sausage for extra heartiness.

Ingredients

  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 1 white onion
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can cannellini beans
  • 1 15 oz can kidney beans
  • 1 cup frozen green beans
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 cup elbow or small shell pasta
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

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Directions

First dice the onions, carrots and celery. Add olive oil to an 8 quart stockpot and heat it on a medium temperature. Saute the onions, celery, and carrots for 8 – 10 minutes. Mince the garlic, then add it to the pot and saute for 1 minute. If you have fresh spinach (not frozen) chop it and add to the stockpot at the same time as the garlic. Add the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes.


Next, drain and discard the liquid from the canned beans then add them to the stockpot. Add the frozen green beans and frozen spinach. Cover the stockpot with a lid and bring the soup to a boil on medium high heat.


Reduce the heat to almost medium and simmer the soup for 15 minutes with the lid slightly open on the side to let out steam. This is optional and will thicken up the soup but you can close the lid tight during this step.


Next add the pasta and the Italian seasoning then continue cooking for 15 – 20 minutes. Check the tenderness of the pasta at 15 minutes and allow it to cook longer if needed. Turn the heat to low, then salt and pepper to taste.

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Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup

On a cold day or even in the middle of summer, lentil soup is always a pleasure to eat. This soup is easy to make and you can prep ahead of time all the chopping work. It freezes nicely for several months and it can stay refrigerated for up to a week. If you like lentil soup but never made it before, you will be surprised at how delicious this home made version will taste. And it totally blows away lentil soup in a can, there is just no competition.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups vegetable broth (2x 32 oz containers)
  • 16 oz package dried lentils
  • 14 oz crushed tomato
  • 4 stalks of celery
  • 4 stalks of carrots
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 cup chopped baby spinach
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube

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Directions

First dice the onions, carrots and celery. Add olive oil to a stockpot and heat it on a burner at a medium temperature. Saute the onions, celery, carrots and thyme. Mince the garlic, then add it to the stockpot and saute it for 1 minute.


Add the vegetable broth and bouillon cube to the stockpot. Next, wash the lentils and remove any rocks and debris. Add the lentils and crushed tomatoes to the stockpot. Bring everything to a boil (about 5 minutes), then reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 30 minutes covered with a lid.


After 30 minutes, use an immersion blender to puree the soup part way. You can use a regular blender if you don’t have an immersion blender, but just pulse a few cups of the soup. Add the chopped greens and lemon juice then cook with the lid slightly open for at least 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

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Turkey Carcass Soup

Turkey Carcass Soup

Do you have a leftover turkey carcass and maybe you are worried about raccoons pulling it from your trash can? Well for this reason and many more, you should turn that carcass into a delicious hot soup. You only need a few more dollar’s worth of ingredients to put together over a gallon of goodness. This recipe does take some time and you can split up the steps across several days. But once it comes together, you will be glad you didn’t toss that turkey carcass.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole turkey carcass
  • 6 celery stalks
  • 6 carrots
  • 2 white onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • 4 sprigs rosemary
  • 4 sprigs sage
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 12 oz egg noodles
  • 4 qt water

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Directions

The first step is to make a broth. You can do this days in advance and store the broth in refrigerated or frozen jars. Or you can take a nice lazy weekend and create the broth and soup at the same time. If you choose this path we recommend that you chop all the vegetables for the broth and soup at the same time.


For the broth, rough chop 3 celery stalks, 3 carrots, 1 white onion, and 2 garlic cloves. You can add the tops of celery with the leaves to the broth. Add 2 whole sprigs of rosemary, thyme and sage.


For the soup, finely chop 3 celery stalks, 3 carrots, 1 white onion, and 2 garlic cloves. Mince 2 sprigs of rosemary, thyme and 2 sprigs of sage.


Place the broth veggies and the turkey carcass into a large pot or dutch oven. Include the turkey neck and any bones you might have saved. Next submerge everything with 4 quarts of water adding more if needed. Set the burner heat on high until the contents starts to boil (about 30 minutes). Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool down. Remove the turkey and large vegetables from the broth. Using a strainer with cheesecloth, pour the broth into another pot to remove small bits and some fat.


Add the broth back to the pot. Pull all the meat from the turkey carcass and put it in the pot. Add the soup veggies, seasonings, and herbs. Bring the soup to a simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Skim off any foamy fat that might form on the surface. Add the egg noodles and cook for at least 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and serve.

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Detox Weight Loss Soup

Detox Weight Loss Soup

And after a year of COVID and lockdown many of us have put on a few extra pounds. Sometimes soup is all you need, and this recipe will help to nourish and clean out impurities. And hey, maybe you will drop a few pounds too! You can follow this recipe as is or you can easily modify it with any vegetables that you like. If you make changes, try to include beans of some kind. They give you a hearty protein that helps you to feel full.

Ingredients

  • 2 – 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 celery sticks
  • 4 carrots
  • 2 small spanish onions
  • 1 leek
  • 4 cups (3 large leaves) fresh kale
  • 2 cups chopped mushrooms
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 can cannellini or small white beans
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 zest of full lemon
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

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Directions

First, add olive oil to a large stock pot and heat on medium high. Next dice the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent.


Wash the mushrooms, chop them slightly into smaller bits, then add to the pot. Mince the garlic and add to the pot. Stir for several minutes, then add the zest of one lemon.


Add the vegetable broth, water and juice from the lemon. Slice and wash the leeks and add them to the soup. Remove the stems from the kale then chop the leaves into small bits. Add the kale to the pot then set the heat to high.


Allow everything to boil for 2 minutes then turn down the heat to low. Cover and cook on low for 1/2 hour. Add the beans and continue to cook for 1/2 hour to 2 more hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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