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Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 14.5-ounce can Italian stewed tomatoes, diced
• 1 14.5-ounce can beef broth
• 1 14.2-ounce can French onion soup
• 1 9-ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• Italian croutons

Directions

Fry Italian sausage and drain. Add sausage, water, cabbage, Italian stewed tomatoes, beef broth and French onion soup to crock pot. Cook on high for 2 to 4 hours.  Add tortellini and cook for 1 hour longer.  Top your bowl of soup with Parmesan cheese and Italian croutons.

Chili

Ingredients

• 2 15-ounce cans of chili beans
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 24-ounce jar of mild chunky salsa
• 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes
• Half of an onion, chopped
• Chili powder

Directions

Brown ground beef and chopped onion.

Pour one can of the chili beans in the crock pot.

Drain the liquid from both the salsa and whole tomatoes. Pour the salsa into the crock pot.

Cut the whole tomatoes in half and put into the crock pot

Once browned, drain the grease from the ground beef/onion mixture and then pour into the crock pot. Depending on the amount of the liquid, drain the juice from the second can of chili beans before you pour into the crock pot. Mix together ingredients.

Put small amount of chili powder (the amount depends on how hot you will like the chili. More can be added as the chili mixture warms up).

Turn the crock pot on to heat the chili.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 12 to 15 large russet or Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 small shallots
• Thick-sliced bacon
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Shredded cheddar, monterey jack cheese
• Couple slices of American cheese

Directions

Rub the outside of about 12 to 15 large russet or Yukon gold potatoes with extra virgin olive oil and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse Kosher salt on both sides. Bake at 375°F until tender — for about an hour.

Line another pan with parchment paper and bake a half pound of thick-sliced bacon for about 20 to 25 minutes in the oven while the potatoes are baking. Be sure to set a timer so you don’t burn your bacon.

Sauté onion, garlic, shallots, 2 slices of thick-sliced bacon, double smoked if you like.

Salt your veggies and bacon while they are sautéing to help release the flavor. Use white pepper in this recipe as it doesn’t color it like black pepper does. You can add black pepper at the end when you serve it garnished with shredded cheese, crisp bacon and green onions.

Use about half a stick of butter and a few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to sauté until soft and translucent. Add about half a cup of chicken stock and reduce heat a bit. Add 1 tablespoon corn starch and 2 tablespoons flour to a cup of chicken stock (cold) in a mason jar with a lid and shake to make a slurry.

Add the slurry to the sauté and cook until the flour taste cooked out, at least 3 minutes but probably closer to 5. If it starts to get too thick, add more chicken stock to keep it loose. After 5 minutes, add 1 cup of chicken stock, and heat through until almost boiling and shut off the heat. Add that mixture to a a blender. You can also use a hand blender stick, but it will take a long time to puree it until smooth. Blend until completely smooth.

Pour back into your stock pot and add 2 cups of milk and 2 cups of heavy cream cook until barely bubbling, stirring often. Cook for about 10 minutes and remove from heat.

Let sit for 5 minutes and then begin to add your shredded cheddar, monterey jack and a couple slices of American cheese to your pot of milk/cream/broth. Stir constantly with a wire whisk until each handful of cheese is thoroughly incorporated.

Adjust seasoning, add parsley or green onion tops and about a 1/4 cup of sour cream.

Split and cut up your baked potatoes. Crumble your bacon and add all of this to your stock pot of your soup base. Stir gently and heat through on low. Be very careful not to let your soup get too hot. Don’t let it boil at this point or your flour will release into your soup and give it a slightly floury taste. Heat through until it is a nice eating temperature, and garnish with your favorite loaded baked potato toppings. You can add some cooked broccoli, too, if you want to get some green veggies into this soup.

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (leave out if broth is not low-sodium)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian alternative)
• 2 tablespoons uncooked rice (white or brown)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, carrots and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.

Add the broth and rice to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, until the carrots are very tender and the rice has cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Use a ladle to transfer the soup to a blender and process until smooth, starting on low speed and increasing slowly. Please note: Adding hot items to a blender causes the pressure to expand and can blow off the lid, so hold it firmly in place and blend on low. Alternatively, use an immersion (stick) blender.

Once the mixture is blended, return it to the pot and stir in the lemon juice, ginger and pepper (if using). Taste the soup and add additional salt if needed.

Warm the soup over low heat just before serving. If the soup thickens, thin with a little water until the desired consistency is reached.

— Recipe from “Run Fast, Eat Slow.”

Low-fat taco soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 large onion
• 1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
• 1 package taco seasoning mix
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can hot chili beans
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (Mexican flavor)
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (any flavor)

Directions

Brown the meat and onions and drain.

Stir ranch dressing mix and taco seasoning mix into the meat. Without draining, add all other ingredients.

Simmer 1 hour.