Italian Sausage Soup (Stove or Crockpot)

This recipe is directly from sister-in-law Michell.  I recently asked my family members to send favorite recipe to share, and these are some of hers. 

My winter menu just got better!!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage (could use pepperoni, hamburger, kielbasa, or leave the meat out)

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced

4 (14 oz) cans beef broth (7-8 cups)

2 (14.5 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
3 potatoes, diced

1 C. sliced carrots
 1/4 t. ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

1 (14.5 oz) can Great Northern Beans, undrained

1-2 small zucchini, cubed
3/4 C. orzo or ditalini or small pasta (my kids requested more pasta so I add 1 C)

2 C. spinach, packed, rinsed and torn (if frozen thawed and squeeze out water)

Directions:

1. Brown sausage with garlic and onion. Drain.  Stir in broth, tomatoes, potato and carrots, and season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 min.

2. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini and pasta.  Cover and simmer another 10 min or until pasta and zucchini are tender.

3. Remove from heat and add spinach.  Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves.  Soup is ready after 5 min.

4. Top with grated Parmesan cheese

OR Crockpot Directions:

1. Brown Sausage and drain.

2. Add remaining ingredients except pasta and spinach and simmer for 4-5 hours high,  6-8 low.

3. 30 min. prior to serving add pasta or just cook pasta on it's own and add to soup with a bit of the pasta water

4. Add spinach last 5 min.  Replace lid for a few minutes and serve.

Pumpkin Cornbread

This is the cornbread to go with the Pumpkin Chili from Meggan.

Yummy!!

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 c white flour

1/2 c whole wheat four

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 c cornmeal

2 eggs

1 c pumpkin puree

2/3 c brown sugar

1/4 c oil

1 Tbsp molasses

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Grease 10-inch pie pan or 9-inch square pan.  Sift flours, baking powder, salt and spices in large mixing bowl.  Whisk in cornmeal.  In separate bowl, lightly beat eggs, then add pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses.  Add this to the dry mixture, and mix only until blended (don't overbeat).  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 30 mins or until golden on the top and surface springs back when lightly touched.

Pumpkin Chili

My sister, Meggan, sent an email around in 2008 with a recipe for Pumpkin Chili and Pumpkin Cornbread.  They were both phenomenal!

I tweaked it a little here (more garlic, more pumpkin, no bell pepper), added some things (like tomato sauce and kidney beans) and now we have a chili favorite.

It's usually one of the first ones gone at a pot luck and people don't even know they are eating pumpkin in it!!

 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 chopped onion

2-3 cloves fresh minced garlic

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with liquid

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 - 1 small can pure pumpkin (use 1/2 the can if you are making the cornbread with it, otherwise put it all in)

3 14.5 oz cans kidney beans

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic.  Drain off grease.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, pumpkin, beans and spices. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. 

 

*Add more chili powder and cumin if it's too bland for you.  My kids don't love it spicy, so this only has a small kick.

Chicken Lime Soup

The original of this recipe came from kraftfoods.com, but, like often happens at my house, it's been altered a bit.

 

Ingredients:

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

2 Tbsp chopped chipotle or Anaheim peppers (can add more or less for heat)

1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

1-2 cups cooked chicken

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup lime juice

1 can black beans

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Mix tomatoes, chili pepper, onion, garlic, oregano and bay leaf in a large pan.  Cook on med-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken, broth and lime juice.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Simmer 20 mins.  Add can of beans and heat through.  Remove bay leaf.  Season with salt & pepper, if desired.

 

Cheese, cilantro and chips make this yummy.

 

*In a hurry, use a can of Rotel instead of chopping peppers.  Don't have cooked chicken, use fresh and brown it at the beginning with the other vegies and spices.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

I came up with this one trying to use up some bell peppers and wanting something slightly different than our usual Chicken Lime Soup.   It's best not to wrap it in a tortilla - chips or fried tortilla strips work nicely.

And there's no cream of mushroom soup like my favorite chicken enchilada recipe, although I guess you could add that if you wanted it creamier.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1-2 bell peppers, diced (I did a red and a yellow)

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 chicken breasts, cubed (or leftover)

1 tsp cumin

6 cups chicken broth/stock/bouillon & water

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 cup frozen corn (or one drained can or leftover from last night's dinner)

1 10 oz can green enchilada sauce

1 small can green chilies

2 Tbsp lime juice

 

 

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot on medium high heat.  Add chicken and begin to brown.  Add the bell peppers and garlic and brown with the chicken.  Add the cumin, liquid and rice.  Cover and let simmer about 15 mins for rice to cook.  (If you have leftover cooked rice or use a bean substitution, there is no need to simmer here.)  Add the corn, enchilada sauce, chilies and lime juice and simmer 5-10 mins.  Serve with possible toppings: cilantro, cheese, sour cream chips or tortilla strips.

 

*You can substitute the rice for a drained can of beans if you prefer.  Or use both, why not?!

Mexican Rice

I haven't tried this one yet, but it comes from my friend Christina Martinez, who is an amazing cook.

Haven't tried anything of hers I didn't like and a new rice recipe to go with my frequent south of the border cooking is highly appreciated.

(Her original post of this recipe is here and it includes pictures.)

 

 

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup of rice
- 1 1/2 tbps of canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp of ground cumin*
- 1/2 tsp of onion powder*
- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder*
- 1/2 cup of tomato sauce**
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth or water (I used water this time).**
- salt
- lemon (optional)

* The amounts for the spices are estimations.  I don't count how many times I shake the container.  Sorry!

**I like to mix the liquids in a small bowl before I start to save time.

 

Added liquids and mixed!

Turn your stove on to about medium hi.  Add your oil.  Let your oil heat up.  Measure out 1/2 cup of rice.  Once your oil is feeling pretty warm, add your rice.  You should hear a slight sizzle.  Stir the rice around, you want to achieve a light brown color and you'll be able to smell a nutty flavor.  Sprinkle in your spices and stir.  It smells wonderful!  Turn the heat down to medium low.  Add your tomato sauce, water (or chicken broth) and salt.  Stir it up!
 

 

I used to have nice glass lids before I broke them all....this works just fine.

Put a lid on the pot and set the timer for 13 minutes.  If you double this recipe, make it 18 - 20 minutes.  DO NOT DISTURB THE RICE!!  NO STIRRING, NO PEEKING, NOTHING!!  People always make this mistake.  If you can't control yourself you will get hard inedible rice and a frowny face.  Leave it alone and wait for the beep unless your nose smells something burning....

Meatball Tortellini Soup

I created this from a combination of a pizza soup, a tortellini soup and some leftover meatballs.  We liked it so much that I wrote it down and have continued making it ever since. It is a great meal to have all the ingredients saved on the shelf and the freezer and pulled out for a hurried dinner.

Ingredients:

30 frozen meatballs/ the little size (It looks like a lot, but for our family, is only about 3-4 small meatballs per person)

1 20 oz can/jar of favorite spaghetti sauce

1  14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can tomato soup

4-5 cups water (depends on the thickness you like)

1/2  onion, chopped fine (or 1 Tbsp minced dry)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

2-3 cloves minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp dry)

2-3 cups frozen tortellini (or the shelf stable kind)

Directions:

Put everything except the tortellini in a large pot.  Bring it to a boil.  Cook according to package directions on your meatballs (usually 15 minutes.) Add the tortellini and cook until done..  Serve with grated parmesan.

*On a day when you have more time or want to add more nutrition, chopped carrots, zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms all go well in this soup.  You can also substitute 1 lb of bulk Italian sausage for the meatballs.  Brown and drain it as the first step if you choose this option.