Taco Soup

TACO SOUP

What you need:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cans dark red kidney beans
1 can corn
2-3 cans diced tomatoes (I use petite diced)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1-2 beef bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 cup ketchup
water, to consistency
cheddar cheese, shredded
tortilla chips (we prefer Fritos)

How you do it:
Brown ground beef with onion.  Add taco seasoning and water according to package diretions.  Add beans, tomatoes, corn, bouillon cubes, chili powder, ketchup, and water (if needed for desired consistency).  Let simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Serve with cheese and chips.

How you freeze it:
Combine ingredients as in above directions.  Do not let simmer; instead, pour it all into a freezer ziploc bag (or more than one), lay flat in freezer and let freeze before standing on side for storage in freezer.  When ready to cook, let thaw in refrigerator overnight, pour into pot or crock-pot and let heat until warmed through.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I had this soup at a church meeting at the end of September ... and have since made it three times. It is so yummy!

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

What you need:

2-3 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 or 2 cans cream of chicken soup (I've always used two)
1 cup favorite salsa
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can black beans (you can rinse, but it's not necessary; I also used two cans)
1 can mild green chiles (once I didn't have this, so I put in an extra 1/2 cup of salsa and the soup was much spicier)
1 can corn
sour cream
tortillas, or tortilla chips

Put everything but sour cream and tortillas/tortilla chips in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove chicken from soup after 8 hours and shred. Return shredded chiken to soup and serve with sour cream, tortillas/tortilla chips or fresh salsa. To make a thicker soup add more chicken.

I've always added the sour cream to the whole pot before serving. We also recently had this over baked potatoes and that was equally yummy!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Just had to include pictures of my little girl enjoying this soup.

This is a soup that we were introduced to when we moved here five years ago. It is so yummy! We actually were served this at a friend's house, then we were brought two different versions after our first son was born. And, all three recipes were so different. After we tried all of them, we decided on one that would make it onto "the list." If you have no idea was wild rice is, it is the rice that is almost black in color, and slightly longer than white rice. After it is cooked, it almost looks like cooked shrimp ... the shell splits and the soft flesh pokes out of one side of the grain. When I first had wild rice I literally thought it looked like there were bugs in my soup. The texture is a little chewy because the hull is still in tact. And, while it is cooking, there is a definite smell that is not similar to regular white rice. But, it has more nutritional value that white rice because of the hull. (Plus, my little 10mo LOVED this soup. She was literally crying and screaming when I couldn't get it to her fast enough.)

CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP

What you need:
1 cup wild rice
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, sliced
chicken, cooked & diced or shredded
(choose how much chicken you want, I use about 4-6 chicken breasts)
1 1/2 cans chicken broth
8 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups half & half
2 cups whipping cream
1 lb. Velveeta, cubed
1/2 - 1 cup sliced almonds

How you do it:
Cook rice in 1 1/2 cans chicken broth. In a large pot, saute veggies in butter. Add flour and cook for 5 minues, stirring constantly. Add half & half, and whipping cream; stir until slightly thickened. Add 8 1/2 cups chicken broth and Velveeta. When Velveeta is melted add rice, chicken, and almonds. Let simmer (without boiling) for 15 minutes or until warmed through.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

As with most of my recipes, I can only alter or combine recipes that I know I already like. Such is the case with this one. I was going to make White Chili, but didn't have the green chilies. So, I altered it and it tasted so much like Chicken Enchiladas, that I decided to keep it and share it.

CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP

What you need:

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pkg. chicken taco seasoning
1 onion, chopped
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans white beans
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained really well
1 can chicken broth (I used homemade broth that I made using this method. I love that the veggies are in the broth since that's what my children mostly ate. Yum!)
1 lb. Velveeta, cut into cubes
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, mexican blend
Tortilla chips

How you do it:

Combine all ingredients. Let simmer until warm. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Soup

Okay, so I know I should probably wait until next Tuesday to post this recipe, but we had this tonight for dinner and it was so good I just couldn't wait to pass it along! You know when a recipe is good when your husband takes one bite and says, "Ooh, this is good." Anyway, enjoy!

CHEESY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

What you need:
4 chicken breasts
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. carrots, sliced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
8-10 oz. Velveeta, cubed
16 oz. frozen peas
1 (12 oz.) bag Reemes frozen egg noodles

(Optional: 1-2 cans chicken broth)

How you do it:
Cook chicken in boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove chicken and strain cooking water, replacing the water in the pot. Add celery, onion, and carrots to pot. Let cook until tender. Add cut-up chicken, cream of chicken soup, egg noodles and Velveeta. Let simmer until Velveeta is melted. Throw in the peas before serving.

What I did differently than above:
I used 2 cans chicken broth instead of the chicken water. I also used probably 13 ounces of Velveeta, and instead of the frozen egg noodles I used some mini fusili. I cooked the fusili separate from the soup, then added it later ... this made the soup thinner and more like a soup. (The first time I had this soup it was at a soup potluck and it was pretty creamy, almost stew-like.)

White Chili

I started a tradition a few years ago: chili for dinner on Halloween night. The first couple of times I did this, I tried two different recipes and we weren’t really keen on either. Then, I had this White Chili at my friend’s house during a card exchange. So, I got the recipe from my friend, and the last couple of years this is what we’ve had for our traditional Halloween Chili Dinner. It’s super yummy … you just have to try it.

WHITE CHILI

What you need:

2 lbs. chicken, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, diced
1 lb. Velveeta, cubed
½ lb. Monterey Jack cheese, cubed
1 can white corn, or 1 cup frozen corn
1-3 cans tomatoes with green chilies, drained really well*
2 cans white beans (great northern)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth

*This is what makes it spicy; the more cans you use, the spicier it will be.

How you do it:

Combine all ingredients. Let simmer until warmed through. Serve with tortilla chips.

Semi-Step by Step:

I’ve combined my steps. The following are in the pot: chicken, onion, Velveeta, Monterey Jack cheese, and frozen corn.

Now I’ve added: 1 can petite diced tomatoes, 1 can diced green chilies (this is how I control the spiciness), 2 cans great northern beans, and 2 cans cream of chicken soup.

Note: The first time I made this I did not drain my tomatoes and the chili turned out a very orange color (not very aesthetically pleasing … totally made me lose my appetite). So, since then, I get out my strainer and get rid of as much liquid as possible (both the tomatoes and the chilies). Seriously, it makes a difference.

Then, I poured in the chicken broth and stirred it together.

I let it simmer for a few hours, then I couldn’t wait for the trick-or-treaters to come home before I dug in. My favorite chips with this are the scoop-like tortilla chips. My friend, who gave me the recipe, served this with Fritos.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Our family went to a friend's soup pot luck on Saturday night. I wasn't in the mood to make any of my regular soup recipes. That's usually how I work ... either I get a recipe suggested from a friend, or I try out a new recipe on a bunch of people (just in case we don't like it so we won't have to keep a ton of leftovers in the fridge that we won't end up eating).

Anyway, for some reason I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find a recipe to replicate the Zuppa Toscana soup served at Olive Garden. So, I tried this recipe; and it turned out pretty similar and very yummy. (In fact, one of the guys there asked if I was trying to win a prize [we'd just won "most original chili" at a chili cook-off].) This is definitely worth trying if you like that spicy sausage and potato soup.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. ground spicy Italian sausage, crumbled

1/2 lb. smoked bacon (6 slices), chopped

1 qt. water

2 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth (about 3 2/3 cups)

2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean and sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed or minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups chopped kale or swiss chard (I couldn't find either at the grocery store, so I used spinach)

1 cup heavy whipping cream (I added probably about another 1/2 cup)

salt & pepper, to taste

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, set aside. Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through.