LENTIL & PASTA SOUP MIX FOR GROUND BEEF

~ Food.com

JAR MIX

1/2 c. dry split peas

1/3 c. beef bouillon granules

1/4 c. pearl barley

1/3 c. dry lentils

1/4 c. dried minced onion

2 t. Italian seasoning

1/2 c. uncooked long grain rice

1/2 c. alphabet or other small noodles

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground beef

3 qt. water (or less, if you'd like a thicker soup)

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

In a 1 1/2 pint jar, layer the first eight ingredients in the order listed. Seal tightly. 

DIRECTIONS FOR RECIPIENT

To prepare soup, carefully remove noodles from the top of jar and set aside. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef; drain. Add water, tomatoes, and soup mix. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add noodles, then cover and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes or until all ingredients are tender.

Makes just over one gallon.

Notes: We were given this mix with the noodles in a plastic bag, which was nice because we didn't have to fish little noodles out of the jar when we made the soup. I would recommend doing it that way.

QUINOA BROCCOLI SOUP

~ Bethany Weathersby

chicken broth
roasted broccoli
cooked quinoa
sesame oil

Place broth and broccoli in saucepan, then puree with an immersion blender. Add cooked quinoa and a splash of sesame oil. Alternatively, you can have a chunkier soup by chopping the broccoli and adding all ingredients to the pot at the same time.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Notes: This recipe came about from having a bunch of homemade broth, leftover quinoa & roasted broccoli, and a love of sesame oil. It tasted good enough that now we make the quinoa and broccoli on purpose just so we can have the soup again. Quantities are flexible, so use as much of each ingredient as you have handy or think tastes good. If you want to kick it up a notch, add a little spice (red pepper flakes, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, etc.) and/or sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over your serving.

HEARTY HAMBURGER SOUP

~ allrecipes

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, minced
4 carrots, minced
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1/2 c. barley
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 c. water
3 10 oz. cans beef broth
10.75 oz can condensed tomato soup
1 bay leaf
1 T. parsley
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. dried thyme
ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and crumble in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is evenly browned and no longer pink; drain.

Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for two hours, stirring frequently. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes: I add a bunch of extra garlic and thyme, along with some red pepper flakes. This is really good with cornbread.

SPINACH LENTIL SOUP

~ allrecipes

1/3 c. uncooked white rice
2/3 c. water
1 t. vegetable oil
4 oz. kielbasa, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
6 c. water
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. dry lentils
10 oz. fresh spinach, chopped

In a pot, bring the rice and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the kielbasa until lightly browned. Mix in onion, carrot, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until tender. Stir in 6 cups water, broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 minutes.

Stir the cooked rice and spinach into the soup, then continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

Makes about ten cups.

Notes: This is fine made as directed, but I always modify it a bit. First, I use brown rice and add it and the 2/3 cup of water to the pot along with the lentils. Second, I make sure to use 8 cups of liquid, but vary how much each of broth and water according to the mood I'm in or what's on hand. Third, I often use Aidell's chicken & apple sausage instead of kielbasa. Finally, I throw in 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic, double the kielbasa, and add a couple extra carrots. It's delicious!

BEAKER'S VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP

~ allrecipes

2 qt. vegetable broth
1 c. uncooked barley
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 zucchini, chopped
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1 onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. white sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. curry powder
1 t. paprika
1 t. Worcestershire sauce

Pour the vegetable broth into a large pot. Add the barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, garbanzo beans, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 90 minutes.

Makes about three quarts.

Notes: Even the vegetable soup haters in my family like the flavor of this broth. Yum! I dump in a handful of chopped fresh parsley in place of dried.

CHICKEN TACO SOUP

~ Kelly Leonard/Cooking For The Guys  

leftover chicken taco meat and broth
additional broth for consistency of soup you like
1-2 cans black beans
1-2 c. frozen corn
2-4 cans diced tomatoes
chopped onions and peppers, as much as desired
1-2 c. cooked brown rice
black pepper (optional)
cumin (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and let simmer for a bit. Serve with sour cream and grated cheddar.
.
Notes: You can make this in advance and freeze it. I leave out the rice when I freeze it and just add it when I'm ready to heat it for serving.

CREAMY TOMATO & RICE SOUP

~ Jessica Harris 

1 c. chopped onion
1 c. shredded carrot
3 stalks celery, with leaves, chopped
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
6 oz. tomato paste
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. thyme
1/4 t. pepper
2 c. water
3 c. broth (choose your flavor)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. quick cooking rice
1/4 c. pesto, store-bought or homemade
parmesan cheese

Add first ten ingredients, onion through broth, to crockpot. Cook on high four hours. Add cream cheese and close lid for 10 minutes. Remove lid and stir cream cheese until totally mixed in. About 45 minutes later add rice; let stand 7-10 minutes. Whisk in pesto and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Notes: I’ve used leftovers of both white and brown rice and it works fine. I just add the rice and pesto all at once, then stirred until heated through before serving. I use a can of regular diced tomatoes, as I always have them on hand, and then sprinkle in some Italian seasoning. This is good as is, but it’s also good pureed after cooking or with the veggies put through a food processor before cooking.