Posted by Sue Landsman on Nov.13, 2009

ⓒiStockPhoto - dial-a-view

It’s cold outside and you need to plan dinner, but all you really want is a steaming bowl of soup to warm you from the inside out. It’s tempting to turn to cans of store-bought soup, because soup looks so complicated, but it’s actually very easy to make your own hearty soups that the entire family will love. You can find recipes for different soups on the internet, but the nice thing about soup is that it’s easy to improvise with what you’ve got on hand or adjust the texture and seasoning depending on your taste. Here are ten suggestions to throw into your menu rotation:

Crumbled Pepper Beef Soup: Simmer some chicken broth along with some chopped vegetables, and meanwhile cook up a pan of hamburger meat seasoned with salt and pepper. Crumble it into the broth, and add a decent amount of pepper to taste. Going a little heavy on the pepper gives you a very warming soup, as does using some of the fat from the cooked beef.

Quick Chicken Noodle Twice Soup: Chicken noodle soup is a trusty standby, but people don’t make it often because they think it takes too long. There’s a neat trick for making it that doesn’t take much time when you’re in a rush, and gives you two times the soup. Cut up some carrots, leeks, and celery and saute briefly in oil or butter. Add chicken broth, then add some cut-up chicken from a store-bought pre-cooked chicken. You can use the carcass to make some “real” chicken soup later when you’ve got more time.

Minestrone with Turmeric and Sausage: Raid your refrigerator for whatever vegetables you’ve got, and chop them. Fill a pot with some vegetable broth and a can of chopped tomatoes. Add the chopped vegetables, a can of beans, and season to taste. Fry up some sausage and add to the soup, then add a generous amount of turmeric. The turmeric, in addition to being healthful, adds a wonderful flavor to the soup that mixes well with the sausage.

Sweet Potato Soup: This time of year, you can’t stroll through a grocery store without seeing sweet potatoes. They’re nutritious and tasty, and you’re more likely to pass them by your kids in a soup than baked in foil. Saute onions and celery in butter until soft, then add a few peeled and diced sweet potatoes and a box of chicken broth. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, then use an immersion blender to puree the soup (if you don’t have one of these you can use a blender with small amounts of the soup at a time). Add milk to make it creamy, the cloves and salt and pepper to season.

White Bean Soup: As with many other soups, get instant flavor by sauteing celery, onion, and garlic for a few minutes. Add chicken stock and white cannellini beans, and simmer about an hour until the beans are soft. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you want to make it a little fancier or just need meat in your recipes, you can top the soup with some sliced sausage and crushed red pepper.

Lentil Soup: It’s so tempting to open up a can of this, but you really can’t get much cheaper than homemade lentil soup. Use the regular lentils instead of the fancy DePuy ones, and prepare like White Bean Soup, above. Lentil soup tastes particularly good when you’ve got a little bit of creaminess but can also feel the texture of the beans, so use your immersion blender sparingly to puree only a small amount of the soup.

Kale and Bean Soup: This, if you’re lucky, is a good way to get your kids to eat kale. Fry up some bacon and crumble it into bits. Put in a pot with chicken stock and chopped kale, and enough canellini beans to provide protein for however many people you’re feeding. Simmer until the kale is soft, season, and serve. If you’re serving kids, it’s really important to chop the kale so that it fits on the spoon; there’s nothing more appalling to some kids than a giant leaf of kale. If you’re not a vegetarian, you can also add a chopped ham steak to the soup as it cooks. This soup can be more or less soupy depending on whether you want soup or a side dish.

Share

Posted under Food, Nutrition & Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Main Dishes.