soup Archives - The Midnight Baker

Chunky Tomato Soup

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:00:10 +0000

Chunky tomato soup is quite possibly the best tomato soup you’ll ever eat. Quick cooking and easy.

Chunky Tomato Soup Tastes Like You Fussed

One taste of this soup will convince you that a great-tasting soup isn’t a lot of work.

When I first tasted this, it reminded me of pizza so I like to call it “pizza in a bowl,” but that might be misleading. However, if you don’t want to make pizza or go out for it, this might satisfy the craving.

This is also a soup you can make with common pantry items you likely have on hand. That’s a big plus in my book and you’ll definitely want to keep it in mind when you have unexpected guests–and who doesn’t during the holidays?

Easily Made Vegan

The soup is vegetarian–for those who include some dairy so there’s no substitutions necessary.

However, it’s easily converted to a vegan dish. The substitutions are easy; nut or oat milk can replace the cow’s milk. As for the croutons, you can always forego them but I understand the quality of vegan cheeses now is quite good. I’ve also heard that nutritional yeast is widely used by vegans to substitute for Parmesan. Of course, vegetable stock can replace the chicken. So this soup is quite versatile and can be served to practically anyone with some minor changes.

And if that isn’t all, it’s probably pretty light on calories too if you’re watching them.

Soup & Sandwich?

By all means! Especially if you’re serving people with larger appetites. For me now, a bowl of this soup suffices for a dinner. That wasn’t the case years ago though, so with guys and younger folks, a sandwich is probably necessary.

What is traditional with tomato soup–grilled cheese of course. With this soup I’d make a fancy grilled cheese made with mozzarella. Now it’d be more like pizza!

The Recipe

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Chunky Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is a perennial favorite

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chunky tomato soup, quick tomato soup, tomato soup from canned tomatoes

Servings: 4

Calories: 419kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tbs flour
1/2 cup milk
28 oz petite diced tomatoes 1 large can, don't drain
28 oz crushed tomatoes 1 large can, don't drain
1 tso dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
14 oz chicken stock or vegetable stock

Parmesan Croutons

2 cups white bread cubes
4 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft. Add flour; cook and stir until moist. Gradually add milk, cooking and stirring about 2 minutes or until smooth and bubbly
Stir in crushed and petite diced tomatoes, basil, oregano and stock. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir frequently and do not allow mixture to boil.
To make croutons, toss bread cubes with olive oil and grated cheese. Spread onto baking sheet and place into a preheated oven at 350F/180C. Bake until croutons are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Top soup with crouton.

Nutrition

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Vegetable Beef Soup

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 00:00:37 +0000

Is anything better for lunch or dinner than a hearty vegetable beef soup?

Vegetable Beef Soup Any Way You Like It

Vegetable beef soup is one of the most popular soups around. There’s numerous reasons why.

First reason is simple; it tastes so good. It really is a meal in itself because it contains meat and veggies.

Another reason is that if you have any leftover beef and vegetables, it’s a great way to use those leftovers up.

Maybe best of all is that it can be a quick choice for dinner when you’re using up what you have on hand or it can be a labor of love when you make your own stock.

Making Your Own Stock

Making your own stock isn’t necessary for this soup, but it’s well worth it if you have the time.

First you start with about two pounds (I kg) of meaty beef bones. Lay them in a single layer in a large baking pan then toss in a cut-up carrot and a cut-up medium onion. Preheat your oven to 450F/220C and oven brown them for approximately 30 minutes, turning them half way through the cooking.

Place the browned bones in a large stockpot or Instant pot. Deglaze that baking dish with a bit of water and scrape up the browned bits. Add this mixture to the bones in the pot. Add a bay leaf, some celery ribs or leaves, a cut up onion and 3 whole peppercorns and you’re set to go. You can add a teaspoon of salt but I don’t bother since I season when I make the soup. You simmer this about 4 hours on the stovetop or cook at high pressure in the Instant Pot (affiliate link) for 2 hours. The Instant Pot produces much better stock so I advise it.

When done, cut any meat off the bone to use in the soup and strain the liquid through a strainer so all those bits and pieces are not in your stock. You can easily degrease the stock by putting it in a bowl and refrigerating until chilled. Then the congealed fat is simply lifted out and discarded.

A Word About Veggies

As always, use what you have.

I like celery and carrot in particular, so that’s what I use. But again, use what you like.

Pasta is a great addition to make the soup heartier. I used orzo here.

The Recipe

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Vegetable Beef Soup

What can be better than this hearty beef soup on a cold night

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Homemade Beef Stock (Instant Pot)2

Total Time35

Course: Main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Making your own beef stock, vegetable beef soup, winter soups

Servings: 6

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 quarts beef stock
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup diced celery
14 oz can diced tomatoes drained
1 cup cut up cooked beef
1/2 cup orzo
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried from the jar

Homemade Beef Stock (Nice but not necessary):

2 lbs meaty beef bones
2 quarts water
1 small onion cut up
1 rib celery cut up
3 whole peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making the stock--place beef bones in a baking dish and preheat oven to 450F/220C. Roast bones for 30 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
Place the bones in an electric pressure cooker. Pour about 1/2 cup of the water in the roasting pan and scrape up any browned bits; add this to the pressure cooker.
Next add the rest of the water, onion, celery, peppercorns, salt and bay leaf.
Seal the pot and cook on high pressure for 2 hours. Let pressure reduce naturally (don't release the valve) then strain the stock discarding all the veggies, but reseving the bones. Pour stock in a bowl and refrigerate until it's chilled and fat is congealed. Remove congealed fat.
To make soup--place the degreased stock in a dutch oven. Add the sliced carrots, diced celery and thyme. Cut about 1 cup of the meat off the reserved bones and add it to the pot. Add the drained tomatoes and heat to boiling over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.
Add the orzo and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until orzo is tender.

Video

Nutrition

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Crack Chicken Noodle Soup

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 26 May 2020 23:00:32 +0000

If you have some leftover chicken and odds and ends, crack chicken noodle soup makes a great dinner.

Great Use For Leftover Chicken

We all have leftover chicken at times and there’s lots of ways to use it.

I got into a rut using mine. I’d forget it sometimes and I didn’t like that because I’d have to toss it out.

This recipe caught my eye on my friend Lisa’s site. I knew I had to make this–with my own touches–because it looked simply delicious.

The Forgotten Veggies

It’s also a great way to use up any odd veggies you have in the crisper, especially celery and carrots. That’s a couple of other things I have to end up tossing because I forgot about them; especially when I’d already used the lovely green outer stalks of the celery and only the anaemic inner stalks were left. In this soup, the color doesn’t matter much, unlike a salad. As for carrots, if there’s a couple left, they tend to get buried under the newer stuff in the crisper (yes I know about rotation LOL, sometimes I’m just too lazy).

This recipe sort of encourages you to use those bits and pieces you tend to forget. That also includes odds and ends of pasta.

As for the ranch seasoning, you can make your own. I give a link to a reduced-sodium recipe in the ingredient list.

Pasta

Who doesn’t have small amounts of pasta that don’t quite make up one serving?

I don’t like to throw anything out so I hold onto those odd bits telling myself I’ll add them to the new box I’ll buy. That works out well most of the time.

However, you can use those bits in this soup. The recipe calls for spaghetti or similar-shaped pasta. But who says you can’t use elbows if that’s what you have? I don’t know if that’s a radical idea or what they call “thinking outside the box” (no pun intended here). It does use up what you have and it’s all the same regardless of shape.

The Recipe

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Crack Chicken Noodle Soup

This chicken soup is more like a meal

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: main course soups, quick chicken soup, using leftover chicken

Servings: 6

Calories: 589kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery sliced
1 small onion sliced
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs ranch seasoning mix see NOTES
2 tsp dill weed
32 oz chicken stock
1 can 10.5 oz condensed cream of chicken soup
3 cups cooked chicken diced
6 slices crisp bacon crumbled
8 oz spaghetti
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups half-and-half -OR- light cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat oil in a large, deep stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrots and onion and cook until the veggies begin to get tender.
Add the ranch dressing/seasoning, stirring to make sure the veggies are coated. Stir in the stock, condensed soup, chicken, bacon, dill weed and spaghetti (break the spaghetti in half).
Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low and cook until spaghetti is tender. Add the cheese and the cream. Heat through, about 5 minutes.

Notes

1 envelope of store-bought ranch seasoning/dressing may be substituted

Nutrition

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Creamy Chicken Rice Soup

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 05 May 2020 23:00:34 +0000

A quick and easy dinner soup for when the cupboard is almost bare. Here’s a soup from leftovers.

Soup Is Satisfying

I think many people will agree that there’s nothing more comforting than a nice hot bowl of soup. It always makes a great dinner especially when served up with some nice homemade bread!

This particular soup is an excellent way to use whatever leftovers you have hanging around. It’s also good for when you don’t too. What’s here is just the basics–some veggies and some stock.

It’s always best to use a rich homemade stock, but when you cannot, there’s many wonderful alternatives. But the best part about this soup is that it’s just the thing to make when your cupboard is almost bare. And face it, with what’s going on, that’s a reality for many people.

About That Stock

Stock can be made from scratch many ways. The usual recipe is to use chicken parts and water along with some aromatics added to make the broth tastier.

If you don’t have any chicken parts on hand but you do have a chicken carcass or any kind of bones, you’re set to go too. The stock for this soup I made when I boned out some chicken breasts I had in the freezer. Those bone didn’t go into the trash, they were used to make some chicken stock. You can do the same with a roast chicken carcass–just like you’d do for turkey frame soup that’s so popular after Thanksgiving.

The other alternatives are using canned chicken stock, soup base or even stock cubes. I’m not much on stock cubes but if it’s all you have, and under present circumstances it may well be, then use them!

The Veggies And Other Stuff

Again, use what you have. This soup from leftovers.

Evaporated milk is a good substitute for cream and pasta or noodles is a good one for the rice.

Any veggies you have will do too. You can really get creative here.

The Recipe

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Creamy Chicken And Rice Soup

Quick, easy and satisfying. Great for leftovers

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken stock from scratch, soup with leftovers, substitutions for soups

Servings: 4

Calories: 373kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

5 cups rich chicken stock
1/2 cup celery sliced
1/2 cup carrots sliced
3-4 sprigs fresh dill with stems see NOTES
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place stock in a large saucepan. Add the celery, carrots and dill. Bring to boil, then cover and lower heat. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Discard dill (if using fresh)
Stir in the rice and cream. Heat through.
If you want a thick soup, add 3/4 cup of instant mashed potato flakes or 1/4 cup flour mixed with 1/2 cup water. Stir until thickened.

Nutrition

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Cheddar Cheese Soup

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 00:00:26 +0000

This comforting cheddar cheese soup is perfect for a chilly winter lunch or dinner.

Cold Weather Comfort

Is there anything better than a steaming bowl of soup on a cold winter night? My answer is obviously, “Yes!”

This soup is so simple to make that you can really do it on the fly–at the last minute. Another thing that’s great about this cheddar cheese soup is that it keeps and reheats very well. You can also dress it up with add-ins of your choice which will make it a lot heartier and fill in as a meal in itself.

Keep this soup in mind for your Super Bowl parties–make double or triple the recipe and keep it warm in the slow cooker!

Cheese It Up

I used an extra-sharp yellow cheddar in this because I wanted a little color in the soup and a bold taste. However, if you prefer milder versions of cheddar use what you like. Also, white cheddars will do just fine–and keep the soup relatively white.

But this is a soup you can get bold with if you want to do so. Any cheese that doesn’t “string” when it melts would be perfect. I’m thinking bleu cheese or gorgonzola–now that would make a really bold statement. You’d have to reduce the amount of cheese called for if you use such a strong-flavored cheese such as bleu. A little goes a long way for flavor with that variety, so I’d recommend starting out with about 1/4 cup crumbled. Some blanched cauliflower would be a nice addition if you are using bleu or gorgonzola.

Smoked gouda would be good in this too–but again, start out with smaller amounts if you are using stronger cheeses. And with smoked cheese, bacon is a must!!!

Creamy And Rich

For cream soups, I tend to use half and half or light cream with a tad of heavy cream added. A brilliant soup maker I knew years ago (and who taught me some trade secrets) insisted that cream soups be made with heavy cream ONLY. Yes, it is delicious, but personally I can only eat a little bit of it now that I’m older. Heavy cream is quite expensive too, so I took a more economical approach to cream soup making by using half and half and/or light cream which is way cheaper.

Trust me, it tastes just as good even though it’s less rich. I also add some heavy cream into the mix–just because–but not a lot. If you want to use milk, use whole and definitely add a couple of tablespoons of cream for flavor. There’s really no way to use reduced fat items in this because it just won’t taste good and besides, cream soups are not “diet” items anyway.

The Recipe

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Cheddar Cheese Soup

This comforting cheddar cheese soup is perfect for a chilly winter lunch or dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheddar cheese soup

Servings: 6

Calories: 487kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 tbs butter
4 scallions including some of the green parts, chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 rib celery chopped
4 tbs flour
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the scallions, onion and celery.
Cook until the onion softens. Sift in the flour, nutmeg and pepper and cook for 2 or 3 minutes longer. Gradually stir in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool the mixture slightly.
Strain into a bowl and return it to the pan.
Add the half and half and the cream. Bring the soup just to a boil. Gradually add the cheese, stirring to melt each batch before adding more. Return the soup to a boil, stirring often. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and Worcestershire.

Nutrition

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Asparagus Soup

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 00:00:43 +0000

Now that fresh asparagus is available year round, you can make this soup often. Frozen works well too.

Easy And Delicious

There’s nothing better than homemade soup. It’s the quintessential comfort food.

Asparagus has also become very popular lately. I remember the times where this delicious veggie was only available in the spring. However, now it seems we can get this year round and at great prices too. As with any recipe, fresh is always best and that applies to this soup as well. Frozen asparagus will work just as well here too. Just don’t be tempted to use the canned variety. The soup won’t taste the same and won’t even taste good. Asparagus is one vegetable that really suffers a horrible death when canned!

Hot Or Cold

This asparagus soup is what I call an “all-season” soup.

It’s delicious hot and it’s also very good cold. So now we can get this glorious veg in the winter, this soup becomes a hot bowl of comfort. In the summer months, it is refreshingly cool. The preparation is short so it won’t heat the kitchen either.

This soup is really the very best of both worlds!

Vegetarian? No Problem

The base of this soup is chicken stock, but if that’s a no-no because you don’t eat meat, it’ll taste fine made with vegetable stock.

A couple of ingredients are dairy, so if you use those in your diet, you’ll be fine.

Vegans have choices here too. For instance, this tastes absolutely scrummy without the cream. However, to get that bit of creaminess that the heavy cream imparts, I’m sure there’s a vegan substitute for it. Unfortunately I can’t suggest one but I’m sure that anyone who follows a vegan diet will be able to substitute the right ingredient. As for the butter, there is vegan butter and that tastes pretty good. I tried it on the suggestion of a vegan friend (and blogger) a few years ago.

The Recipe

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Asparagus Soup

Now that fresh asparagus is available year round, you can make this asparagus soup often. Frozen asparagus works well too.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: asparagus, asparagus recipes, asparagus soup

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 165kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz (1 lb) fresh asparagus or frozen asparagus
1 medium onion finely chopped
12 oz potatoes peeled and cubed
4 tbs unsalted butter
32 oz chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Break off the woody ends of the asparagus (if using fresh). Slice off the tops--these will be used as a garnish. Cut the asparagus stalks into 1/2-inch slices. Set the chopped asparagus aside.
Melt the butter in a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Add the potatoes and the onion. Stir to coat with the butter and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion is softened.
Add the stock and the sliced asparagus stalks. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Using a stick (immersion) blender, puree the soup. If you don't have a sick blender, use a regular blender or food processor. If the asparagus is not young and tender, you may have to put the soup through a sieve to eliminate any woody parts that remain.
Add the cream and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For the garnish, blanch the asparagus tops in boiling water for 3 minutes.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Mary Berry

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Easy Au Gratin Potato Soup

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 23:00:08 +0000

This easy au gratin potato soup is a quick and delicious dinner for when time is limited.

Are You Pressed For Time?

I know this is a ridiculous question since most of us are these days.

However, if you want a speedy lunch or dinner that uses things you have in the fridge and in your cupboard, then this soup just may be the answer to your prayers.

This is a filling and delicious soup. When you add a salad and a crispy roll or some peasant bread, it’s a complete meal. The fact that it’s budget friendly makes it even better!

You’ve Got This Box In Your Cupboard

So do I and it was sitting there for months! It’s that box of au gratin potatoes we all have in our cupboards.

I acquired mine due to a sale I couldn’t resist–or a free coupon–I forget which now. This box of au gratin potatoes kept getting pushed farther and farther back until it became invisible. It was only that I had to dig in that cabinet for something and the box of potatoes landed on my head. Luckily they’re light weight even though a friend once told me that being hit in that area would do me the least amount of damage.

Anyway, I digress. As I went to put the box of potatoes back, I noticed there was an interesting recipe on the side of the box. It was for this soup and I suddenly got hungry for some of it. An added benefit was I could use the box of au gratin potatoes and free up some space.

Plain Or Doctored

Even when this is made to package directions it tastes good. However, I felt it could be improved with a few additions.

I added additional shredded cheddar and some crumbled bacon on top. The first time I made this up, I added 1/2 cup of cream which made it very yummy. The next time I made it, I used 1/2 cup sour cream (instead of the heavy cream) and it added a wonderful baked potato taste.

Don’t forget this soup during the Christmas holidays. It’ll be wonderful and welcome after an evening doing outside decorations and even inside tree trimming!

The Recipe

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Easy Au Gratin Potato Soup

This easy au gratin potato soup makes for a quick and delicious dinner for when time is limited.

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: au gratin potatoes, potato soup, potatoes

Servings: 4

Calories: 234kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

5.25 oz au gratin potato mix
10 oz chicken stock
3 cups water
2/3 cup diced carrot
2/3 cup diced celery
1/2 cup heavy cream OR sour cream
4 slices crisply cooked bacon crumbled (optional)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar optional

Instructions

Mix potato slices, cheese sauce mix, broth, water, carrots and celery in large saucepan.
Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat and stir in cream or sour cream.

Nutrition

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Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 00:00:44 +0000

If you’re looking for a great soup that’s also a meatless meal, look no further than this minestrone.

Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone: Pure Comfort

What could be better on a freezing-cold night than a hot bowl of delicious soup?

You cannot get better than this minestrone! It’s chock full of beans and assorted veggies so it’s a complete and tasty meal in itself. Pair it up with crusty rolls or bread and you’re set.

Even though there is no meat, this is a filling meal. However, it’s light enough in texture to not hang heavy on you. It will satisfy you but not make you feel uncomfortably full.

Use Summer’s Bounty

If you grew zucchini and yellow squash in your garden this past summer and froze your excess, here’s a great way to use it!

This soup calls for both green and yellow squash. If you don’t have any yellow squash “put up” then you can buy it, but you can always omit it and double the amount of the green zucchini.

Also, if you canned or froze diced tomatoes, you also get to use them here. Of course, store bought is always an option, but this soup is just perfect for using what you preserved from your summer garden. I used canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes in this for the deeper flavor, but plain diced or stewed tomatoes are also a good choice.

Feeding A Vegetarian Or Vegan?

If you have vegetarian or vegan guests, this should be on your menu!

While the original option contains a bit of cheese–which is OK for vegetarians–it can easily be omitted if you’re feeding a vegan.

For the vegan option, make sure you choose a pasta that they can eat, so be sure to check the ingredients. You can always substitute rice for the pasta if you are unsure of the pasta ingredients.

The Recipe

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Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone

If you’re looking for a great soup that’s also a meatless meal, look no further than this minestrone.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Comfort Foods, soups, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: asparagus soup, copycat recipe, minestrone, vegan recipe, vegetarian recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 137kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 small white onion minced
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 medium zucchini sliced, then cut slices in half
1 medium yellow squash sliced, then cut slices in half
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup celery sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
2 15 oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
4 cups vegetable stock see NOTES
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup small pasta shells or ditilini
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese

Instructions

Heat oil over medium heat in a large (8-10 quart) stock pot. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, parsley and celery. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until onion becomes translucent.
Add the vegetable stock, water, cannellini beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, herbs and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the pasta and baby spinach; stir. Cover and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
Stir in the grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes

I used Knorr concentrated vegetable stock (2 tubs) reconstituted with 4 cups water. If you cannot find Knorr, Better Than Bouillon vegetable stock may be substituted. Use 3-4 tbs reconstituted with water.

Nutrition

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Sausage Lasagna Soup

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:10 +0000

This soup has all the taste of lasagna but without all the work! Italian sausage makes it extra tasty.

Lasagna As A Soup

When you crave lasagna but don’t have all the fixings or you just don’t feel like all the prep work, lasagna soup is the answer.

This soup also works well when you have the tag end of a box of lasagna noodles, but there’s not enough to make the real thing.

This is a hearty and filling dinner. This soup is really a meal.

Sausage Makes The Difference

Most recipes for lasagna soup use either ground beef or ground turkey. Those two meats make a delicious soup.

But sometimes you want a bit more flavor and nothing says flavor like Italian sausage.

You can use either sweet or hot sausage. In this soup, I used the hot variety because I really love them. I also wanted a bit more heat so I gave this a couple of dashes of red pepper flakes. The resulting soup had just enough heat without masking the other flavors.

But if you aren’t adventurous with spicy food, then the sweet sausage without the red pepper flakes is the one for you.

Enough Cheese To Satisfy

One thing a great lasagna shouldn’t lack is cheese. This soup doesn’t skimp on the good stuff either.

There’s plenty of stringy mozzarella to satisfy. There’s two whole cups in the soup!

If you want more cheese, go right ahead and add it. Want less? That’s fine too!

And for the finishing touch, make sure to tear up a couple of fresh basil leaves for each bowl. Not only is it a lovely garnish, it adds great flavor!

The Recipe

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Sausage Lasagna Soup

This soup has all the taste of lasagna but without all the work! Italian sausage makes it extra tasty.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Comfort Foods, soups

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: italian sausage, lasagna soup, quick soup recipes, sausage

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 655kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion chopped
1 lb hot or sweet bulk Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic finely minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp brown sugar optional
8 oz lasagna noodles broken up
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 or 2 torn fresh basil leaves for each bowl as a garnish it adds flavor too
Grated Parmesan for garnish

Instructions

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it's translucent.
In the same pot, brown the sausage meat and onion until fully cooked; drain fat from the pan.
Add the garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant.
Stir in the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes (if using) and oregano. Add the stock. Taste and salt to taste. If it tastes too sour for your taste, stir in 1-2 tbs brown sugar.
Cook until the soup begins to simmer. Place the broken-up lasagna noodles to the soup. Cook until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the shredded cheese.
Serve and top each bowl with Parmesan cheese and the torn basil.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Delish

The post Sausage Lasagna Soup appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Macaroni and Cheese Soup

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:41 +0000

How about some warm and comforting macaroni and cheese but the surprise is it’s soup!

This Soup Eats Like A Meal

Is there anyone who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? You’d probably have to go far and wide to find anyone who doesn’t.

There’s many variation on the classic casserole, but I wanted to see how it worked as a soup.

Another thing I did was introduce beef elements using beef stock and tiny meatballs. This made the soup more hearty and into a complete meal.

This one really sticks to your ribs!

Make It Even Quicker

I used some small cocktail meatballs I had in the freezer. But if you don’t have any of those stashed away and don’t want to be bothered making any specially for this, simply substitute browned and drained ground beef for the tiny meatballs.

Change The Flavor

Don’t feel like beef? Then changing the base and the meat makes this a whole different soup!

This is a good way to use any leftover chicken you have in the fridge. If you do switch to using chicken in place of the beef, substitute chicken stock for the beef stock and you’re in business!

Get Fancier With The Cheese

My recipe is pretty basic. So is the substitution I gave in the above section, but this can be dressed up even more!

I used Velveeta as the cheese because I had a hunk I wanted to use up. However, Velveeta doesn’t separate and is very smooth so the soup will be velvety in texture.

Because Velveeta doesn’t separate once melted, any leftover soup will reheat and still be velvety. You can substitute shredded real cheddar cheese, but bear in mind, the soup will separate when reheated. However, it will still taste great.

In addition to the basic cheese(s) try adding a bit of Parmesan, Asiago or even bleu cheese into the mix. Just a small amount will do you here as those cheeses are rather powerful tasting. I’d suggest just a tablespoon or two.

The Recipe

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Macaroni and Cheese Soup

How about some warm and comforting macaroni and cheese but the surprise is it’s soup!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Comfort Foods, soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mac and cheese, quick soup recipes

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 566kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup cooked mini cocktail meatballs -OR- 8 oz lean ground beef
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups low-sodium beef stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 oz process cheese i.e. Velveeta cubed
1 cup cooked elbow macaroni

Instructions

If using ground beef, brown and drain; set aside.
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until there are no lumps. Cook for 1 minute.
Whisk the beef stock in gradually, taking care there are no lumps. Cook over medium heat until this just begins to boil.
Reduce the heat to low and add the process cheese, stirring constantly until it's completely melted and blended.
Stir in the cream, meatballs (or drained ground beef) and the cooked macaroni. Heat through and serve.

Notes

You can substitute chicken stock and cubed cooked chicken for the ground beef/meatballs and the beef stock.

You may substitute 2 cups shredded real cheddar for the process cheese, but bear in mind the soup will separate upon reheating.

Nutrition

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