I love soup season! During the fall and winter I make a big batch of soup every Sunday. Here are a couple of my favorites --
EASY BEAN & BACON SOUP
8 oz. apple smoked bacon, diced
1 cup diced yellow onions
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
3 cans (15 oz each) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
Cook the bacon in a soup pot or Dutch oven until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
To the hot bacon grease, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook over medium heat until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Stir in the chicken broth and beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble then reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for 1 hour.
Remove half of the soup to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Stir back into the remaining soup. Add tomato sauce and bacon and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let simmer until it is heated through, about 5 minutes.
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TOMATO SOUP WITH ORZO & SPINACH
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/4 cup carrots, sliced into ยฝ inch rounds
1 cup celery, sliced
6 cloves of roasted garlic (from a jar or roast your own)
6 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons pesto
1 1/2 cups orzo (whole wheat or regular)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 cups baby spinach, packed
salt and black pepper, to taste
Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sautรฉ 4-5 minutes until softened. Add carrots, celery, and roasted garlic and sautรฉ for 3 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, pesto, orzo, thyme, Italian seasoning, and oregano, stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and let the orzo pasta cook to al dente, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add baby spinach and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes or until the spinach gets nice and bright green and wilts down. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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SAUSAGE & TORTELLINI SOUP
1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage
1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cups red wine
1 (15 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup carrots, sliced
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces refrigerated Tortellini
Heat dutch oven over medium heat. Remove casings from the sausage and brown in dutch oven with onion and garlic, breaking up sausage as you cook it. When no longer pink, drain excess grease. Add the broth, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil and oregano. Increase heat to high until the mixture boils and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes. Add tortellini. Cook until the tortellini is done according it's package instructions.
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The B (2008 Pleasure-Way Lexor RL-4)"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." --St. Augustine
