Souper-Duper

In the last week and a half, we have been on a major soup kick. We have had some delicious and very nutritious soups, which have mostly just been fresh ingredients chopped up or pureed and combined to make all kinds of fabulousness. In case anyone else out there is looking for something tasty and nutritious (not to mention easy) for these winter nights, here you go:

Tortilla Soup--This one didn't involve fresh ingredients, but it was tasty and super easy. It was really more of a pantry dump, which we had set out for the day we arrived home from our holiday travels, when we knew we wouldn't have a lot of time or inclination to do any major cooking projects. It contained canned chicken, canned corn, canned mushrooms, Rotel, canned black beans, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Top with cheese, sour cream, cilantro and crumbled tortilla chips, as desired.

Broccoli Soup--Cooked broccoli with salt and pepper, blended* up with some skim milk to make it creamier. 

Butternut Squash Soup--Roasted butternut squash, blended up with some skim milk and nutmeg.

Chicken and Dumplings--Get the recipe here. I used rotisserie chicken and frozen mixed veggies, rather than just carrots and peas. (Ok, this one doesn't really have fresh ingredients, either, but it was very yummy).

French Onion Soup--Sautéed onions and beef broth. That's it! Top with mozzarella cheese and croutons, if desired. 

Corn and Squash Soup-- 1 #10 can corn, 1 jar roasted red peppers, 4 medium onions, 12 small to medium yellow squash, 1 small can Rotel. Dice onion and squash into 8 qt. stockpot. Pour liquid from all cans into pot. Steam veggies until tender. Add remaining ingredients except 1 cup corn. Blend with stick blender. Add remaining corn and salt to taste. Approximately 32 one cup servings.

Turkey and Carrot Stew--Brown 4 lbs. turkey. Sauté 4 pounds diced carrots, 2 diced onions, 2 diced green bell peppers, 1 package mushrooms, and ½ c. minced garlic. Add 2 quarts of chicken broth to veggies. Add turkey and chopped cilantro and simmer on low for a couple of hours in a 8 qt. stock pot.

*Our preferred method for blending up soups is our KitchenAid immersion blender.  Another choice would be to transfer everything in small batches to your blender or food processor.