Hidden Veggie Chicken Noodle Soup

 

Not only tasty but results in a gorgeous vibrant colored broth! Veggies are blended into the broth after being cooked so you have minimal chopping to do and less whining from picky eaters :)

8 cups water or chicken broth (or ½ and ½)*

1 small to medium onion (whole, peeled)

2 carrots, peeled and cut into a few pieces

2 celery ribs, cut in half

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

2 small to medium chicken breasts or 1 extra large (or 1 large split chicken breast)

¾ cup orzo or equivalent of small noodles (or 2 peeled and cubed potatoes)

Herbs and seasoning to taste**

Add everything (expect pasta and herbs) to large pot on stove or slow cooker or to electric pressure cooker (on low/med saute or slow cook setting). Bring to simmer and skim foam top if fat from chicken accumulates. Let simmer for at least 40 minutes, covered, or until vegetables are soft and chicken shreds easily. 

Remove chicken and shred. Remove vegetables and add to blender with 1-2 cups of the broth. Blend until completely smooth (or use immersion blender). Add back to pot and stir. Add chicken and stir.  Bring back to simmer and add orzo or pasta of choice. Simmer until tender (about 9-11 minutes for orzo)

Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

*When I used all water I had to add 2 teaspoons of Tones Chicken Base for added flavor

**I added ½ teaspoon dried oregano and ¼ teaspoon dried cilantro. You can add whatever herbs you want!

Slightly adapted from https://www.themodernnonna.com/hidden-veggie-chicken-soup/

Easy Ramen Broth with Non Fried Noodles

 

I finally perfected a tasty diy ramen broth with non fried noodles! Should be able to find all the items at most grocery stores :)

2 cups water (+2 teaspoons chicken bouillon paste) or 2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Knorr tomato bouillon

½ teaspoon go chu Chang sauce

2-3 oz dried ramen noodles (non fried from Asian section of grocery store)

Add protein/veggies/egg if desired!

Simmer broth add noodles and cook for 2-5 minutes depending on package instructons and desired tenderness. Serve immediately!

Creamy Zuchinni and Broccolli Soup

 

Creamy Zucchini and Broccoli Soup

All you have to do is roughly chop the vegetables and the rest is easy peasy! A perfect summer or early fall soup whenever zuchinni is in abundance :) Serve with crusty bread or a salad! 

3 pounds, half zucchini and half broccoli florets, roughly chopped

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2-3 cups chicken broth*

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic (optional)

Cook in pressure cooker on high for 15-20 minutes or simmer in pot on stove top, covered, until vegetables are very tender. Puree with immersion blender. 

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Salt to taste

Add cream, parmesan cheese, and salt to taste. *Add additional chicken broth to thin to desired consistency. Serve immediately.  

Toppings for individual servings:

parmesan cheese

bacon crumbles

croutons

Adapted from the Recipe Critic https://therecipecritic.com/zucchini-soup/

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I finally perfected one of my favorite soups with lots of flavor and a simple trick for a super smooth creamy cheesy base! It's really easy to make and perfect for Fall and Winter dinner menus! Serves 4-6 people. 

4 tablespoons butter

1 small to medium onion, roughly chopped

3 teaspoons minced jar garlic or 3 fresh garlic cloves

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper

1 box chicken broth (32 oz, 4 cups)*

4 cups chopped broccoli, tiny florets

1-2 large carrots, grated, diced, or sliced

2 Cups - Milk/Cream Options:

1 cup milk + 1 cup heavy cream

OR 2 cups half and half

OR 2 cups heavy cream (extra rich/naughty ;))

6 oz grated cheese (cheddar or colby/monterey jack blend)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1.5 oz, optional)

salt to taste at end

Optional Garnish: bacon bits, extra cheese, croutons

Directions:

Melt butter in a large soup pot.  Add onion and garlic, stirring over low heat until tender. Whisk flour, pepper, and mustard and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth while whisking. Next Step (with caveat*): Puree until smooth with an immersion blender OR use a regular blender to puree the onion/butter/garlic mixture with some of the chicken broth (if using a regular blender blend use room temp broth so you don’t accidentally burn yourself!) This is key to ensuring a super smooth soup texture in the end!

Bring mixture to a simmer. Add broccoli and carrots and continue simmering, covered until broccoli is soft and cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Optionial, you can then mash some of the cooked broccoli if you want with a potato or ground beef masher. Turn heat to low and add dairy/cream mixture, and cheese, stirring until melted and smooth and thoroughly heated. Add salt to taste.

Serve with bacon bits, extra cheese, or croutons!

*If you want the base to be on the thicker side, stick with the two cups of cream, or you can add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch dissolved in cold water at the end.

Slightly adapted from Our Best Bites and Smitten Kitchen.

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade, from scratch, version of Campell's Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

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2 boxes chicken broth (32 oz)

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2/3 cup frozen green peas

8 ounces shredded chicken (from baked split chicken breast)

4 ounces thin soup noodles (can find in Hispanic section)

salt and pepper, to taste

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Bring chicken broth to simmer in large stock pot. Cook celery, carrots, and peas, covered, until tender. Add chicken and noodles. Cook covered until noodles reach desired tenderness, should take about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with bread.

White Bean and Bacon Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Pioneer Woman Bean With Bacon Soup. Tastes like a homemade version of Campbell’s Vegetable Soup but with white beans instead of alphabet pasta. Pairs well with cornbread muffins! Also, it's a savory dairy free, gluten free, and low carb recipe. Perfect if you need to take a meal to someone with those needs.

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1-2 large garlic cloves

4 cups beef broth (1 box)

1 small can tomato sauce (or 3 T tomato paste)

1 large carrot, diced*

1 cup thin frozen green beans, cut into bite size pieces* 

OR in place of diced carrot and green beans add a small bag of  frozen mixed veggies

2 (15-ounce) cans white northern beans, or 1 can white and 1 can pinto, drained

cooked bacon, crumbled or store bought bacon bits  (optional for topping individual servings)

Directions

Wrap onion and garlic in a piece of foil and put inside a large stove top pot or an Instantpot. Add everything else. The foil wrapped ball will float. Bring to boil and let simmer covered for at least 20 minutes or cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and carefully empty the onion and garlic and ladle some of the broth to a blender or large measuring glass. Use the blender or an immersion blender to puree the onion and garlic into the broth until smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot.  

For thin clear both, leave as is. For thicker broth dissolve 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch in water and whisk into broth. Simmer for 3 minutes.

Top individual servings with crumbled bacon. 

Lasagna Soup

This soup tastes exactly like lasagna but you can make it in a fraction of the time and it uses a lot less cheese. Cooking the noodles separately will give you a clearer broth and thinner soup. If you cook the noodles in the soup they tend to soak up too much of the broth. Serves 4-6 people.

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1/4 pound lean ground beef, cooked and drained

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, grated

2 teaspoons minced garlic

4 cups beef broth (1-32oz box)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 tsps dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

6 ounces noodles, lasagna noodles broken into bite size pieces or bowtie pasta

8 ounces ricotta cheese

1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

shredded mozzarella cheese

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Brown ground beef, drain, and set aside. Bring pot of water to boil for the noodles. 

Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic, over medium to medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes or until onions are tender and just starting to brown. Add enough beef broth to cover bottom of pan and tomato paste and whisk until smooth. Add remaining broth, entire can of petite diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and ground beef. Add basil, oregano, and sugar and stir well. Bring to low simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile boil noodles, in prepared pot of boiling water, until al dente; drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning in small bowl and set aside. Add noodles to soup, stir, and serve immediately. Garnish individual servings with a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture and a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.

Adapted from: cookingclassy.com

Hand Pulled or Shredded Chicken from Baked Split Chicken Breasts (Cooking Tip, Meal Prep Method)

Easy technique for making tender, juicy pulled chicken for soups, enchiladas, Hawaiian haystack sauce, curries, chicken pot pies, and other recipes. Portions freeze well for easy meal prep. 3 options for cooking!

 

Oven Option:

Preheat oven to 350. Rub each split chicken breast with a teaspoon of olive oil. Place in baking dish (lined with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up). Sprinkle salt and pepper on top and cover dish with foil or lid. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool. Once chicken breasts are cool enough to handle pull the chicken off the bone and shred or chop to desired size pieces. Freeze in freezer zip top bags or containers for quick use in soups and other recipes.

Slow Cooker Option: 

Cook in slow cooker on low in 2 cups water, season with salt and pepper, until internal temperature reaches 165. 

Electric Pressure Cooker Option:

Spray pot with nonstick cooking spray. Add 2-4 split chicken breasts. Add salt and pepper and 1 cup of water. Cook on high pressure for 20-25 minutes. Quick release. Check temperature of chicken, should be 165. If not, just cook again for 3-5 more minutes. When it's cool enough to handle, hand shred and store in fridge or freeze for later use if needed. 

Split Pea Soup with Parmesan and Sweet Potato Hash

I've always loved split pea soup, but adding the parmesan and roasted sweet potatoes just takes it over the top! This recipe uses a lot of broth and an immersion blender to make a perfectly thin and smooth texture.

Ingredients:
½ pound dried split peas
1 box chicken broth (4 cups)
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1-3 teaspoons garlic
1-2 pieces ham or bacon, optional, remove before puree

Optional toppings:

dried or fresh parmesan cheese 

roasted sweet potato cubes (400 degrees tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper until tender)

chopped cooked bacon

croutons

sour cream

Serving Suggestions:

cornbread muffins, grilled cheese, garlic toast,

Directions

Combine all ingredients in pot and cook according to direction options below. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Serve immediately with optional toppings. Leftover soup with thicken. Reheat by microwave or stove top and adding water or broth to thin. 

Electric Pressure Cooker - Easiest and Fastest Method:

15 minutes high pressure, quick or natural release. Remove ham or bacon and discard. Puree with an immersion blender.

Stove Top:

Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered for 45 minutes - 1hour until everything is very soft. Remove ham or bacon and discard. Puree with an immersion blender.

Slow Cooker Option: 

Cook in slow cooker on high or low for 3-4 hours, until everything is softened and ready to blend. Remove ham or bacon and discard. Puree with an immersion blender.

Updated 1-12-2020

Beef Stew Over Mashed Potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut smaller if necessary

salt and pepper

1 (small or medium) onion, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 box beef broth (32 oz)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or Steak Sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

2 celery stalks, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped

1/2-1 cup frozen green peas

1-3 tablespoon cornstarch (dissolved in water), optional

1 tablespoon dried parsley

mashed potatoes (from approximately 5 pounds of raw potatoes, see tips at bottom of post)

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If you are using prepackaged stew meat I would suggest cutting the pieces once or twice to make them more bite sized, since they usually come quite large. Salt and pepper stew the meat. Heat oil and butter in large pot over medium heat. Brown just the outside of the stew meat (do not cook) and remove from pot. Add onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and celery.

Bring to boil and reduce to low simmer. Add back stew meat. Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours. Add carrots and peas and simmer covered for the last 30 minutes. Add 1-3 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in cold water to bring stew to desired thickness, if desired, or add more beef broth to thin, if desired. Salt and pepper to taste and stir in parsley. Serve over mashed potatoes.  

Adapted from Pioneer Woman Sunday Night Stew

How I Make My Mashed Potatoes

5 pounds potatoes

1 stick butter

milk

sour cream (optional)

salt and pepper

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Bring large pot of salted water to full rolling boil. You want the potatoes to have lots of room and water to boil in. While waiting for the water to boil, peel the potatoes. Then cut small potatoes into 4 pieces, medium potatoes into 6 pieces, and large potatoes into 8 pieces. Transfer to colander and rinse with cold water to remove any dirt.

Boil potatoes, in a rolling boil, for approximately 10-20 minutes. Start checking them at 10 minutes and every 2-5 minutes after to prevent overcooking. Potatoes are done when very easily pierced with a fork but not mushy or completely falling apart. Drain water off potatoes.

Return potatoes to dry pot and return to burner on low heat. Add butter (I usually use about 1 stick of butter for 5 pounds of potatoes) and continue stirring to melt butter and to evaporate excess water from the potatoes. You want the moisture to come from the butter and milk, not from the water. When potatoes start falling apart and getting a little dry and powdery you can turn off the heat and start adding milk and continue stirring and mashing. Continue adding small amounts of milk (and or sour cream) while stirring and mashing until desired consistency is reached. Salt and pepper to taste.

Use a hand masher for 80-90% of the mashing. Then transfer potatoes to a large plastic bowl and use a hand mixer (on medium to high) and whip them for about 30 second to fluff them up and remove any big lumps. Overmixing with the electric mixer will result in a glue like texture. Transfer to serving dish and enjoy! 

French Onion Soup (with Chicken Broth)

This soup can be finished on the stove or in a slow cooker. The longer it cooks the softer the onions and richer the flavor. This recipe is a great variation from the traditional recipe made with beef broth. Serves 6 people. 

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4 large onions, sliced into thin rings

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar

2 quarts chicken broth

French bread, sliced and toasted

mozzarella or romano cheese, shredded

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Melt butter in large soup pot. Add onions and cook over medium heat, for at least 15 minutes, stirring often until onions are tender and golden brown. Add sugar and cook while stirring for 1 minute. Add broth, cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minute or transfer to slow cooker and cook until ready to serve. Ladle into bowls and top with toasted french bread slices and shredded mozzarella or romano cheese.

Adapted from here.

Spicy Italian Chicken and Pasta Soup

I LOVE this recipe and have been making it for a few years now but I've made a few changes to it and wanted to revise it on my blog. I also changed the name. Adapted from Your Homebased Mom

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1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (*more for more heat)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 small or medium onion minced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
3 cans chicken broth (or 1 box)
8 oz shredded chicken (**see slow cooker option)
4 ounces mini bow tie pasta, Barilla brand (cooked separately to al dente, drained)
1-2 tablespoons dried basil
parmesan or mozzarella cheese shredded, for topping

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Saute onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper in olive oil over medium heat in a medium stock pot until onions are tender. Add can of tomatoes, broth, and entire can of chicken with the water. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta and basil. Serve with cheese sprinkled on top and toasted french bread, if desired.

*For added heat, top individual servings with crushed red pepper

**Slow cooker method: Let raw chicken cook in broth, tomatoes, and spices until chicken shreds. Add in pasta and basil at the end.

Updated 1-12-2020

Broccoli Spinach Soup

I saw this recipe in the Real Simple magazine while waiting for my car to be fixed. I looked it up online and read the reviews and saw it might need some adaptation to make it more flavorful. I made it tonight with a few changes and it was excellent. It's a keeper and it's pretty healthy. It primarily tastes like brocoli as the spinach flavor came out to be pretty subtle. I served it with these breadsticks.

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1 med onion, chopped
4 T butter
1/2 t salt
few cracks of pepper

1 box chicken broth (about 4 cups)
2 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 large or 2 small heads of brocoli, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 bag of spinach leaves (about 5 oz)

Additional seasoned salt to taste and sour cream for serving.

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Saute onion, butter, salt, and pepper over med high heat in a large stock pot until onions are tender (about 10 minutes). While sauteing onions chop the broccoli and potato.

Add chicken broth, water, and bouillon cubes to pot and bring to boil. Add broccoli, potato, and garlic and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Add spinach and stir until wilted.

Puree soup with immersion blender (I wish I had one) or in batches in a blender or food processor.

***If you are using a blender or food processor let it cool a little first or carefully do small batches as hot liquid can cause the lid of the blender to pop off and you might be burned (no experience here). This time I did small batches and held down a layer of towels over the blender lid to prevent any accidents.

Pour through strainer back into stock pot to get rid of any remaining chunks. Reheat if necessary and add any additional salt/pepper or your favorite seasoned salt to taste.

Serve each bowl with a dollop of sour cream.

Creamy Cheesy Potato and Vegetable Soup

I really like vegetable cream soups but most of the recipes I have tried turn out ok but not amazing like what you get at some restaurants. So last week I decided to make some cheesy potato soup and just happened to have some left over heavy cream in the fridge and decided to use it up instead of using regular milk like I usually do. The difference was amazing! This soup tasted ten times better than any other cream soup I have made before.

Since I basically made it up I figured I should jot down the recipe before I forgot so here it is. I used potatoes, carrots, and zuchinni, but you could use any other vegetables in place of the zuchinni like broccoli or cauliflower.

1 box chicken broth (they sell them at my Dollar Tree for $1, best deal ever, so check out yours)
about 10 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (or about 2-3 cups of any cubed potato)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into circles
1 zuchinni chopped into small bite size pieces

In a large pot bring chicken broth to boil and add carrots. Boil about 3-5 minutes. I added the carrots first because they tend to take longer to cook than the other vegetables. Add potatoes and cook until you can easily poke them with a fork or toothpick (but not falling apart, about 8-10 minutes). Add zuchinii or other vegetables and cook until tender then turn down to simmer. 

While cooking the vegetables make the Cheesy Cream Part in a small sauce pan:

1/2 stick butter
1 cup heavy cream
3 T corn starch dissolved in some cold water
1 tsp seasoned salt (like Lawry's)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1-2 cups shredded orange cheese

Melt butter and slowly whisk in the cream over medium heat. Slowly add the dissolved corn starch and let simmer until it starts to thicken, stirring frequently. Add the seasonings and stir in 1 cup cheese until melted. Slowly pour cream mixture into the pot of broth and vegetables and stir well until everything is well mixed and heated. Then add up to 1 cup more cheese and stir until well melted and mixed in.

Serve with bacon bits if you have them (even the fake kind are good in this soup).