Soup Is Mmm Mmm Good

[Lauren M]

Hey Guys,

I love soup year 'round, but now that it's officially Fall, we're getting into soup weather!

As some of you know, I'm a grad student on a limited budget, so those cans of Amy's and Heath Valley Soups are getting expensive. I'm no gourmet cook, but I thought that maybe you all would be interested in sharing some yummy, gluten-free (obviously!), and fairly easy soup recipes. Creamy soups, broth-based soups, stews, whatever you've got!

- Lauren

(who especially misses her stand-by Campbell's Tomato Soup )

[GFBetsy]

gfp had a quick tomato soup recipe that he posted elsewhere . . . maybe you could search the site and find it. Here's one of my favorite recipes (in fact, we're having it for dinner tonight):

Taco Soup

Taco Soup

1 lb. hamburger

1 small onion, chopped

16 oz. bag of frozen corn (or two cans of corn, undrained)

2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 cans pinto beans, drained & rinsed

2 c. beef broth

4 oz. can diced green chilies

1 can refried beans (optional)

2 Tbs. McCormick taco seasoning

Cook hamburger with onion. Drain grease. In a large soup pot, combine hamburger with all the other ingredients and heat through. Taste it . . . if you want it to be spicier, add more taco seasoning. Serve over corn chips (Fritos) with cheese or sour cream.

[Corkdarrr]

That Taco Soup is good - I made it a few weeks ago

Tonite I made potato leek soup:

1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken stock

1 onion

2 leeks

6-7 potatoes diced (I like Yukon Gold)

1 cup milk

half & half

dill

bay leaf

sour cream

Sautee onion in olive oil until soft. Add chicken stock, leek, bay leaf and diced potatoes and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Add milk, dill, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top. (You can even mix a half cup or so in with the soup for an extra yummy taste if you're a sour cream freak like me...)

You can make it creamy by taking out about two or three cups of hte soup and pureeing it and then mixing it back into itself. I used the handmasher tonite because the blender is terribly messy with hot soup and I don't have a food processor yet, but it's turned out great. Very chunky, but still soup!

Finish with about a half cup of half and half - just for a heavier cream flavor. That's one of the best things I ever learned in cooking class. Also make sure your milk and/or cream is closer to room temperature when you add it to the pot, not cold. Something about the starches in potatoes...

[emcmaster]

Here's my cooking blog - it has mostly soups in it right now:

Open Original Shared Link

[JenKuz]

This must be the simplest soup ever, but I swear it's to die for:

1 large can Glen Muir whole tomatoes

dash rosemary

dash thyme

dash salt

2 tblsp butter (or to taste)

Just blend up everything but the butter, heat slowly, melt in butter and serve!

I *used* to eat this with french baguette toasted in the oven with olive oil and herbs. Now I forego that. But I garnish it with crumbled goat chevre, and it's heaven.

Here's a simple recipe I made for cold carrot-ginger soup, not great for fall but still lovely:

Boil 1 lb carrots. Let cool. Blend with small can coconut milk, large chunk peeled ginger root, and the juice of a lime or two. Chill. Stir in yogurt (if desired); greek-style is best (and it has less lactose!).

A recipe of my mom's, for southwestern chicken soup:

1 can whole plum tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

1 can chicken breast (the whole pieces, not the mush)

liberal cumin

dash chili

dash salt

Boil it all up. It's very good. You can slice the tomatoes, if you like.

And my own recipe for shrimp bisque, inspired by a sale on Contessa frozen shrimp at Publix:

Shrimp Bisque

1 lb tail-on shrimp, thawed, tails removed and set aside

If you can get extra shells from your supermarket for the stock, do.

1 medium onion, diced fine

1 tblsp butter

1 can tomato paste

1 can chicken stock

2 cups water

1 cup diced carrots

1 stalk celery

½ cup half and half

1 tblsp Old Bay seasoning, or other seasoning for shrimp boil

Add shrimp tails (and shells) to stock and water. Add Old Bay seasoning. Simmer until reduced by about a cup. Strain and set aside. Sauté onion and carrot in butter over medium heat. Chop half of shrimp, add to carrot and onion. Cook. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, till slightly bubbly. Add 1 cup of stock and cook. Combine with remaining stock. Puree in batches till smooth. Return to pot. Add remaining shrimp, reserving some for garnish. Add half and half and heat. Serve immediately. Reheats fine.

This one is better if you can get extra shrimp tails from a local market to boil into the broth.

[Guest ~jules~]

My family is big on creme of potato, I don't usually cook in "exact measurment" but I will do my best

5or6 peeled chunked up potatoes (big pieces)

1/2 cup bacon bits (more if desired, real bacon is best)

1/2 medium size onion chopped (if you like onions)

2 celery stalks chopped (optional)

pint of half n half

milk, salt, pepper

Put potatoes and all other indgredients into a big boiling pot, pour half n half in, then milk until potatoes are covered. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender, but not too tender, or it will be mashed potato soup! Thicken with cornstarch/water mix..Top with grated cheddar, green onions, dollup of sour creme. Yummmy......

I serve it with cornbread, also if you like clam chowder follow this recipe, but throw in a can of chopped clams with the juice.

[sparkles]

I almost never use a recipe for soup .... just a color chart!!!!

I start out with some kind of stock... beef, chicken, turkey... I make my own by browning the meat and then simmering it so that it gets really tender. I always freeze any leftover gravy or broth when I cook a roast or fowl and use it in the soup base. I also use store bought gluten-free broth or bouillon. I usually make really large batches of soup and freeze them so I need lots of stock. I have never been a veggie only person so all of my soup has some kind of meat base even if it is only vegetable soup.

If I am making a bean soup, I simmer the beans in the stock for several hours before adding veggies.

Then I add color.... red, yellow, orange, green, white. The color is the vegetables.... It gets to be fun and you find all sorts of new uses for veggies you might not think that you like.... for instance okra or zuchini ... in soup... it is fun to see what kind of veggies you can find that are in these colors. It is also a fun way to get your kids involved in the soup making process. It is also fun to think outside the box. Throw in a purple... just to get everyone thinking. I try to use fresh veggies but frozen ones will do. They just aren't as tasty.

After the veggies have simmered and are almost tender, I add spices. I have a chart on the fridge that suggests what kind of spices bring out the flavor in different foods. I just mix and match. A lot of cook books have this kind of spice chart. Also this is the time to add rice if you want.

Obviously, I never end up with the same soup twice but it is fun and it smells so good. I don't think there is any right or wrong way to make soups... I don't make cream soups very often as I think that requires a real recipe... though I have been known to thicken the broth with a little corn starch now and then.

My family is big on creme of potato, I don't usually cook in "exact measurment" but I will do my best

5or6 peeled chunked up potatoes (big pieces)

1/2 cup bacon bits (more if desired, real bacon is best)

1/2 medium size onion chopped (if you like onions)

2 celery stalks chopped (optional)

pint of half n half

milk, salt, pepper

Put potatoes and all other indgredients into a big boiling pot, pour half n half in, then milk until potatoes are covered. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender, but not too tender, or it will be mashed potato soup! Thicken with cornstarch/water mix..Top with grated cheddar, green onions, dollup of sour creme. Yummmy......

I serve it with cornbread, also if you like clam chowder follow this recipe, but throw in a can of chopped clams with the juice.

this soup sounds really yummy.... I think that I will have to try it!!!!! I think that topping it with green onions and sour creme sounds really great... but think I will add a little cheddar cheese to the mix and maybe throw in a red and orange pepper just to keep true to my color scheme!!!!! The cheddar cheese will have to count as my "Yellow" veggie!!!!

[Thankagirl]

My fast easy and one LOVED by everyone - even the picky 6 year old...

Chicken Rice Soup

1 whole chicken - if you like it chickeny add 2 more breasts or thighs

celery

carrots

onion

2 boxes of gluten-free Chicken stock

water

2 or 3 Bay Leaves

Parsley

dried soup greens

Put all that in a big pot cook until chicken is falling off the bone.

take all the meat off cut into pieces and put back in the pot with the other stuff

Add 2ish cups of Jasmine Rice

Cook for 15 more minutes

Once rice is cooked you can eat it - it freezes GREAT.

It will get very thick as it cools - I leave it thick to freeze and when I defrost it I add water so you get a little more for your container.

ENJOY

Sarah

[Katydid]

This Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is one of my favorites....and if you use chicken in the pouch or can, its really fast.

Two or three cans Chicken Broth

Equal amount of water

1 heaping T gluten-free Chicken Base (I use either Gluten Free Pantry or Watkins)

1 bag frozen California Blend Veggies

1 package Glutano Noodles (Tagliatelle)

1 pouch or can of chicken

Put broth, water and chicken base on to simmer in a soup pot. Partially thaw veggies and chop in food processor until about bean size pieces and add to soup pot. Cut chicken into a little bit smaller pieces. Add chicken and noodles to pot and continue simmering for about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste

I like a rich creamy soup, so I always add 2 T each of butter and cream to the pot before serving, but its not necessary

Nothing like a bowl of homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. Mmmmm.... Does a body good. I recently started a gift basket business and this is the contents for one of them. But instead of the frozen veggies, I include a packet of dehydrated vegetables that I buy online (for obvious reasons) I include 2 soup bowls, cloth napkins and either homemade breadsticks, cookies or brownies. It has been a terrific hit with many repeats. I think its because everything is in the basket, including the recipe; and because its so fast.