Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup is the latest soup invention in my household. My husband, Nathan, wasn’t remotely excited about this one to start with. He has never been a fan of tomato soup, until now. Because this soup with parmesan cheese is a million times better than anything you can buy in the grocery store. 

Fall is soup season in my household, and it is right around the corner. The nights are getting colder and I’m finding myself craving soup, curling up with my favorite hoodie and slippers, and getting ready for football. I thought this was the perfect way to kick off soup season! 

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Have you tried making this Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup yet? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup Ingredients 

Celery, 4 stalks, sliced thin on a mandolin 

Carrots, 4 medium, sliced into coins 

Onion, ½ of a medium one, diced 

Garlic, 4 cloves smashed 

Butter, 3 tablespoons 

Flour, ¼ cup 

Chicken Broth, 4 cups 

Fire Roasted Tomatoes, 2 cans with juice If you want to make your own, I’ll give you instructions below. 

Basil, 1 tablespoon dried or ¼ cup fresh chopped 

Oregano, 1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh 

Parsley, ½ teaspoon 

Salt and pepper, to taste

Ancho Chili Powder, ¼ teaspoon 

Bay Leaves, 2 

Heavy Cream, 2 cups 

Parmesan Cheese, 1 cup 

Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup Directions 

Start by preparing the onions, carrots, and celery. I used a mandolin for the celery, and baby carrots chopped, so they were all the same size. This made prepping a lot easier and faster. When you are done, all three piles of the carrots, onions, and celery should be about the same size. I didn’t count the number of baby carrots I used, just used sight as a measurement. 

Next take the garlic cloves and smash them. I didn’t chop, dice, or mince them at all because they’ll be blended later. Just smash them enough with the flat portion of your knife to release the natural oils in it. The larger the piece, the less likely it is to burn in the pan. That is why I don’t dice them up. 

Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the veggies and saute them until they start to soften. You’ll want to stir them often to keep them moving. You’ll notice the onions start to become translucent. That is when you want to add in the flour and a little more butter if necessary. Stir constantly with a spatula to cook out the raw flour taste. 

Whisk in the chicken broth and then the tomatoes, seasonings, and herbs. Bring this to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the carrots are tender. 

Add in the heavy cream and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Then add in the parmesan cheese, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and taste. Add additional salt and pepper if desired. I prefer to wait until now to salt, because parmesan cheese is salty, and you don’t want it to be a salt bomb. 

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until the chunks are gone and it has a smooth consistency. Note that you can also use a regular blender if you want a super smooth and creamy consistency. But I liked the rustic aspect of using an immersion blender. 

Serve with this garlic rosemary bread and enjoy! 

This Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup will last 4-5 days in the refrigerator, but I’ll be surprised if there is much left after you serve it. 

Recipe Notes 

This soup will freeze incredibly well because it is all pureed together. To freeze it, cool the soup completely before freezing. Transfer the soup to a freezer safe container, label it, and keep it for up to three months. To defrost it, move it to the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on the stovetop. 

Make it vegan! 

This Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup recipe is incredibly easy to make vegan and I always appreciate that, as my bestie is vegan. So I’m always on the hunt for ways to create my favorite meals that he can eat. 

To make it vegan, you’ll want to substitute vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Omit the parmesan cheese, and replace the heavy cream with coconut, almond, or cashew milk. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to whatever liquid you choose as a substitute to add more body to the soup that is missing from the heavy cream. Then replace the butter with olive oil.

Make it gluten free! 

Making this Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup recipe gluten free is also incredibly easy. Simply replace the flour with gluten free flour. Add in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the broth and whisk them together to create a slurry. 

Roast Fresh Tomatoes 

To roast your own fresh tomatoes instead of buying them in the can is easy. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

Cut three pounds of tomatoes in half. 

Coat the tomato halves in olive oil. 3-4 tablespoons should be plenty. 

Roast them in the oven for 40-45 minutes, and use the broil setting at the end for a little extra added char. 

Continue with the recipe, just using these oven roasted tomatoes instead of the canned ones. 

Why I Love This Recipe 

Soup has always been a comfort food to me, and living in the rainy pacific northwest, soups are perfect for those chilly fall nights. 

This Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup recipe is incredibly easy to make, and takes such minimal effort. Yet the taste makes it seem like you spent hours developing it because of the depth of flavor in it. 

I love that I could actually change my husband’s view on tomato soup with this incredible recipe. Because oftentimes we think of tomato soup from a can, because that was the normal thing growing up, especially in my household. I was raised on what I call “can to table” cooking, and everything was processed and out of a can or box. Which is never all that spectacular. 

Being able to make something amazing like that from scratch makes both the prepper and the homemaker in me very, very happy. I love the confidence I feel in knowing that I can make something completely from scratch that is delicious and simple. It is perfect for a busy weeknight when you want to sit down and enjoy some comfort food with the family. 

This soup is neither sweet nor acidic. Sweet tomato soup is something my husband associates with canned condensed soup. The ancho chili powder in it gives it a rich smoky depth of flavor and the parmesan adds great salt to it. 

Because it freezes so well, it is a perfect meal train food as well. I’m sure we all know someone going through a difficult time and the best way to help is to make a meal for them. I’ve been seeing a lot of these to sign up for on social media lately because someone has experienced a loss and the grief that comes with that. I have started making this soup and signing up to help others with it. 

This recipe has become a family favorite in my household, and it is sure to become one in your as well! Enjoy! 

Discussion 

Have you tried making this Sensational Easy Tomato and Basil Soup yourself yet? Are you a fan of soups in the fall? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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Delicious beef barley soup is a staple in my household in the fall. I always call fall soup season, because it is time for football, hoodies, and deliciously hearty and comforting soups. There is something amazing and comforting about a big pot of soup simmering away on the stove, emitting the best smells that make you hungry. 

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Have you made this delicious beef barley soup yourself yet? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

Delicious Beef Barley Soup Ingredients 

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons 

Beef chuck roast, 2-3 pounds, cut into bite size pieces

Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Carrots, baby 1 pound/1 bag 

Celery, 3 stalks, sliced on a mandolin 

Onion, 1 medium diced 

Mushrooms of your choice, 6, sliced 

Garlic, 3 cloves, crushed 

Beef broth, 6 cups 

Diced tomatoes, 1 can (14.5 ounces) 

Thyme, ½ teaspoon or a couple sprigs of fresh 

Parsley, 1 tablespoon 

Oregano, 1 teaspoon dried 

Bay Leaves, 2 

Barley, ⅔ cup 

Delicious Beef Barley Soup Directions 

Start with cutting the beef chuck roast into bite size cubes. Season liberally with the steak seasoning. If the roast you buy has excessive amounts of fat, trim them and set them off to the side. Slowly render that fat down until it is a liquid, then sear the meat in that in the next step instead of olive oil. This will add an amazing depth of flavor and save wasting the fat. 

In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil up over medium-high heat. Add in the beef and sear until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside for now. Note that you only want to brown the meat right now, don’t overcook it.  

Add in the carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and herbs (except the bay leaves), stirring constantly, otherwise the garlic will burn. 

Add in the tomatoes, beef broth, and bay leaves. Next add the beef back into the pot. 

Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 60-90 minutes, and the roast should be fork-tender. Fork-tender is when the meat shreds or cuts with just a fork, and no knife is needed. 

Cook the barley in a separate pot according to the box directions. There are several variations you can buy. I bought a quick cooking barley for this recipe. Pick your favorite. If you cook the barley in the soup, it will absorb all the delicious broth you worked to develop.  

Ladle some barley into a soup bowl, followed by the delicious beef barley soup and serve! Enjoy! 

Recipe Notes 

As I said, cook the barley separately because it will just suck up all that amazing broth you made. Be careful not to overcook it, as it will become mushy. Barley has a pasta-like texture when cooked, so al dente is the goal. That’s another reason I don’t like adding it into the soup until I’m serving it. 

If you have sodium related dietary restrictions, opt for a low-sodium beef broth and omit the added salt. Even without dietary restrictions, I highly recommend tasting as you go and seasoning accordingly. Beef broth can have a high salt content and cause that to become the dominant flavor profile if you’re not careful. Season to your taste and preference. 

Freeze for later! This recipe will freeze easily in an airtight container. I like to freeze mine in a lunch meat container in batches, then transfer to a vacuum sealed bag for long term storage. Just omit the barley until you’re ready to serve. Because barley is like pasta, freezing it can change the texture. 

If the beef chuck roast has a large amount of fat, trim it off and then slowly render it down on a low heat on the stove. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve had that happen more often than not, where the fat is hidden underneath the meat. You might as well use it! If I’m buying it, I’m using it. It’s a fantastic replacement for the olive oil in this recipe, and adds another layer of delicious beef flavor to the recipe. 

Why I Love This Recipe 

This delicious beef barley soup recipe looks daunting because it has a fair amount of ingredients in it. But the reality of it is that it’s incredibly simple to make, even on a busy weeknight. It is hearty, comforting, and will easily feed the entire family. 

I like recipes that don’t require a lot of effort to be delicious, and this recipe definitely fits into that category! It is also husband-approved, as Nathan calls it. He is a big fan of soup as well, and this is a favorite.

Discussion 

Have you made this delicious beef barley soup? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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Roasted Cauliflower Soup is my latest recipe, and it was a huge hit in my household! Soup is always a favorite staple in my house, and this newest recipe will certainly make its way into the rotation consistently from now on. 

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If you’ve ever read my parmesan roasted cauliflower recipe, then you know cauliflower is a definite go-to vegetable in my household. It is delicious and so simple to make. When I found the inspiration for this roasted cauliflower soup recipe, I was beyond excited to try it out and share it with Nathan. 

My husband, Nathan, really enjoyed this roasted cauliflower soup too! I picked a really chilly night that was perfect, and I had it done just as he came home from work to enjoy as he relaxed for the evening. 

Roasted Cauliflower Soup Ingredients 

Cauliflower, 10 cups or 2 ½ pounds. Don’t worry if it is over or under a bit. 

Olive Oil extra virgin, ¼ cup 

Butter, 6 tablespoons 

Onion, yellow, diced 

Garlic, 3 cloves, minced 

Thyme, 1 teaspoon 

Tarragon, 1 teaspoon, rough estimate is a couple pinches or leaves off one or 2 stems 

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Vegetable Broth, 4 cups 

Heavy Cream, 2 cups 

Cream Cheese or Sour Cream, 8 ounces 

Prosciutto, 3-4 ounces, thinly sliced 

Pine Nuts, ½ cup 

Roasted Cauliflower Soup Directions 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces and spread out on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake for about 25 minutes until fork-tender and starting to brown in spots. 

In a large soup pot, melt and cook the butter until it is a light golden brown color. Note that brown butter is not the same as melted butter. 

Add in the diced onion, garlic, thyme, and tarragon. Saute until onions are tender and translucent. 

Stir in the vegetable broth and roasted cauliflower, bringing to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the cauliflower is soft and tender. Think mushy cauliflower at this point, and you’ll have it cooked perfectly. 

Add in the heavy cream, and either cream cheese or sour cream, bringing to a simmer over medium heat. 

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it has a smooth consistency. You can also use a traditional blender, but do it in batches, not filling the blender up more than half way. If you use a traditional blender, be sure to remove the steam vent on the lid, otherwise you can seriously injure yourself because the soup is hot. 

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the prosciutto and toasted pine nuts, and it is time to serve! 

Nothing left to do but enjoy this delicious soup. 

Why I Love This Recipe 

I love this roasted cauliflower soup recipe because cauliflower is a favorite vegetable for both me and Nathan. So it was a natural progression to turn that from simple roasted vegetable to a soup that incorporates and celebrates cauliflower. 

It is also really easy to make. I made this in under an hour, with minimal effort, and it didn’t dirty up a bunch of pans either. Just the soup pot and a cookie sheet. This is a recipe that is perfect for a cold winter weekday night that feels hearty and filling, especially for a soup. 

Vegan Substitutions 

It is super easy to make this roasted cauliflower soup recipe vegan, and I love that! I’m a stickler for vegan food that hasn’t been processed or manipulated, and this is a perfect recipe for that. 

For the butter, substitute vegan butter. 

Use coconut cream in place of heavy cream. 

Omit the prosciutto. 

That’s it! It really is that easy to make this recipe vegan, and I know I will be making it for a vegan friend the next time Nathan and I invite him over for dinner. 

Toasting the Pine Nuts 

There are two ways to toast pine nuts. Using the oven or the stovetop. 

Oven 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pine nuts out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd the cookie sheet, allow space to shake and the pine nuts to move around.

Toast the pine nuts in the oven until lightly browned and fragrant, shaking the pan once or twice in the middle, to give an even toast on both sides. 

Stovetop 

To toast the pine nuts on the stovetop, place the nuts in a single layer in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently with a spatula. Keep stirring and moving the nuts around until they are lightly browned and fragrant. 

Once they are toasted, transfer to a plate to cool. 

Notes 

I prefer to toast my pine nuts on the stovetop, because I feel like I have more control over them. This is one of those things where it is easy to forget about, and on the stovetop, I am forced to pay a lot more attention to it, and that means I am less likely to burn them. Take your own cooking skills into account when deciding how to toast the pine nuts! 

Both the pine nuts and prosciutto are optional ingredients, but I found them to be essential. Both are big textural elements in the soup. It is totally up to you if they are included though. 

Check your salt levels as you make this roasted cauliflower soup. The dairy products in it can and may completely drown out the salt in the soup, and more may be required. Be sure to taste as you go, and adjust the seasoning as needed. 

Discussion 

Have you ever made roasted cauliflower soup yourself? What is your favorite go-to soup? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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Steak and beer soup is the perfect fall soup! I love fall and winter! I look forward to using the oven to cook with again, and I’m always thinking about soup. Fall is my favorite season to cook! Planning out meals that are hearty and comforting is exciting to me. We go from grilling and eating lighter foods in the summer to eating delicious comfort foods in the fall and winter. Easily my favorite time of year to cook. 

Today I decided to make a steak and beer soup. I have now fallen in love with this recipe! My husband liked it enough that he was almost licking the pan I cooked it in. It is clearly a new favorite and will become part of our meal rotation. His only complaint was that I didn’t make more of it. 

Beer is such an interesting flavor to cook with, as there are about a billion different options in terms of what beer you choose for what food, and how it pairs with what you are making. But it can add a very earthy flavor to food too. When cooking meat, it tenderizes as well. The alcohol evaporates out when heated up and you’re simply left with flavor, so there is no worry about becoming intoxicated. 

Steak and Beer Soup Ingredients

Ribeye steak

Mushrooms 

Onions

Beer

Beef broth

Flour

Oil 

Fresh rosemary

Fresh thyme

Chopped or diced fresh garlic

Montreal steak seasoning

Garlic salt

Black pepper

Steak and Beer Soup Directions

I started with two beautiful ribeye steaks that were slightly under a pound each. I would use three next time, but my husband likes meat, and I ended up eating a bunch after I had seared it off because it was so yummy. If you happen to graze as you make your food, I’d recommend a third steak. I trimmed off the fat and cut the steak up into cubes. Think bite size pieces, basically. 

Once the steak is ready, I chopped up the onions and mushrooms. The amount really depends on taste. I used ¾ of a medium sized onion and 5 mushrooms. Set them aside. Then I chopped up 3 cloves of garlic, some fresh rosemary, and a couple strands of thyme. I love using fresh herbs, as they give the food such a different flavor than dried herbs. Dried works just fine, I simply prefer fresh when I have the option. I put the herbs in a separate container for the moment, and sprinkled a bit of garlic salt in with it. 

I put some flour into a bowl (I never measure when it isn’t required, like this) and then added the montreal steak seasoning, garlic salt, and black pepper into it and mixed it up. It is super important to season flour when you are breading something like chicken or steak, because that is what you’ll be tasting first. I always add steak or chicken seasoning when I am breading meat. It’s just sort of the staple in my house. 

Once this was done, I coated the steak in the flour mixture. While I did this, I poured some oil into a pan. You can use any kind of oil, my preference is olive or avocado. In this case, I used olive oil. Get the pan and the oil hot, so the meat sizzles when put into the pan. After the oil heats up and I finished coating the meat in the flour mixture, I dropped it into the pan to brown. 

I cooked it for just a couple of minutes in the hot oil, which is absorbed by the flour and will not leave you with a greasy soup, don’t worry. You want it rare on the inside, but a nice golden brown sear on the outside. Brown meat is beautiful. Once it is done, I transferred the meat to another pot on the stove, without any heat on. 

Just taking it out of the soup pan for now, because we don’t want it overcooked. It does finish cooking once you return it to the soup mixture, and will be a beautiful medium rare-medium cook. 

I then added the mushrooms and onions and saute them, and then added in my fresh herbs to cook as well. You will likely notice the browned bits of flour in the bottom of the pan once you have removed the meat and are adding in the mushrooms and onions. Never fear! That is a wonderful thing, I promise you. From here, I added a small amount of beef broth to the pan. 

I used three cans of low sodium beef broth, but only added about ¼ of a can here. This is to deglaze the pan, and bring all those little brown flour bits off the bottom of the pan, and into the mixture of mushrooms and onions. This is flavor coming up off the bottom of the pan. Or, I like to call it love. This also helps to saute the onions and mushrooms as well. 

Once the mushrooms and onions were nicely sauteed, I added in one cup of my beer. I picked a wheat beer with some citrus and floral notes to it, but you can certainly pick any beer you want to. I would suggest lighter, more amber colored beer, and not a dark beer. But that is me, as I’m not a huge fan of darker beers, especially in cooking. From there, I finished adding in all of the beef broth, which was three cans total. 

Bring this to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes with a lid on it. I tasted it right after adding everything in, and I hated it. To be perfectly honest, it had a very strong beer flavor. It was like drinking hot beer, and it was just terrible. Feel free to try it here, and then taste it again after that 15-20 minutes is up. It is interesting to note the transformation that happened, because once it had some quality time to simmer and kind of marry together in the flavors, it tasted completely different. 

The soup went to being a very mild and earthy flavor to it. It was amazing. After first trying it, I was prepared to hate it and almost just tossed it to start over. Don’t do this, just be patient and wait for the magic to happen. Seriously. I thought I was crazy at first, like how can it taste so different once it has cooked for a bit? But it did. 

I then sprinkled a little bit of the flour mixture I had used to bread the steak into the soup, and let it cook and thicken everything up a little bit. This doesn’t take long, but you need to make sure the flour is cooked, and not giving you a weird raw flour taste to the soup. I would also stir it fairly frequently here. Then I added the steak back in and let it heat up in the soup, which I let go another 5-10 minutes total. It is still a fairly thin/watery consistency, but it tasted amazing. I could have continued to add some more flour in and bring it back to a boil, but I wasn’t wanting it to be a stew-like consistency either. So I just left it alone. 

I may experiment with that next time and see if I can get it a bit thicker. If you want something closer to a beef stew consistency, feel free to add more flour and get it thicker and to your liking here. If that is what you want, I would reserve some of the beef broth and mix cornstarch in before being added to the soup. From here, I removed the sprigs of thyme. Next time, I would tie them together in a bunch, so it is much easier and faster to take out. 

Steak and Beer Soup Notes

I served this steak and beer soup for my husband and me. He started eating before I could even get mine on the table, and he ended up eating three bowls total of it. Obviously it was pretty good! I was definitely excited to see how much he enjoyed it. Nathan ended up eating the last little bit of broth straight out of the pan, which I found hilarious. 

The making of this meal is a little bit on the time consuming side, simply because there are so many components and things to add at certain times, and then removing the steak once seared. But, it is seriously a delicious dish, and worth the time it takes. 

I was actually impressed that it turned out so well, when my first taste was so terrible. It is the perfect dish on a chilly fall or winter night! I would pair this with a bottle of the same beer I had used to make the soup, and a nice thick crusty bread to dip in the amazing broth. That is the perfect meal in my house! 

Discussion

Have you tried this steak and beer soup recipe? What is your favorite fall soup? Tell me about it in the comments! Check out my other soup recipes!

Lasagna soup is a perfect fall dish! It is hearty, comforting, and delicious. Have you tried making lasagna soup yourself? If not, this is the perfect recipe!

One of my friends recently posted on social media that she was making a lasagna soup and I thought that was just weird. Like, how do you turn lasagna into a soup?! Well, since I was on a soup kick, it seemed like something fun to try.

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Fall is soup season in my house and I love finding new and perfect fall weather foods to enjoy on those dark and chilly nights. I figured I would give this a try. It was either going to be amazing, or an epic fail. Figured there would be no in between either.

Well, it turned out to be absolutely amazing! It was actually really fun to make as well. I was able to share it with a neighbor, and she loved it. I’m anxiously awaiting my husband to come home and make him a bowl as well. He loved it. Nathan works two jobs, and sometimes there isn’t much time in between the two, so I love when he comes home that I can feed him an amazing meal like this before he dashes off to his second job.

This soup struck me as being a cross between a chunky tomato soup or a tortilla soup due to the cheese in it, and spaghetti because it had kind of that same base to it. I used all fresh herbs, and it felt like it had simmered for hours on the stove, even though it took me less than an hour to make it all. I was kind of impressed once it was all done.

Ingredients:

Italian sausage (1 pound)

Ground beef (1 pound)

Garlic salt (to taste)

Montreal steak seasoning (use on the ground beef, to taste)

Red bell pepper (half of one)

Mushrooms (4)

Onion (half a medium size, diced)

Diced tomatoes (2 cans)

Tomato paste (1 small can)

Beef broth (4 cans)

Lasagna noodles (12)

Rosemary (to taste)

Thyme (to taste)

Oregano (to taste)

Parsley (to taste)

Garlic (4 cloves)

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

One of the greatest things about this soup is the fact it can be made in one single pan. I love when I can make a big meal like this and use just a single pan to get it all done. I don’t know about you, but I’m a nerd about that kind of thing. If it’s an easy cleanup, I’m happy!

Directions:

I started with the beef and sausage, using italian sausage and ground beef with a 7% fat content. Oil can be skipped because the sausage has enough fat in it that nothing will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

I then diced up the bell pepper, the onion and the mushrooms. For the onion, using a mandolin to slice it and then chop it into pieces helps keep all the pieces very uniform, as well as thin cuts. Once that is done, I added in the fresh herbs. I am huge on using fresh herbs whenever possible. Dried works fine, and I keep a good supply in my house, but I love fresh herbs when they are available.

I honestly just eyeball my herbs when I put them in, using more of what I like the most, and less of ones I’m not a huge fan of. For example, I used a pretty fair amount of rosemary, and far less parsley. It’s all a matter of preference. I also chopped up my garlic into small pieces, and then sprinkled some garlic salt over everything in the pan.

I put some of the montreal steak seasoning on my ground beef because I always season my beef with it. It is such a habit, and it really does come out amazing and adds a bit of a deep smoky flavor in to it. Miix that into the beef first, to season it. Then I mix everything in the pan together in the same style I would a meatloaf.

Once that is done and ready to go, I turn the burner on and brown up the meat, and soften the veggies up. The italian sausage has a decent amount of fat in it, so as it starts to cook, that fat will come out. This prevents everything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. It also eliminates the need for any added oil, which I really like. Once it is done cooking, I use some paper towels to drain the fat from the pan.

This is where I add in the canned diced tomatoes. Cook those down for a bit and then start adding in the beef broth. It will be a thin consistency, and that is fine. The tomato paste will be added next, which will thicken it up and then add another depth of flavor as well. I let this simmer happily for about 15-20 minutes.

For the noodles, you really can use any noodle you want. I used lasagna noodles. In the future, I would actually save broken ones and throw them into a Ziplock bag for use the next time I make this soup because they aren’t very useful in a regular lasagna. This is a great way to use something I may otherwise traditionally waste.

However, this time I started with fresh pristine noodles, only to break them. I used 12 in my soup. To break them up, I put them in a gallon size Ziplock bag and threw them on the floor a couple of times. You know how you smash a bag of ice on the floor to break it up? Same idea, really.

The noodles are contained in the bag, so they aren’t going anywhere and I didn’t have to worry about small pieces flying anywhere and having to pick them up. I like containing potential messes, and this is a great way.

Once I had them somewhat broken from tossing them around, I used my hands to break them up into smaller pieces while still inside the bag. After that, I dumped them directly from the bag into the soup and turned the heat up to start boiling. Once it reached a boil, I reduced the heat back down and let it simmer.

It did take longer than the traditional 8 minute package directions to cook the noodles, but that was absolutely fine because I was happier cooking them a bit slower on a lower heat versus boiling and overcooking the meat and veggies inside the soup.

Once they reached the desired tenderness, I put mozzarella and parmesan cheese into a bowl and the soup on top to serve. I garnished it with a bit more cheese on top and a sprinkle of parsley to be pretty. The amount of cheese is a matter of preference. Which is why I didn’t put any measurements in this recipe.

I happen to be a cheese fanatic. I love placing the cheese in the bottom of the bowl and the soup on top because the cheese melts when the hot soup is poured over the top of it, creating this gooey cheesy texture that you find when you dig into the soup and start eating it. It’s almost like a surprise of happiness in there. I am a big fan of that.

The only thing left to do is enjoy this fabulous soup!

Notes:

One thing I did notice is that the noodles soak up the broth as it sits in the pan after serving. It looked like about half the broth had disappeared. I added two more cans of broth to it when I reheated it for my husband in order to give it the right consistency needed. That would be the only thing to keep in mind if you have any leftovers. You’ll want to add more broth to it.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as I did! It was really fun to make and enjoy. It was a really fun thing to make and share with my neighbor, and then be able to serve some to my husband when he came home from work as well.

Discussion

Have you tried this lasagna soup recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Check out my other soup recipes!

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Clam chowder is one of my favorite soups to make. Since fall is here, you may find yourself reading more of my soup recipes. Because I love fall and everything about it! It is by far my favorite season. It’s the greatest time to find and perfect the best comfort food dishes and share them with you.

Here is one that I have been making for years, clam chowder. Once the weather started to cool down this year and I started talking to my husband about great dishes to make, this was the very first thing he asked me for. It happened to be just my luck that it was served on a chilly and rainy night. Our first rainfall so far this year. It was like mother nature agreed with me on making this dish!

Clam Chowder Ingredients

Clams (4 cans)

Clam juice (1 bottle)

Potatoes (2)

Celery (4-5 stalks)

Onion (1 small-medium)

Garlic (1 clove)

Thyme (to taste)

Parsley (to taste, and garnish)

Bacon, peppered (½ pound)

Milk (1 cup)

Evaporated milk (3 cans)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Cornstarch (3-ish spoonfuls)

Clam Chowder Directions

Start with bacon!

I always start clam chowder with bacon. I want a nice thick cut peppered bacon, and then I add a little extra pepper before cooking. This adds both some salt and pepper components to the chowder, as well as a little smokey flavor. Plus, who doesn’t love bacon?! The key to successful even cooking of bacon is to bake it.

This is one of the easiest ways, in my opinion. I spread the pieces out on a cookie sheet, add my pepper, and then turn the oven on to 400 degrees. I like to put my bacon in immediately after turning on the oven, that way it heats up right along with the oven.

I do not recommend pre-heating, as the bacon seems to burn faster, in my experience. Once the oven has reached 400 degrees, it will beep at you to let you know it is up to temperature. That is the perfect time to check the bacon. If it is a thinner cut bacon, it’ll likely be done at this point, or very close to it.

If it is thicker, it will need to go maybe 3-5 minutes longer. But I use the oven beeping as my check point to determine how much longer my bacon needs to cook. Once it is out, I put it on a plate with paper towels to soak up any excess grease, and then put it in the fridge to cool. Cooling the bacon down makes it much easier to handle, it’ll crisp up a bit more, and then it can be chopped.

Once the bacon is cooking

Next I peel my potatoes and chop them up into bite size chunks. I like a decent size potato chunk, which will affect the cooking time, depending on how you like yours. Next I chop the celery and onions up, and add the garlic and herbs in. I saute them with a bit of the bacon grease, then deglaze the pan with a little water and the clam juice (save the empty jar).

Note, be very careful about how much bacon grease you use, because it can create this layer of grease on top of the milk as it starts to heat up and be very overpowering. Focus more on water and the clam juice. The bacon grease is more to get the saute process started.

Once that is done, put a lid on it for about 10 minutes and then start adding everything else in. It is at this point that I check my potatoes to see how they’ve cooked. You want to be able to poke them with a fork, but they should still be firm in the middle.

That way as you add in and cook the soup, you aren’t overcooking the potatoes. I add the clams with their canned juice (do not drain, as you are throwing flavor down the drain, literally!) and start adding in the canned milk.

Almost done!

Once that has started to heat up (keep it at a fairly low temperature and let it heat up slowly, so you don’t burn the milk and it clumps on the bottom of the pan), I add in the regular milk and keep stirring. Let it go for a little bit, but stir fairly frequently while it is heating up.

I add the bacon in after it has heated up, and let it mix in and marry with the other ingredients. After this, I taste it to determine if it needs any more salt or pepper. This is the perfect time, because all the ingredients are in. I usually find I need a pinch or two of salt, but the pepper is perfect.

Now, onto the clam juice jar I told you to save earlier. This would be where I mix my cornstarch up with some milk to thicken my chowder. I love using the clam juice jar because it is the perfect size, and it has a lid. No whisking, no stirring, no mess. Just put a little milk in first (the cornstarch will clump at the bottom if you skip this step) about 3-5 teaspoons or so of cornstarch, and then some more milk.

Fill it about ¾ of the way with milk, put the lid back on, and gently shake it up to mix together. Once it is mixed together and there are no lumps of cornstarch in the jar, pour it into the chowder and heat it up again, bringing it to a boil.

Stir, stir, and keep stirring

It is at this point that you need to continually stir the chowder as it heats up. If not, the milk and cornstarch on the bottom will burn. Then you end up with those ugly tasteless lumps of burnt milk. Yuck!

I get impatient during this step, because I’m not only hungry, but it feels like I am stirring the chowder until my arm is going to fall off. But, the cornstarch has to be heated to a boiling point for it to actually work. It is here that you will see the chowder start to thicken up. That is a good thing!

Serving time!

Once it has reached the point where you are happy with it, turn it off the heat, serve and garnish with a bit of parsley. I love to add oyster crackers and a nice crusty sourdough bread on the side, and I have a perfect chilly fall night meal! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Discussion

Have you tried this clam chowder recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Check out my other soup recipes!

Chicken Tortilla Soup is a go-to soup in my household. Fall is soup season! Or at least it is in my house. It is the season of soup, pumpkin spice, football, and hoodies. Chicken tortilla soup is a great hearty yet fresh comfort food. I mean, who doesn’t love chicken, cheese, and avocado?! Lol.

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It is super yummy on a cold night for dinner, and it can be eaten alone, as it is hearty enough. I use the slow cooker for mine, so I fix it and forget about it. I don’t know about you, but the easier it is, the better it is in my book.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients

Two chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (cold/room temperature, not frozen) note, you can use frozen chicken, but the veggies will come out a bit more crunchy and not soft. Or one package chicken tenders works as well.

Tomato, 1, chopped

Onion, 1/2, chopped

Diced green chilis, 1 can

1 teaspoon garlic salt

3 teaspoons ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon celery salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

2 cans chicken broth

1 can vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

Chicken Tortilla Soup Directions

Combine all of these items in the slow cooker and cook on high 3-4 hours. I presume low would be 6-8 hours, although I have never done it on low. The chicken needs to reach 165 degrees internal temperature to be fully cooked. It is then safe to consume. Once the chicken is cooked, let it cool and then shred. Once it is shredded, return it to the slow cooker to heat back up, which will only take a few minutes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Garnish

Avocado, sliced

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Fresh colantro

Tortilla strips

Chicken Tortilla Soup Notes

For the garnish, I never use a specific amount. It’s more a preference to taste. My husband likes copious amounts of cheese and only a small amount of avocado. I am the opposite, so whenever I am putting it together I make sure everybody has the amount they like. I also put the garnish into the bowl first, then ladle the soup on top of it. This will combine everything and make the cheese melt in the bowl.

Another great way to use this recipe is to cook the chicken exactly as directed above, and then shred it for chicken tacos. I just omit the vegetable broth for that. Everything else is exactly the same. I love to do this and eat it in a taco salad bowl.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Additions

I cook a box of Mexican rice to put in the bottom of the taco salad shell, add my cheese and then the chicken. The cheese melts between the rice and chicken, making it perfect. You can add refried beans in here at this point if desired as well. Then garnish it with whatever you want. I always make a homemade pico de gallo to go on top, with some sour cream, lettuce, and olives.

This cooking method for chicken tacos is my favorite because the chicken is cooked in the deliciously flavorful broth. It is tender and easy to shred, and it doesn’t dry out. My husband prefers beef tacos, but shredded chicken is my personal favorite.

The great thing about this soup recipe is that it uses everything I already keep in my pantry and fridge. The most I may have to go to the store and pick up is the cheese, and that is it. Which is easy because my husband can pick that up on his way home from work without going out of his way or forcing one of us to make a special trip.

Because it is done in the slow cooker, the result is it can be left alone. The only prep work involves chopping a few veggies and opening a couple of cans from the cabinet. That is it. I enjoy the simplicity of this meal, yet it produces an amazing and hearty dish that my husband and I love. In fact we were talking earlier this afternoon about it being time to make some tortilla soup again.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Discussion

I hope you enjoy this chicken tortilla soup recipe! It is frequently requested in my house. Have you tried this chicken tortilla soup recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Check out my other soup recipes!

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Fall is soup season in my house, and the weather is definitely starting to cool down. It has hovered right around freezing at night the last couple of days. Which is what makes this broccoli cheese soup so perfect on a chilly fall evening.

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What I love about this soup is the fact it is simple and easy to make. Broccoli cheese soup can be made quickly and with minimal effort. If you want a hearty but fast dish, this is perfect. Pairing it with a nice crusty sourdough bread is perfect! This broccoli cheese soup can also be paired with a sandwich for a hearty lunch as well.

Broccoli Cheese Soup Ingredients

Flour (¼ cup)

Broccoli (one large florett)

Onion (½ medium size onion, chopped)

Garlic (2 cloves, chopped)

Butter (½ stick)

Chicken broth (1 can)

Heavy cream (½ cup)

Milk (2 ½ cups)

Parmesan Cheese (½ cup, or simply a couple of handfuls)

Mozzarella cheese (1 package/2 cups/8 ounces)

Sharp cheddar cheese (1 package/2 cups/8 ounces)

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Broccoli Cheese Soup Directions

I started to saute the garlic and onions in some butter. As that was going, I added the broccoli as I chopped it up. I used the stems, as I like broccoli stems. Because the stems are so dense, they need to be chopped up into small bites. Otherwise they will never cook and stay crunchy.

After that was done, I added more butter and then flour and cooked it. I added the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Once this was done and everything mixed/stirred well, I added in the heavy cream and milk.

Turn the heat up and continuously stir until the flour and butter were incorporated and the soup was hot. Then add in the cheese. I used parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar. I love cheese and this soup is the perfect vehicle for that.

Once the soup is hot and the cheese has melted into it, it is ready to be served! I took a nice sourdough bread and simply dipped it in the soup to eat it. It can be toasted in the oven with some butter or olive oil. Or it can be made into garlic bread with some cheese melted on top.

There is a lot of things you can do with the bread to enhance this meal even more. The key is a good crusty bread that you can dip into the soup and eat it that way. For me, it makes the meal that much better.

Broccoli Cheese Soup Notes

I love the fact that this soup came together quite quickly, and I was able to feed Nathan before he went to work. Normally on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, he will run by a fast food place and grab a burger on his way to work.

Nothing wrong with that. But I love the fact I could give him a good hearty meal I made this past weekend instead. That kind of made my day, actually.

Nathan also commented about not having to stop and eat on his way to work, and expressed his appreciation for that. That is his normal routine, but I think he appreciated a break in the normal for something better, and that made me happy. Because for me, cooking for him is part of how I express love. I thoroughly enjoy taking the time and effort to make him a meal, and seeing him eat it and enjoy it. It is almost like art. I created something for someone to enjoy.

Discussion

Have you tried this broccoli cheese soup recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Check out my other soup recipes!

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