Meatball minestrone soup in the crockpot

 Ingredients 

3 (No 14.5) ounce cans, Italian style stewed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce)can of tomato sauce

4 cups beef broth

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

1/2 cup chopped onionExcuse

1 can green beans

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon oregano dried

1 teaspoon thyme, dried

1 (15 ounce) canned kidney beans

1 (15 ounce) canned garbanzo beans

6 cups Italian meatballs fully cooked. 

1 (16ounce) box of ditalini pasta or elbow macaroni

1 (10ounce) canned tomato soup

Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Into a large crockpot pour three cans of Italian style, stewed tomatoes, and one canned tomato sauce. 

2. Add 4 cups beef broth or 4 teaspoons beef soup base granules into 4 cups hot water. 

3. Add carrots, onions, and green beans to the crockpot

4. Next, add the spices, crushed them between your fingers as you add them to the pot. This will relieve maximize the flavor.

5. Drain and rinse kidney beans, and garbanzo beans

6. Add Italian meatballs from Costco or your own meatballs, about 6 cups. Cover and let the old girl cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

7. When ready to serve, cook the pasta according to package directions. Cook the pasta separately add when ready to eat. 

(Rhodes Rolls go well with this soup. 

KATHY'S CHILI

I found this recipe in a cook book I got for my wedding and I used it so much when I was raising my family.  Some Monday mornings I would start the pinto beans, mix up a batch of granola and then start a batch of bread.  All the while I was doing the laundry.  My oh my, where did all that energy go?

Anyway, this is a simple but delicious recipe

2 cups pinto beans

2 cups of tomato juice (or 1 quart bottled tomatoes)

1/2 pound of hamburger, browned

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 tablespoon salt (or less)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Put the beans in a large pot and cover them with at least 2 quarts of water, the beans will double in size.  

If you want to, you can add onions at this time, either diced fresh or dehydrated. I use about 2 TBS dehydrated onions. 

Bring the water to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Cover the beans and turn off the heat, let the beans sit for 2 hours. 

After two hours turn the heat on and boil softly for 1 more hour. I you keep the lid off, make sure the beans are covered with water.

After that hour add all the rest of the ingredients and simmer again for 1 hour.  It could take longer for the beans to get soft.  I like to make sure they are soft.

Fresh beans cook up nice and soft in this four hours, older beans take longer to get fully cooked. I often just rotate out my old beans each year because they are so cheap and fresh one are so good. They food bank will take them.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed 

2 cans diced tomatoes (fire roasted or with green chilies or lime/cilantro)

12-16 oz frozen corn

20 oz can red enchilada sauce

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans milk (more or less to get desired consistency)

1/2 onion, diced small

1 green pepper or 4-5 banana peppers, diced

2-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Sub options:

*use a combination of canned tomatoes and diced fresh tomatoes

*use any combination of black, kidney or pinto beans

*use canned chicken or precooked roaster chicken

*use 2 cans of canned corn

Throw all ingredients into a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. Serve with cheese, chips, sour cream and/or avocados.

TACO SOUP

1 lb of ground beef, cooked

1 onion chopped (or 1/4 cup dehydrated onions)

2 cans kidney beans with liquid

1 can black beans
1 can corn

1 quart canned tomatos

1 4 oz can green chilies

1/4 cup taco seasoning mix

Put everything in a crock pot, stir to mix

Set on Low for 8 hours

Serve with shredded cheese, frito chips and sour cream,

Creamy Tomato Sausage Tortellini

1 lb ground Italian sausage
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cans condensed tomato soup
2 tbsp sun dried tomato paste (or Italian tomato paste)
1 ½ cups milk
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups (1 can) chicken stock
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 pkg cheese filled tortellini
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in a large pot with garlic and olive oil.  Add soup, tomato paste, milk, half and half, chicken stock and seasonings.  Bring to a simmer.  Add tortellini and cook according to package directions (8-10 mins).  Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup

I found this recipe on the Rachael Ray website. I made it last night and it was so yummy! It is a new favorite!

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/soup-recipes/mexican-chicken-and-rice-soup

I made small changes to the recipe:

1. I made my own rice.
2. The tomato based salsa that I bought is called Herdez (mild).
3. Instead of serving with monterey jack cheese, I used Cacique ranchero queso fresco. Buy this at Walmart or Maceys.
4. I did not add the sour cream. The queso fresco was all I needed!
5. If you boil the chicken with onion and garlic, you can use the strained chicken broth for this soup (or buy a fryer chicken and Swanson's broth for a time saver).

The avocados and the queso fresco on top were the best part of the soup!!! Don't leave them out! Oh, and this is the quickest meal ever. I had it completed by the time my rice was cooked.

Cream Cheese "Chicken" Soup

Adapted from Melanie's

*Warning*

This recipe will make you weep. Seriously.

I am not sure what it is about this recipe that makes is soooo yummy. Maybe it's the comfort food aspect of it. I don't know. But this is one of the best tasting soups I have ever encountered. We eat this at least 3 times a week. Yup. Seriously.

This recipe calls for chicken, yet I don't add it any more. After my dad had major surgery, his diet was temporarily limited to softer foods, which included chicken. I search one of my favorite recipe blogs, at My Kitchen Cafe, for all things chicken and found this gem. I quadrupled the cooking time on the veggies to make them softer for my dad. In doing this, I inadvertently made the potato the star of the show. The potatoes started to fall apart, making this taste like a yummy comfort food potato soup from childhood's past. Yum. So, just remember that this recipe does call for chicken. You can invite it...or not.

We are having this again tonight. I will take a picture and pass it along!

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
chicken broth, from a can, or from the cooking chicken (I have used a combo of both)
1 medium onion
1 TBSP butter
large handful baby carrots, sliced small
4-5 potatoes, diced
4 TBSP flour
1 cup milk
1 8 0z pkg cream cheese, softened to room temperature
salt and pepper

In your soup pot, saute the onion in the butter, until the onions become translucent (about 5 minutes). Put diced veggies in pot and just cover with chicken broth. Let this simmer. Melanie has them simmer for 10 minutes, until soft. I let them simmer for about 40 minutes, until mushy. However, with the longer simmer time, I do have to add a little more broth along the way, due to evaporation.

When veggies are cooked to desired softness, mix the flour and the milk in a separate bowl, then add to the soup, for thickening. At this point, you add the chicken, and the cream cheese, broken into small bits. Let melt and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste, and VIOLA! Easy, fast, and sooooooo delicious! Happy Eating! Thanks, Melanie!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 Chicken Breast halves
2 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes
2 15 oz cans black beans
1 can salsa
4 oz. can chopped green chilles
1 14 1/2 oz. can tomato sauce
1 bag tortilla chips
2 or more cups grated cheese

Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Just before serving remove chicken breast and slice into bite sized pieces (or shred). Stir back into the soup. To serve, put a handful of chips in each soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese and sour cream is optional.

We just had this soup at Kathy and Seth Little's. Kathy's sister in law gave her this recipe! YUM

Tomato Corn Chowder a'la Magelby's

By now you might have figured out I don't really cook, I just assemble.

I had a bowl Tomato Corn Chowder from Magelby's one day and was enchanted. I needed more. So, in desperation, I "assembled" this. It worked!

One can of Progresso Hearty Tomato Soup
One can creamed corn
A few shakes of Mongolian Fire Oil (look in the grocery stores asian section, it's pretty common)
Enough cream, half n half, or evaporated (canned) milk to make it nice and creamy. Usually 3/4-ish cup.

Heat. Eat.

This is a great food storage and camping dish because the ingredients have forever shelf lifes (if you use canned milk.) Add as much Fire Oil as you want. We put it on the table for people who like spice.

Potatoe Cheese Soup

This is my favorite soup recipe of all time. Hope you enjoy!!!

Potato Cheese Soup
Source: Unknown

5 c. diced potatoes ( I add a few more!)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped carrots
3 c. water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
*boil 15 min. Do not drain

White Sauce:
3/4 c. butter
4 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
*cook on low, add 8-12 oz. Velveeta cheese

Add white sauce to vegetables, stir and enjoy
serves: 6

Pasta Fagioli Soup

2 cans of beef broth
1 can of Great Northern beans, drained.
1/2 link of Kielbasa Sausage, diced.
1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained. (I used Italian Tomatoes)
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced.
1 tbs. olive oil
1 ½ tsp. minced garlic
½ tsp. dried basil leaves
½ tsp. dried oregano leaves
½ c. uncooked tubetti, ditali pasta
½ c. garlic croutons
½ Parmesan cheese

1. combine broth, beans, tomatoes with juice, zucchini, oil, garlic, basil, and oregano in slow cooker. Mix well. Cover; cook on low for 3-4 hours.
2. 2. Stir in pasta. Cover; cook on low 1 hour or until pasta is tender. (just threw pasta in to begin with)
3. Serve soup with croutons and cheese. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

Prep time: 12 minutes
Cook time: 4-5 hours
Makes 5 – 6 servings.

This is super easy and a crowd pleaser! YUM YUM!

Zuppa Toscana, Soup from the Olive Garden

1 lb. ground Italian sausage, browned with crushed red pepper to taste
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 white onion, diced
10 cups water
5 cubes chicken bouillon
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
1/2 pint whipping cream
2 cups kale, cut in half lengthwise then sliced
1/4 cup crumbled bacon (we like it with the bacon, but it tastes great without it too)

-After browning the sausage, use some remaining grease to saute onions and garlic
-Simmer in a large pot: water, bouillon, sausage, onions and garlic
-Add potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender but not crumbling
-salt and pepper to taste
-Stir in kale, cream, and bacon before serving

-Serves 10