My mother-in-law's recipe and the only chili worth having, according to my husband. It even won us the chili cook-off at our church competition one year!
Chili
1-2 lbs ground beef
2-3 pkg. McCormick's Chili Seasoning (original)
1 large can (46 oz.) tomato juice
2-3 cans light red kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
Sugar to taste (brings out the flavor)
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Brown ground beef.
Add seasoning and a pinch or two of sugar.
Add 1/2 of the can of tomato juice, and let it cook into the meat.
Add beans and remaining tomato juice. Allow to simmer until desired flavor is reached.
Top with sour cream and shredded cheese.
Freezer Meal: Freeze after preparation, then thaw and heat through when ready to eat.
I've tried several different taco soup recipes, and this has become my favorite. So easy to make, fabulous as a freezer meal, and perfect for making large batches (I can make 6 of these in about an hour with five boys running circles around me). We think adding sour cream and shredded cheese is a must (haven't tried the tortilla chips), but to each his own.
I am not a soup person. Every time I find what looks like a good recipe, I still think to myself, "Soup's not a meal." But then there is this one. Oh, my, gosh! I am having a love affair with this soup. (And if anyone can tell me the three t.v. shows I've pulled from in the last four sentences, you have my admiration.) Wow, is it amazing! Honestly, you've got to try it. It's a copycat recipe for the Chicken Gnocchi soup at Olive Garden, and even if it's not right on target (I couldn't remember well enough to compare), it doesn't even matter because it's so good on it's own that I don't even care. Make it as soon as you can!
I left out the celery (which I hate), and I did not use the whole rotisserie chicken like the original recipe because it seemed like too much.
1 medium onion, chopped 2 large carrots, peeled and grated 4 stalks celery, chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil 2 cups Rotisserie Chicken + 1 C reserved broth from the bottom of the chicken container (if you don't have enough, I just used regular chicken broth to supplement) 7 cups water 8 chicken bullion cubes 1 (16 ounce) package Potato Gnocchi 4 cups half and half 1 1/2 cups spinach, chopped 1 tsp thyme 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp butter 1/4 cup cold water 5 Tbsp cornstarch salt and pepper
Peel and chop onion and garlic; peel and grate carrots; chop celery.
Heat a large pot up over medium high heat. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil into it.
When the oil is hot, add the vegetables into the pan. Cook them
over medium high heat, stirring occasionally for about 5-8 minutes or
until the onions are translucent.
Pour the broth that is left in the bottom of the chicken package into a
large measuring cup. If needed, add extra canned or homemade broth to make 1 cup. Pull the skin off of the chicken, and take the meat off of the bones. Chop it up with a sharp knife.
When the vegetables are done cooking, pour the broth from the chicken and 7
cups of hot water into the pot.
Add 8 chicken bullion cubes and stir.
Add 2 cups of chopped chicken and bring the soup to a boil.
Pour Gnocchi into the pot. Let the soup
come to a boil again and allow the gnocchi to cook for about 3-4
minutes. The gnocchi will be cooked through when they float to the top
of the broth, which should happen pretty fast.
Chop about 1 1/2 cups of spinach and add to the pot.
Pour in 4 cups of Half and Half, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/8 teaspoon
nutmeg, 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir and then let it come to a boil.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup cold water and 5 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix it well and pour it into the soup pot.
Bring the soup to a boil, while you stir. It will thicken as the soup reaches a boil.
Taste it and season to your liking with salt and pepper.
This is one of my favorite ways to use up
leftover turkey, but you can also substitute chicken, and it's just as
fabulous. I like to use a rotisserie chicken (hence being featured in "Rotisserie Week")--I use about half the
chicken and save the rest for other meals. (I don't know if this equals 4 cups of chicken, like it calls for. This is one I just eyeball and decide if it looks like enough chicken.) Most of all I love how easy this
recipe is, but it is SO delicious! I know 96 oz. sounds like a lot of chicken
broth, but it equals three of the boxes of Swanson broth. The carrots are
optional, but we really enjoy them. We usually have enough to have one meal and
lots of leftovers, or I can freeze the rest for another meal later. It is best
served over mashed potatoes. Sorry, I have looked and looked, but I can't find
where I got this from originally.
You can also add cauliflower and butternut squash purees!
96 oz. of turkey or chicken broth
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 cup of diced onion
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
1 bay leaf
1 lb. of frozen noodles (I like Reames brand)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I've tried whole wheat, but it didn't thicken the soup like I wanted)
1 1/2 cups of milk
4 cups of cooked turkey (or chicken)
Salt
Mashed potatoes, prepared
In a large pot, heat broth and carrots to boiling.
Add onion, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and frozen
noodles and bring to a boil again. Then reduce heat to keep from boiling over
but let it still bubble freely. Cook for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, stir flour and
milk together and then add to the bubbling pot. Cook until the juices are
somewhat reduced and slightly thickened.
Remove bay leaf.
Add chicken or turkey (and purees, if using). Salt to taste.
Serve over homemade mashed potatoes. You can probably add frozen peas to this, but I haven't tried it yet.
This makes
a wonderful freezer meal. If you want to freeze it, I do not add the noodles during cooking. Instead just let the soup
cool, divide into the portion size that you like and freeze. Since the noodles are already frozen, just keep the noodles with the broth in the freezer.
When you want to make this on a later day, thaw, remove from freezer bag and
then bring to a boil. Add noodles and boil for 10 minutes.
My friend Dawn (who shares my love of Our Best Bites) made this for us a few months ago, and I've been dreaming of Easter ham leftovers ever since just so I could make it. I actually don't really enjoy straight-up ham, but I get super excited about all of the things I can make with leftovers! Am I the only one?
This is a wonderful chowder that actually is pretty good for you (they claimed it was only 3 Weight Watcher points, although I'm guessing that's without any cheese or bacon). When I looked up the recipe, it was just corn chowder, but Dawn added the ham in her version, and I had to do the same! I only did about a quarter of an onion and took out the hot sauce altogether. If you want to add it back in, it was just a few dashes along with the salt. I actually doubled the recipe for us because it didn't seem like quite enough, and I wanted to have leftovers. Just add a slice (or two, or three) of fresh bread on the side, and you're good to go!
I had to share this clip because anytime I think of a soup with ham in it, this comes to mind. Sure do miss this show!
1/2 lb. bacon (optional, but so good!)
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups milk (I used skim, and it turned out really well)
2 regular-sized chicken bouillon cubes, 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube, or 2 tsp. chicken base
1 small onion, minced
2 large red potatoes, diced into small cubes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ham, cooked and diced
1 can corn, drained or about 1 1/2 cup frozen corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese, shredded (optional, but again, it sure did complement the soup)
Fry bacon until crisp. Crumble and set aside.
While bacon is cooking, melt butter over low heat in a
large pot. When melted, add flour and whisk until it
comes together.
Add water and whisk until completely
combined and there are no lumps.
Add milk and chicken base or bouillon
and bring to a simmer.
Add potatoes, onions, and garlic, and simmer (but
don’t boil!), stirring very frequently, for about 20 minutes or until
potatoes are tender.
Add ham and corn and heat through. Salt to taste. Start with about 1/4 tsp., give it a
few minutes, and then add more if you need it.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with bacon and/or cheese if desired.
Serves 4-6.
Serve with: Fresh baked bread (I made a loaf of Rhodes White Bread because I had some leftover from the Braided Spaghetti Bread, but I think something with a crispier crust would have been even better)
Freezer Meal: This can be frozen after it's prepared. Just thaw and heat through.
I have always loved potatoes--mashed, baked, scalloped, fried. Yum! One of my favorite ways to eat them is in this Baked Potato Soup. I've seen multiple similar recipes, and I tweaked this one to come out exactly the way I like it. I based mine off of a recipe from The Cooking Photographer. Just thinking about it makes me want to make another batch. Delicious! Sometimes I like to make the 60 minute rolls along with it (hello, Carb City!). And this one is perfect to use with purees--I love putting in cauliflower and carrots (squash also works well, and sometimes I add all three). They give it a great flavor without being obvious that they are there. And making this soup healthier helps me feel a little less guilty about serving it.
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (I use 1/3 c. white and 1/3 c. wheat)
7 cups milk (whole works best, but I usually do 2%, and I don't notice the difference, except in my pants size)
6 large baking potatoes, baked, peeled and cubed (microwaving is completely fine)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (you can add more if you like it a little cheesier)
1/2 - 1 cup sour cream (I like less, Anthony likes more, so I taste as I go along--each batch is different)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
½ teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
Garlic powder, to taste
Onion powder, to taste
8-12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
In a large pot, melt the butter. Stir in flour; heat on medium and stir until smooth.
Gradually add milk, stirring until thickened. Be careful not to burn on the bottom of the pan.
Add potatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes.
Add cheese, sour cream, parsley, salt and pepper; stir until cheese is melted.
Season to taste with onion powder, garlic powder, and extra parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately and top each serving with crumbled bacon.
