What the heck is stoup?

That is the question my husband asked when I said I was making stoup for dinner. Stoup is a word coined by Rachel Ray which is thicker than soup and thinner than stew. This stoup called for broccoli rabe, not one of my favorite veggies. My husband on the other hand loves it and of course he loves sausage. To my surprise, the finished product is delicious and has made it into our regular dinner rotation.

Sausage-and-Broccoli Rabe Stoup courtesy of Everday with Rachel Ray April 2010

Serves 4

Salt & Pepper
1 large head broccoli rabe, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/8 tsp nutmeg
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
28 oz. diced tomatoes, with juices (I used fresh)
15 oz. canned Cannellini beans, rinsed
1.5 cups wagon wheel pasta
grated pecorino-romano cheese

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt, add broccoli rabe and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and cool.
In a soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, crumbling with spoon. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and two cups of water; cover and bring to boil. Stir in Cannellini beans and cooked broccoli rabe and return to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is done. Top with cheese and serve.

Wild Rice Soup

This winter my Mom went on a trip to Minnesota where she spent a little over a week visiting with friends, playing in the snow and cooking. One of the recipes she brought back was this great recipe for Wild Rice Soup. Most wild rice you will find in your local store comes from Minnesota and is a filling and healthy ingredient.

My Mom and her friends made some adjustments to the original recipe, using fresh mushrooms instead of canned and swapping a red bell pepper for green. Once I got a hold of the recipe I followed their changes as well as using low sodium mushroom soup and low sodium chicken broth. While not low in calories it is surprisingly not a heavy, thick soup. Next time I make this I plan on adding some fresh herbs to it, perhaps some Rosemary.

Makes 10 cups

1/2 cup wild rice
1 pound bacon
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup red pepper, chopped
1 large (32 oz) carton low sodium chicken broth
2 10 oz cans cream of mushroom soup (I used the Campbells version that is low sodium for casseroles)
10 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
1 pint half and half

Wash wild rice well and boil in water for 15 minutes, drain, rinse and set aside.

Cut bacon into 2 inch pieces and fry until crisp in a large pot. Remove bacon from pot, reserving 3 tablespoons of drippings. Saute onion, celery and pepper in bacon drippings until onion is transparent. Add rice, broth, soup, mushrooms and cooked bacon. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour.

Before serving, add half and half and heat through.

Zesty Chicken Soup

I am continuing on my mission to make a soup every week of this winter. This week I choose this chicken soup, full of veggies and a nice kick from the diced green chilies. My husband and I really enjoyed it.

Adapted from Taste of Home Casseroles, Slow Cooker & Soups, Zesty Chicken Soup

Yields 3 3/4 quarts

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp oil
1 can Rotel or other Mexican style diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup medium salsa
3 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 can white corn
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
Shredded cheddar cheese

Place chicken in a soup pot, add water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove chicken; cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Return to cooking liquid.

In a large skillet, saute the onion, celery and garlic in oil until tender; add to the soup pot. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, zucchini, carrots, corn, chilies, cumin, chili powder and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Top soup with grated cheddar and serve.

Lentil Soup

With all the cold weather in the last month soups have been on my menu every week. This lentil soup is a warm and filling.

Lentils are not something I thought I would like. They don't exactly look appealing and in the past I never liked bean soups. Once I tried this recipe I discovered I really like lentils. It is easy to make, budget friendly and can be made in under an hour.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis Lentil Soup

Serves 6

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
freshly ground salt and pepper
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 pound dried lentils
11 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Add garlic, salt and pepper and saute until all veggies are tender, about 5 - 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in pasta. Simmer until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Spoon into bowls and top with grated Parmesan to serve.

Spicy Zucchini Soup

Starting in September I try to make soup at least once a week. I am always in search of new, interesting soup recipes to try. This one caught my eye, as I would never think to use sausage in soup and I love zucchini. This was easy to prepare and would be excellent to feed a large group or to freeze. It makes a lot!

From Taste of Home Casseroles, Slow Cooker and Soups

Yields 4 quarts

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
3 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
3 (14.5 oz) cans beef broth
2 pounds zucchini, diced
2 medium green peppers, diced
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 cups cooked elbow macaroni

In a large soup pot cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink and drain. Add tomatoes, broth, zucchini, green peppers, celery, onion and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1.5 hours or until veggies are tender. To serve, spoon over cooked macaroni and top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Cheddar-Corn Chowder

This is my all time favorite soup recipe. Creamy cheese, crunchy veggies, and a little salty bacon. This soup cooks in under an hour and is a great way to warm up on a cold week night.

Adapted from a Southern Living Annual Cookbook

Serves 6

2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (10 oz)
1 can (16 oz) cream style corn or 2 cups fresh corn
1/4 lb fried bacon

Combine water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and pepper in a large pot. Cover; bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour, cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Add cheese; stir until melted.

Gradually add cheese sauce to soup, stirring constantly. Add corn and bacon stir and heat through.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Tortellini soup is the best of both worlds; filling, cheesy pasta and warm light soup. My version uses split chicken breast instead of a whole chicken and whole wheat four cheese tortellini. The whole wheat pasta holds up very well when cooked in the soup.

Adapted from Taste of Home Casseroles, Slow Cooker, and Soups

Yields 8 Servings

1 Package fresh split chicken breasts with skin and bone
2 1/2 quarts cold water
3 teaspoons salt
2 chicken bullion cubes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 6oz package fresh, whole wheat, cheese filled, tortellini

In a large soup pot place first 11 ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 hours until chicken is very tender. Remove chicken from broth and cool. Remove chicken breast skin and bones and dice. Skim any excess fat from broth and bring to a boil. Add tortellini to broth and cook according to package directions. When tortellini are done add diced chicken back in and season. Remove bay leaf and serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Cashew Chili

I have been going back and forth trying to decide what to make my very first post. Once I made this delicious yet totally different chili I knew this was the one. I hope everyone enjoys it.

I used canned beans instead of dried, as I have not had the best luck with dried in the past.

Adapted from Wegmans Cashew Chili Recipe

Makes 14 Cups

1 can dark red kidney beans rinsed and drained
5 cups of water
3 bay leaves
4 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups of onions diced
6 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped finely
3 cups of green peppers diced
2 cups of celery diced
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp salt
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Add rinsed beans and 5 cups water to medium stock pot. Heat on HIGH for 10 minutes, uncovered, until boiling. Skim any foam off top, add bay leaves, and reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW and cover. Cook while you complete next steps.

Heat 3 Tbsp oil, onions and garlic in large stock pot on MEDIUM-HIGH for 2 minutes. Add peppers and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Add remaining oil, cumin, coriander, red pepper, basil, oregano, dill weed, and salt. Cook about 1 minute, stirring. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to MEDIUM. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Remove bay leaves from beans and add beans and their water to stockpot with veggie/tomato mixture; stir. Return to MEDIUM. Add cashews and red wine vinegar; simmer. Cover, tilt lid to vent. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Dish Chili and sprinkle with finely grated cheese.