ALPHABET SOUP WITH MEATBALLS

~ Dinner at the Zoo

MEATBALLS
1 lb. ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
1/2 c. parmesan
1 T. water

SOUP
1 T. butter
1 c. carrots, peeled and chopped
1 c. onion, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
2 c. butternut squash, peeled and chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
6 oz. can tomato sauce
6-8 c. chicken stock, divided
7-8 oz. alphabet noodles
1 meatball recipe from above or 1 lb. store-bought meatballs
chopped parsley (optional garnish)

MEATBALLS
Place oven rack 4 inches from the top and preheat broiler. Combine all ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Shape into meatballs about one inch in diameter.

Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange meatballs in single layer. Broil for 8 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and starting to brown.

SOUP
Heat large pot over medium heat, then add butter. Once butter has melted, add carrot, onion, celery, and butternut. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5-7 minutes or until onion is translucent and everything else is just starting to brown.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, 4 cups of chicken stock, and noodles. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5-7 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Add meatballs and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add another 2-4 cups of chicken stock until desired consistency is reached. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Makes three quarts when you use 8 cups of stock.

Notes: We have only made this using make-ahead meatballs, which are often in our freezer. 

LEMON LENTIL SOUP

~ Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love, written by Sarah Matheny 

4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3/4 t. coriander
4 c. vegetable broth
1 c. red lentils
1/4 c. lemon juice
3 T. raw cashews
1 1/2 c. chopped spinach
2 T. chopped parsley
salt & pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan coated with cooking spray, saute carrots, celery, and coriander over medium-high heat for five minutes or until tender. Add broth and lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until lentils are tender, but not mushy.

Meanwhile, combine lemon juice and cashews in food processor or blender. When lentils are done, stir in lemon-cashew cream, spinach, and parsley. Stir until thoroughly blended. Season with salt & pepper.

Makes about six cups.

Notes: The lemon flavor isn't very strong, so we add some extra lemon juice.

TUNA CASSEROLE

~ Bethany Weathersby

pasta
tuna
veggies
sour cream or yogurt
seasonings
milk, if desired
grated or cubed cheese, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta until desired tenderness is reached, then drain. Saute any firm vegetables until tender. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into baking dish and bake 30 minutes or until heated through.

Notes: There are countless ways to make tuna casserole, but I recently realized I don't have any posted. My approach is more method than recipe, so you can tweak it to fit your needs and preferences. I use one pound of shaped noodles and three cans of tuna, saute bunch of onion, celery, and mushrooms, thaw some frozen peas and corn, and add sour cream, seasoned salt, and pepper. Whether I thin it out with milk or add cheese varies from time to time.

VEGAN CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

~ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

1 T. olive oil
6 ribs of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. vegetable broth
1 c. water
1/3 c. flour
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 c. raw cashews
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, onion, and garlic; saute 5-10 minutes or until celery and onion start to soften and become translucent. Add broth and water, then slowly pour in flour as you whisk the soup. Add bay leave, thyme, and cashews. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes or until cashews are very soft.

Remove bay leaf, then transfer soup to blender in small batches and process until cashews are completely blended. Return soup to pot to reheat or serve directly from blender. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Makes about six cups.

Notes: We like the flavor of this, but change a few steps in the process. The point of adding the cashews to the soup pot is to avoid making cashew cream separately, but our soup is a little gritty that way (note the visible cashew pieces in the picture). Next time I'll make cashew cream separately and then add it or let the soup simmer longer. The other change we made was to put the flour in a bowl and slowly add some of the broth to it until it was creamy, then dump the mixture into the soup pot. Adding flour to a bunch of liquid always results in lumps when I do it, so I added an extra step in order to avoid flour chunks.

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

~ Taste of Home

3 meaty beef soup bones (beef shanks or short ribs)
10 c. water
1 medium onion, chopped
5 t. beef bouillon granules
1 T. cider vinegar
1/2 - 1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 c. chopped carrots
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. medium pearl barley
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 - 1/2 t. dill

In a Dutch oven or soup pot, place bones, water, onion, bouillon, vinegar, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Slowly bring to a boil and skim foam with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat; over and simmer 3-4 hours.

Discard bay leaves. Set bones aside until cool enough to handle, then remove meat from bones and dice. Skim fat from broth surface. Add meat, carrots, celery, potatoes, barley, thyme, and dill. Cover and cook 1 hour or until vegetables and barley are tender.

Makes about two quarts.

Notes: I skip the bouillon, replacing 5 cups of beef broth for 5 cups of water instead. Our meat gets shredded instead of diced.

RED LENTIL & VEGGIE SOUP

~ Bethany Weathersby

oil
onion, chopped
garlic, chopped
celery, sliced
carrot, grated
butternut squash puree
water
red lentils
seasonings of your choice (we use bay leaves, ginger, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and/or red pepper flakes)

Heat a small amount of oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring occasionally until browned. Add celery and carrot, stirring occasionally until slightly softened. Stir in puree, water, lentils, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils have softened.

Notes: Other than having a pint-sized jar of butternut puree, I didn't measure anything, so just do whatever amounts will fill the stomachs in your home.

KALE, CHICKPEA, & ORZO SOUP

~ Domestic Divas

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 c. kale, chopped
1 14-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 c. baby potatoes, chopped
6 c. chicken stock
1 c. orzo
salt & pepper
parmesan (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, sauteing for five minutes or until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute one more minute.

Add kale, chickpeas, potatoes, and stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add orzo and bring to a simmer. Cook ten minutes or until orzo is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top individual servings with parmesan.

Notes: The noodles soak up so much broth that this is barely a soup by the time you're ready to eat and the leftovers don't have any broth at all, but it's a simple, filling, inexpensive dish that tastes good. I use garbanzos I've previously cooked in the crockpot and sometimes vary the other ingredients according to what I have on hand. At various times I've used chicken and beef broth, as well as homemade turkey bone broth, kale I previously chopped and froze, russet potatoes, barley instead of orzo (I add it with other ingredients because it takes longer too cook, and homemade seasoned salt. 

BEEF STEW

~ Amanda's Plate

2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
1 1/2 lb. stew meat
2 c. chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. vegetable or beef stock
2 T. tomato paste
1 t. sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. kosher salt
1 t. pepper
1/2 t. fresh thyme
1/2 t. cayenne
1 1/2 c. chopped carrots
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
2 c. chopped turnips

Heat olive oil and butter in stew pot over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, add meat and sear on each side, then remove meat from pot.

Add onion and garlic to pot and cook until onions are translucent. Stir in stock, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, thyme, and cayenne. Return meat to pot and turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for one hour.

Add carrots, celery, and turnips to pot. Simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened a bit and vegetables have cooked through.

Notes: This is the first stew I ever made and it's great. The only changes I make are to sub potatoes for the turnips because I always have them on hand and only use 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. The original recipe, which is linked at the top of this post, suggests serving the stew over mashed potatoes. I don't want to double up on potatoes, so I serve it over rice or with buttermilk biscuits with chives and black pepper or cracked wheat and honey bread. 

PEANUT BUTTER VEGETABLE CHICKEN SOUP

~ allrecipes

8 c. chicken broth
2 c. diced, cooked chicken
1 c. peeled, cubed potatoes
1 c. diced carrots
1 c. diced zucchini
1 c. broccoli florets
1 c. canned whole tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 t. chopped parsley
salt & pepper, to taste

Combine broth, chicken, potatoes, and carrots in stock pot.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook ten minutes, or until veggies are tender.  Add zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic, then simmer about eight minutes.  Add peanut butter, parsley, salt, and pepper, stirring until peanut butter is fully blended .  Simmer at least three minutes.

Notes: I dump in a whole can of diced tomatoes rather than using half a can of whole ones and chopping them myself.  

ELIZABETH'S MEATLOAF

~ Enriching Everyday Life

4 T. butter
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1/2 c. finely chopped carrot
2  cloves minced garlic
2 eggs
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1/2 t. salt
2 t. chili powder
1 t. allspice
1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. fine bread crumbs
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9x13-inch pan. 

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat, then add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Saute until veggies begin to brown. 

While the veggies are cooking, whisk eggs, ketchup, milk, salt, chili powder, allspice, and pepper in a large bowl. Add browned veggies and bread crumbs to egg mixture. Add beef and pork until thoroughly combined. Place in greased pan and form into loaf. Bake 45 minutes, then let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Notes: You can also shape this into a loaf in a greased crockpot and cook on high for four hours or on low for eight. We've successfully done both four hours on high in the crockpot and the oven version. I once put some rolled oats through the food processor and used the powder instead of bread crumbs.

HEARTY CHICKEN VEGETABLE SOUP

~ Take Shape For Life Lean & Green Meal Cookbook

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into 1" pieces
4 c. reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 c. mushrooms, quartered
2 c. celery, diced
1 c. each yellow, red, and green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1/2-1 c. water, if desired for thinning the soup
1/2 c. scallions, chopped
2 T. cream
1/4 c. parsley, finely chopped or 2 T. dried parsley
4 t. olive or canola oil
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and chicken, cooking about five minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Add bell peppers, celery, and mushrooms, cooking about seven minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add scallions, broth, water (if using), cream, thyme, pepper, and parsley.  Simmer until ready to serve.  Makes four servings.

Notes: I actually throw all the ingredients, including frozen chicken breasts, into the crockpot, cook on high for four hours, then shred the chicken before serving.  This soup freezes well.

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

~ allrecipes

3 c. chicken broth

3/4 lb. celery, coarsely chopped

2 oz. carrots, julienned

2 oz. onions, chopped

1/4 c. flour

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper 

3 c. hot milk

1/4 c. butter

Pour the broth into a pot and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, start heating up the milk.

Add the celery, carrots and onion to the boiling broth. Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper, then slowly add to the warmed milk. Add the milk mixture and butter to the broth and veggies. 

Boil for 10 minutes, then strain out the vegetables by pouring through a sieve, or if the vegetables are large enough, a colander may be used.

Notes: There's no way I'm going to toss all the veggies out of a soup, so I just stick an immersion blender into the pot when it's done cooking and puree everything. No food wasted and the Ws who prefer smooth soups over chunky ones are happy. I also throw in some garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. This recipe is not thick like the cream of celery soups some people use in casseroles and other recipes, so don't use it for that purpose.

MEDITERRANEAN BLACK BEAN SALAD

~ Lona at Farming in the shade 

3-4 c. black beans (drain & rinse if using canned)
1/2 c. sliced green onions

1 large tomato, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. fresh mint, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried mint)

1 t. cumin
dash of Tabasco sauce

salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to combine flavors.

Makes about six cups.

Notes: I use four cups of crockpot beans from the freezer, which I always make half pinto and half black, and skip the salt and pepper because there is some in the beans. I've used lime juice in place of lemon juice and actually prefer it that way. It's good eaten as is, but it's also tasty over a bed of spinach or bowl of rice.

CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

~ Kristal Davis / Knit1 Kids4

2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
1-2 chopped, unpeeled Granny Smith apples
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. plain yogurt
2 T. honey mustard
1 t. lemon juice
1/8 t. salt
raisin bread
leaf lettuce

Combine all ingredients except bread and lettuce in a medium bowl and mix well. Make sandwiches with bread and lettuce. Makes about 5 sandwiches.

Notes: These sandwiches are even better if you toast the raisin bread first, though they're also good on non-raisin bread. We often use chopped almonds instead of walnuts. 

BETTER THAN POTATO SALAD

~ Debbie Hyland

4 c. cooked rice
8 radishes, sliced
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeded & chopped
2 c. thinly sliced celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
3 T. mustard
3/4 t. salt

In a large bowl, combine rice, radishes, eggs, cucumber, celery, and onion. In a separate container, combine mayonnaise, mustard, and salt. Pour over rice mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least one hour before serving.

Notes: This has the taste of potato salad with the texture of rice. Yum! We use about one cup of grated carrot in place of the radishes. The flavor is pretty mild, so you may want to add some of your favorite seasonings, pepper, or extra salt.

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.

NORTHWEST SALMON CHOWDER

~ Taste of Home

1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T. butter
14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 c. uncooked diced peeled potatoes
1 c. shredded carrots
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 - 3/4 t. dill weed
14.75 oz. can cream-style corn
2 c. half-and-half
1 3/4 - 2 c. fully cooked salmon chunks or 14.75 oz. can salmon, drained, flaked, bones and skin removed

In a large saucepan, saute celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in butter until the vegetables are tender. Add broth, potatoes, carrots, salt, pepper, and dill; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Stir in the corn, half-and-half, and salmon. Simmer for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Makes about two quarts.

Notes: I've made this with fresh, canned, and smoked salmon, and it's good no matter which way I make it. I occasionally make a dairy-free version by replacing the half-and-half with cashew cream, which tastes just as good as the dairy version. 

SLOW COOKER LENTIL & HAM SOUP

~ allrecipes

1 c. dried lentils
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. diced cooked ham
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 t. black pepper
32 oz. chicken broth
1 c. water
8 t. tomato sauce

In a 3 1/2 quart or larger slow cooker combine the lentils, celery, carrots, onion, garlic and ham. Season with basil, oregano, thyme, the bay leaf and pepper. Stir in the chicken broth, water and tomato sauce. Cover; cook on low for 11 hours. Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Notes: I double this for our family, using one can of tomato sauce and one cup of water instead of doubling the amounts called for. It's perfect, neither too watery nor too thick. Our soup is ready to eat in 9-10 hours, so just keep an eye on yours. While the taste won't change, you don't want your lentils to overcook to the point of disintegrating.

BEST BEAN SALAD

~ allrecipes

14.5 oz. can green beans, drained
14.5 oz. can wax beans, drained
15.5 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
14.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained
14.5 oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
3/4 c. white sugar

Combine all the beans, green pepper, onion, and celery in a large bowl; toss to mix. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a separate bowl until the sugar is dissolved, then pour over the bean mixture. Chill eight hours or overnight before serving.

Notes: This is like the three bean salad you find at a deli, but better. I never use canned beans, but that's the only way I can find the wax beans. So, I use canned wax, frozen green that I've thawed, and dried garbanzo, kidney, and black that I'd previously cooked and frozen. Actually, I use my favorite crockpot bean recipe for the black, so it's a pinto and black mix. It's good as is, but I also like mixing it up with some couscous.

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.