Cheeseburger Soup

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring and I am so ready!  I really am just fine with Winter, but this year seems to have been pretty rough for most of us and I am ready for some warmer days.  But I am sure there will still be some cool damp days this Spring and this delicious soup will warm you right up.  I made this for a crowd recently and everyone seemed to like it, even the kids.  Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Soup - Click to link to the recipe.  The recipe in the link is very much like the one originally posted by Taste of Home.  The Recipe Critic doubled the beef and cheese.  I also did this.

Gluten-free notes:  If making gluten-free, make sure your chicken broth is gluten-free.  Some websites suggest that Velveeta is gluten-free but if doubt, try using the cheddar.  

Skinny Potato Soup {Slow-cooker}

A friend of mine made this soup for me for lunch years ago.  I wrote down the recipe and just now got around to making it myself.  It is so easy, delicious and pretty healthy!  It doesn't have all of the fat that most potato soups have.  It also smells wonderful while it is cooking.  We had this with a nice salad when another friend came over for lunch!  I also put some in the freezer for later.  

Skinny Potato Soup

6 baking potatoes, peeled and cut up

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, trimmed and diced

4 c chicken broth*

1 T dried parsley

1 t salt, or to taste

1 t black pepper, or to taste

1 12 oz can evaporated milk (I used 2%.)

Place all ingredients, except milk in slow-cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.  Stir in milk during last hour.  Mash potatoes with potato masher before serving.  Top with chopped chives, if desired.

*If on a gluten-free diet, make sure the brand of broth you are using is gluten-free. 

Dairy-free notes:  I think this recipe could easily be made dairy-free by subsituting a non-dairy milk.  Let me know if you try it and which milk you used.

Vegetable Beef Soup {Slow-Cooker}

It has been two years since I started this blog!  By the end of 2012, my blog was up to about 2,000 page views a month.  At that time, I was hoping it would get to 5,000 page views a month by the end of 2013.  As of the end of 2013, I have been getting 7,000 page views a month!  Thanks to you all for following my blog!  My hope it is helping some with food allergies cook and enjoy somewhat normal foods.

Here is a recipe for Vegetable Beef Soup.  It is inspired by the recipe for Amazing Beef Vegetable Soup from The Vintage Mom's food blog.  The recipe says to simmer all day.  Anytime I read this, I think slow-cooker.  That is how I cooked mine.  I also made a few ingredient adjustments and additions, as you can see below.  I love that this warm, comforting soup is so full of so many yummy veggies!

Note:  This recipe makes a lot of soup!!  You need a BIG slow-cooker.  I cooked Mine in a 6 quart capacity slow-cooker and it was almost filled to the brim.  We shared half of the soup with friends and still had enough for two meals for our family.  I even froze a couple of containers for lunches.  

If you like this recipe, you may also like Taco Soup (EF, GF).

Vegetable Beef Soup

Inspired by The Vintage Mom’s Amazing Beef Vegetable Soup

1 medium onion, diced

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1 carton low-sodium beef broth

1 large 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

½ head of cabbage, coarsely chopped

1 c frozen corn

1 c baby carrots, chopped

1 c frozen peas

1 c fresh or frozen green beans*

5 medium yellow potatoes, cubed

1 packet of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup mix

2 T celery flakes

2 T Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

1 T ground black pepper

1 T dried parsley

In a skillet, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil.  Move onion and garlic to slow-cooker.  In same skillet brown the beef.  Drain beef and place in slow-cooker.  Add broth, tomatoes, vegetables and all remaining spices.  Cook on low for about 8 hours.  Remove bay leaves prior to serving.

*I used canned green beans, adding them about half way through the cook time because that is what I had on hand.  I also think you could put canned green beans in for the entire cook time.  They may just be more likely to come apart.

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have a great recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup that is a little time consuming.  To cut back on the preparation time, I started looking for a version that uses a rotisserie chicken or precooked cooked chicken from my freezer, like the recipe for Shredded Chicken {slow-cooker} found on my blog.  I found this recipe for Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup online and was pleasantly surprised by the result.  Delicious!! 

I made it pretty much the same as written.  I reduced the vegetable oil to just one tablespoon and cooked the onion in the oil first, until translucent, prior to adding any other ingredients.  I also used reduced fat cream cheese.

If you like this recipe, please try Taco Soup (EF, GF) or Chicken Taco Chili {Slow-cooker}.

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup - Click the link for the recipe.

Gluten-free notes:  This recipe could easily be made gluten-free.  Check the ingredients on the corn tortillas and chicken stock/broth to make sure they are gluten-free.  Rotisserie chickens could be tricky for a gluten allergy, so use my recipe for Shredded Chicken {slow-cooker}.

Italian Chicken Soup

I found a recipe for Italian Chicken Soup on Tasty Kitchen.  I thought it looked pretty good but I made several changes.

The original recipe called for bell pepper and celery, two vegetables that I don't really enjoy.  So, I took out the two bell peppers and added back in one orange bell pepper as I think they have a milder, sweeter taste.  I also took out the celery and added in one zucchini and dried celery flakes for flavor.  I also reduced the amount of olive oil and used dried oregano and added minced garlic.  The original recipe cooked an entire fryer chicken and I opted for the much easier route of using a precooked rotisserie chicken.  You could also use my recipe for shredded chicken fresh or thawed from the freezer.  I also tried to simplify the cooking process.  

Another note, the original recipe says that it feeds 8 people. . . uh, maybe 8 linebackers!  It makes A LOT of soup.  I froze some for lunches, gave some to a friend and we still had plenty!  So, if you still have holiday company, this is good recipe to feed a crowd!

Italian Chicken Soup

Inspired by Tasty Kitchen Italian Chicken Soup September 2011

1 whole rotisserie chicken, skinned, deboned and shredded

1 box Ditalini pasta (short macaroni-type pasta)

3 T olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 whole orange bell pepper, diced

1 whole fresh zucchini, chopped

2 whole fresh jalapenos, seeded and diced

8 c low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

1 t dried oregano

1 T dried celery flakes

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 cups heavy cream

Parmesan cheese shavings, for serving

Peel skin off of rotisserie chicken and discard.  Take chicken off bones and shred.  Set aside.

Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions to al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside. 

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 T olive oil, onion, garlic, bell pepper, zucchini and jalapenos.  Sauté until vegetables are tender and onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, oregano, celery flakes, salt, pepper and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add cooked pasta and cream. Stir to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.  Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and crusty Italian bread on the side.

Serves 12