Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage
¼ cup bacon, cooked and chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 tbs garlic, minced
2 lb small red potatoes, sliced in to bite size chunks.
10 cups chicken broth
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 cup heavy cream


Directions:

In a large stock pot cook the sausage, once fully cooked remove and let cool.  Add onions, garlic, and bacon to the same pot and sauté till transparent.  Add the broth, potatoes and kale and simmer for 30-45 min until potatoes are tender.  Add the sausage and cream and simmer until all is warm.  Serve with some warm fresh bread!


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Zucchini Soup

I normally love zucchini and sour cream in any sort of combination, but this just didn't do it for me.  But let me know what you think!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 pounds zucchini, roughly chopped

1 large onion, chopped

6 cups Summer Vegetable Stock

1/2 cup julienned basil

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

Sour cream or plain yogurt to top

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot, add zucchini and onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and zucchini is crisp and tender. Then add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add basil during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Mix the butter and flour together into a paste. Remove 1 cup of simmering stock and whisk in butter mixture until smooth. Add back into soup, stir until thickened. Remove soup from heat to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and serve with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.

Buon appetito!!


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Chicken Noodle Soup

When I get a craving for soup, I make it, and I make a ton! To freeze or distribute at will...

You can use leftover chicken, or bake 2 pounds of chicken thighs (they're the best!) or like me, cheat and get 2 roaster chickens from the grocery!

2 pounds of chicken or two roaster chickens

1 Bunch of carrots, chopped

1 Bunch of celery, chopped

1 Large onion, chopped

1 Bag frozen corn

10 cups of chicken broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a stockpot and simmer for 1 hour, serve with your choice of noodle! Easy Peasy!

*You'll notice I didn't say anything about the "Noodle" portion.  I make my noodles separately and then add them when I'm ready to eat.  It works out nicely when you want to freeze the soup!  Buon appetito!!

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Turkey Vegtable Barley Soup

Ingredients:

1 turkey carcass leftovers/bones, cooked
56 oz low-sodium chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, sliced
4 carrots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups chopped cooked turkey meat
1 (16 ounce) package frozen okra
1 cup uncooked barley (not QUICK barley)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika

Technique

Place the turkey carcass in a large stockpot. Pour the chicken broth over the turkey add in the onion, celery, and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove the carcass and bones from the stock and set aside to cool.
Remove as much cooked turkey meat from the carcass as possible and add the meat to the stock. Stir in the chopped turkey meat, frozen okra salt, pepper, oregano, basil and paprika. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and simmer until the barley is tender, 40-60 minutes.  Buon appetito!

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Tortellini Soup

This picture doesn't portray well the deliciousness of this soup, but then again it's not a very pretty soup.  It's perfect for a winter weekday meal as it's easy and takes very little prep work.  It's one of my family's favorites.

Ingredients:
2 T. unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. onion, chopped
4 c. vegetable broth
2 c. water
1 bag (9oz) frozen cheese tortellini
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (petite diced is the best for this soup)
5 oz. fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 egg
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

How:
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium.  Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the broth and water and bring to a boil.  Add the tortellini and cook for 5 minutes, or less if using fresh pasta.

Add the tomatoes, including their liquid and simmer about 4 minutes.

Stir in the spinach and cook 1-2 minutes.

Whisk together the egg and cheese and slowly add to the soup, whisking the soup as it's added.  Cook about 3 more minutes in order to cook the egg.

Enjoy!

~At the end of the summer, I'll add basil from my garden.  It's not essential, so I won't buy it in the winter specifically for this soup, but it's nice when it's "free" from my garden.

~adapted from this recipe

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Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless lean beef, cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
6 cups water
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup barley

Technique:

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred beef before serving.  Bake up some fresh bread and enjoy! Buon appetito!

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V9 (or V10) Soup

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white part only (from approximately 3 medium leeks)
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1/2 cups chopped white onion
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds (approximately 2 medium)
2 cups celery, peeled and chopped (approximately 2 medium)
2 cups zucchini, chopped (approximately 2 medium)
2 cups summer squash (approximately 2 medium)
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 cups fresh green beans, broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 quarts vegetable broth
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
2 ears corn, kernels removed or 1 bag of frozen sweet or white corn
1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Technique

Heat the olive oil in large, stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the leeks, onions and garlic until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, corn kernels, celery, squash and zucchini. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Top with feta or cheddar. I served mine with crusty bread and an olive oil/pesto dip yum!!! Buon appetito!

*If you live in the Cleveland area this is a take on Aladdin's V9 Soup :)



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Cream of Potato Soup

Ingredients

5lbs. potatoes; peeled and coarsely chopped
1 sm. onion; chopped
8oz. cream cheese; softened
3-14.5oz. cans reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4t. pepper and salt
GARNISHES:
crisp bacon; crumbled
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
sliced scallions

Technique
Add all ingredients (not garnishes) to large stockpot. Simmer on low for 2-3 hours or until potatoes are fork tender. I like mine a little thicker so you can mash up some potatoes or add instant potatoes to make it heartier. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and the cheese & bacon. Sprinkle with sliced scallions. Buon appetito!




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