Italian Meatball Soup

Another great meal on a cold winter night. It is a great tomato based soup with lean beef meatballs - which were very tasty. Only one thing I want to change for next time - Instead of using frozen green beans, I would like to try making it with some fresh green beans; other that it is a delicious and healthy soup that I'm sure your family will enjoy.

Meatballs:

1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup dried parsley
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Soup:

1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
2 cups low-sodium tomato juice
½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
½ cup frozen green beans
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.
2) To prepare meatballs, combine breadcrumbs, grated cheese, parsley, water, basil, black pepper, ground beef and egg in a medium bowl. Shape beef mixture into 30 (1-inch) meatballs, and place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until done. Drain on paper towel.
3) To prepare soup, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; and saute for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
4) Add meatballs, tomato juice, green bell pepper, green beans, basil, oregano, black pepper, and beef broth to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are done.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Yields: 6 servings

Hearty Garlic and Snap Pea Soup

I LOVE this soup. Another must have for the garlic lovers out there. This recipe is great as is but my husband thought it could be a little chunkier so the next time I make this I am going to add another potato or two and put them off to the side when pureeing the soup;  then add them back in the pot with the pureed mixture. If we like it I will update the recipe below. Hope you Enjoy!

Recipe:

4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
1 (32 ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1¾ cups water
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly slivered (fronds reserved)
1½ cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon reserved snipped fresh fennel fronds

1) In a large saucepan cook garlic in 2 tablespoons hot oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add onion and cook until tender. Add potatoes, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cook, covered for 15 to 18 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool soup slightly.
2) Using a food processor or blender, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan. Add fennel and peas. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes.
3) Stir in salt and pepper. Top with fennel fronds.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Yields: 4 servings

Source: BHG

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This meal is another one of our favorites in the cold winter months. I also really enjoy this recipe because you can prep everything the night before and add it all to the slow cooker right before you go to work in the morning and it will be done by the time you get home. So easy to make and oh so yummy!

Recipe:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 packet McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup beef broth
½ cup red wine
3 potatoes, cubed
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped

1) Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with the flour mixture. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, paprika, rosemary, parsley, beef stew seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, red wine, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
2) Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Notes: Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 12 hours | Total time: 12 hours 20 minutes | Yield: 4 servings

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this meal for the first time for my boyfriend on our 1 year anniversary. It was one of the best weekends of my life since little did I know that he planned on proposing to me to following day.

This soup originally did not have black beans in it, so if you are not a black bean fan I'm sure it will still taste great without them.  I on the other-hand felt like it needed them as well as some other spices.  So for our family this recipe has been perfected to our liking but can always be changed around to suit yours.

Recipe:

4 chicken breasts
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can mild enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 gloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed

1) Place all ingredients into a slow cooker. Cover, and cook on the Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on the High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2) One hour before it is done, remove all the chicken breasts and shred them. Place shredded chicken back into the slow cooker for the remaining hour.
3) To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Notes: Remove the bay leaf before serving. Add more chicken broth if needed.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes |
Yield: 8 servings

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I have made this recipe several times and believe that I have finally perfected it. It is great comfort food and would warm anyone up on a cold winter night. It is very filling and definitely hits the spot. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Recipe:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into small pieces)
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced sodium chicken broth
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into small pieces
Salt to taste

1) Place the chicken, butter, and onion into a 5-quart slow cooker.
2) In a medium bowl stir together the soups, broth, and black pepper. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken and stir together.
3) Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High.
4) About 2 hours before serving, add the peas, carrots, and celery. Drop the torn biscuit dough pieces into the slow cooker and gently push them down into the liquid.
5) Cover, and cook for the remaining 2 hours or until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Notes: Occasionally push the dumplings into the liquid to help them cook through. If it looks too thick for your liking, add some water or more chicken broth to thin it out.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 6 hours | Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes |
Yields: 8 servings