It is definitely soup time for me. Soup fills me up and keeps me warm. It is also seldom high in calories.

I could use some great soup recipes or ideas.

I say ideas because sometimes you really don't measure anything out, you just throw a few staples together.

I made some soup yesterday. I bought 3 cans of cambells cream of celery soup, some chicken, took the baby carrots that needed to be used up pronto, a head of garlic and some parsley and made some soup. It was O.k. but rather boring. It could have used onions I think I am not sure.

I also find home made soups and stews to be a rather inexpensive meal too.

So any good ideas please share them. Thank you!

I usually make either potato leek or lentil soup - both very easy. I don't have the exact recipes but it's pretty straightforward.

Potato Leek

potatoes (Yukon gold works the best), peeled and cubed/thinly sliced

leeks, sliced

butter

water

salt & pepper to taste

Just throw the potatoes and leeks in with some olive oil and simmer for a few minutes. Then add the butter and water and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. As the potatoes soften you can smash them up if you want a thicker soup. Don't add too much water or the soup will be too thin.

Lentil Soup

lentils (red or brown) 1 1/3 cups

carrots

peas

potatoes (Yukon gold or red) or sometimes I use cauliflower

vegetable stock

scallions

garlic

bay leaves (3-4)

balsamic vinegar

basil

oregano

Put the chopped garlic, scallions, lentils, carrots and herbs/bay leaves in first with some olive oil and simmer over a medium flame for about 5 minutes. Then add 3-4 cans of vegetable broth and a teaspoon or so of balsamic. You can add water if you want a thinner soup. Bring to a boil then add the peas and potatoes/cauliflower and let simmer until everything is cooked. Don't over cook the potatoes!

Not fancy but tasty.

jone70 said:

I usually make either potato leek or lentil soup - both very easy. I don't have the exact recipes but it's pretty straightforward.

Potato Leek

potatoes (Yukon gold works the best), peeled and cubed/thinly sliced

leeks, sliced

butter

water

salt & pepper to taste

Just throw the potatoes and leeks in with some olive oil and simmer for a few minutes. Then add the butter and water and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. As the potatoes soften you can smash them up if you want a thicker soup. Don't add too much water or the soup will be too thin.

Lentil Soup

lentils (red or brown) 1 1/3 cups

carrots

peas

potatoes (Yukon gold or red) or sometimes I use cauliflower

vegetable stock

scallions

garlic

bay leaves (3-4)

balsamic vinegar

basil

oregano

Put the chopped garlic, scallions, lentils, carrots and herbs/bay leaves in first with some olive oil and simmer over a medium flame for about 5 minutes. Then add 3-4 cans of vegetable broth and a teaspoon or so of balsamic. You can add water if you want a thinner soup. Bring to a boil then add the peas and potatoes/cauliflower and let simmer until everything is cooked. Don't over cook the potatoes!

Not fancy but tasty.

So do you saute the potatoes and leeks to start? After they brown do you add them to the bigger pot?

Deadflow3r said:

So do you saute the potatoes and leeks to start? After they brown do you add them to the bigger pot?

No, I don't sauté them. Just put them in the large pot you are going to make the soup in. You want the potatos and leeks to start softening a tiny bit before you add the water, otherwise it's just like you're boiling leeks and potatoes in water. You don't want them to get brown at all, so don't cook them too much before adding the liquid. If you add the water (or broth) after the veggies start cooking, then the potato leek flavor goes more into the liquid than the other way around. You don't want to boil the soup, just simmer it until the potatoes are cooked. I usually try to smash up some of the thinner potato pieces (against the side of the pot with your spoon is fine) to add thickness. I also vary the cuts of the potatoes just a little so that it is kind of chunky. You don't want too much variation in the veggie slices or the cooking time will be uneven. You could probably experiment with using chicken stock or maybe veggie stock. I'm a vegetarian so I only use veggie stock and/or water when I cook.

This recipe is from a cookbook, I just posted it from memory though -- if you want, I can try to look up the exact instructions when I'm home later tonight.

Let me say from the outset that I don't make soup from soup. (Condensed soup is nasty.) Using purchased chicken broth is as far as I go in that direction.

A super simple soup is Roman Egg Soup. To serve one, bring a couple cups of chicken broth to a boil. Beat an egg and add a couple tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese. While the broth boils, drizzle in the egg/cheese mixture while whisking furiously. From there, you can season it as you like. (A squeeze of lemon is good.)

Cioppino is also good. Start with chicken broth, then add a bottle of clam juice, and a can of diced tomatoes with their liquid. (If you use tomatoes that have garlic and onions added, it's even easier.) Toss in some dried oregano. Get all that hot, then add a frozen seafood mix or whatever combination of seafood you like. Canned clams (with their liquor), chopped cod and shrimp is a good mixture. It won't take long for the seafood to cook - only about 10 minutes at a simmer.

Genesia said:

Let me say from the outset that I don't make soup from soup. (Condensed soup is nasty.) Using purchased chicken broth is as far as I go in that direction.

A super simple soup is Roman Egg Soup. To serve one, bring a couple cups of chicken broth to a boil. Beat an egg and add a couple tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese. While the broth boils, drizzle in the egg/cheese mixture while whisking furiously. From there, you can season it as you like. (A squeeze of lemon is good.)

Cioppino is also good. Start with chicken broth, then add a bottle of clam juice, and a can of diced tomatoes with their liquid. (If you use tomatoes that have garlic and onions added, it's even easier.) Toss in some dried oregano. Get all that hot, then add a frozen seafood mix or whatever combination of seafood you like. Canned clams (with their liquor), chopped cod and shrimp is a good mixture. It won't take long for the seafood to cook - only about 10 minutes at a simmer.

I don't usually either,lol. They just had the cans of cream of celery for 74 cents each and that started me thinking "What if?" This "What if" thinking is probably why my cooking is either fabulous or nasty.

I can not wait to try out all these soups next month. (that is when I get paid and go shopping again). That Cioppino sounds wonderful.

Deadflow3r said:

Genesia said:

Let me say from the outset that I don't make soup from soup. (Condensed soup is nasty.) Using purchased chicken broth is as far as I go in that direction.

A super simple soup is Roman Egg Soup. To serve one, bring a couple cups of chicken broth to a boil. Beat an egg and add a couple tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese. While the broth boils, drizzle in the egg/cheese mixture while whisking furiously. From there, you can season it as you like. (A squeeze of lemon is good.)

Cioppino is also good. Start with chicken broth, then add a bottle of clam juice, and a can of diced tomatoes with their liquid. (If you use tomatoes that have garlic and onions added, it's even easier.) Toss in some dried oregano. Get all that hot, then add a frozen seafood mix or whatever combination of seafood you like. Canned clams (with their liquor), chopped cod and shrimp is a good mixture. It won't take long for the seafood to cook - only about 10 minutes at a simmer.

I don't usually either,lol. They just had the cans of cream of celery for 74 cents each and that started me thinking "What if?" This "What if" thinking is probably why my cooking is either fabulous or nasty.

I can not wait to try out all these soups next month. (that is when I get paid and go shopping again). That Cioppino sounds wonderful.

And it's super easy. You just dump everything in there (if you use actual fish, you need to chop it, but you can do that while the broth is heating) and you have dinner in a half hour.

This soup is better than mmmm mmm good.

Have your crock pot heating with one large can of tomatoes and maybe a couple tbsp of tomatoe sauce. Add a couple medium sized fresh tomatoes too for some extra zing (optional). Add a 1.5 cups of the best chicken or vegetable stock you can find.

In a frypan saute in a little oil - onions, mushrooms and toward end some diced or crushed garlic (if added too early the garlic burns and will taste bitter).

Take raw chicken chunks, salt and pepper and coat in flour. Add the chicken chunks to the frypan and just brown for a few minutes (don't cook all the way thru) with a tsp of brown sugar.

Dump the entire contents of the frypan (onions, mushrms, chicken) into the crock pot. Cook on low for about an hour, then add quartered potatoes and/or yam, sliced carrots, red bell pepper, water chestnuts, more onion (I like onion), string beans, bayleaf and ...whatever you like really.

Let it cook on low another hour. Then take the magic ingredient - 1 cup of good red wine. Add a decent amount of basil, thyme and rosemary.

Set it and forget it. When the potato is almost done, throw in a cup of frozen corn. When finished - remove the bay leave(s).

Some good crusty bagette, cheese if you eat it and voila - best lunch/dinner ever.

Sometimes, if I make for company I will add at the very end, a level tbsp of butter.

The crock allows you to make enough to freeze and refridgerate for quick, easy and healthy meal.

And if you're vegetarian - try using a firm block of tofu - cubed and browned. This is of course is a little time consuming to saute but once you do all sides - it keeps it's firmness and will not break up. Delicious.

[Edited 10/25/11 11:09am]

Go old school, girl. Get you a nice, meaty soup bone and simmer in a pot of water which covers the bone. Simmer until the meat falls off the bone, then add any veggies you like, simmer until veggies are done and then season to taste. After that, you'll wanna slap yo mama!

[Edited 10/25/11 11:33am]

boil a pot of hot water.

dip a chicken in and out like a teabag.

voila, chicken soup.