Baked Potato Soup

" Baby, it's cold outside."

When I made this soup, it was 17 degrees in Arkansas. Seventeen. Are you kidding me?! I live in the South for a reason! What makes the 17 degrees even worse, is that today is the first day of winter and it's going to be 60 degrees here. No wonder everyone in Arkansas is sick!

Baked Potato Soup
Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
4-5 russet potatoes
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour, divided
6 cups 2% milk
2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup green onions, chopped
1/3-½ cup light sour cream

For topping:
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped green onions
Bacon pieces

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Prick the potatoes with the tines of a fork. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Scoop the insides of the potatoes into food processor, discarding the peels. Pulse until the pieces are broken into small chunks. (I have a tiny food processor, so it turned my potatoes into glue. - Santa are you listening? - I found it easier to scoop the flesh out and chop into cubes.)

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add 1/4 cup of flour to the pot and whisk into the butter. Cook, whisking constantly, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and the rest of the flour. Cook until thick and bubbling, about 6-8 minutes. Mix in the potato chunks. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions and sour cream.

Serve immediately. Garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon as desired.

Lasagna Soup

Confession time.

Are you ready?

Sitting down?

I don't like soup.

There, I said it. Shocking, I know since I've posted a couple of soups and here I go again, bringing you another soup recipe. Soup has just never called out to me and said "eat me." I'd much rather eat other things that aren't healthy for me.

Every once and a while, it gets cold outside and soup is just the right thing to have for dinner. Brian got burned out on taco soup, so I had to switch it up. We liked this soup, but next time, I'll add more noodles because we all know I love pasta. :)

Lasagna Soup
Adapted from Tara Cooks as seen on Tasty Kitchen

1 pound lean ground beef
2 cans beef broth
28 ounces, weight Diced Tomatoes With Basil And Oregano
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
1 cup Uncooked Spiral Noodles
1 cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook the 1 cup of spiral noodles until a few minutes before recommended on the package. (It will continue to cook in the soup, and you don't want mushy noodles.)

While noodles are cooking, brown the pound of ground beef and drain any fat. Add the beef broth, canned tomatoes, salt, and pepper to the ground beef. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the cooked spiral noodles about 5 minutes prior to serving.

Garnish soup with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and serve with fresh toasted bread.

Printable Version

Taco Soup

What can you make that's quicker than chili but tastes somewhat the same? Why, by George, you can make taco soup.

It's been so rainy and cold here lately that I've been craving chili but with our crazy schedules, I haven't had time to make a good pot of the stuff. This taco soup is so easy that a 5 year old could put it together. Brown some ground beef, throw in a diced onion, and dump in a million cans of things. Simple!

Taco Soup
Recipe courtesy of my mom (Not sure the original source)

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans
1 (15 oz) can Bush's Chili Beans
1 can Ro-Tel
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
16 oz frozen corn
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1 packet Ranch dressing mix

In a Dutch oven, brown the beef and onion together. If necessary, drain the fat. Add in all other ingredients, ending with the seasonings. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to low and simmer for additional 10-15 minutes.

Serving size=1 cup
Serving = 1-2 WW Points
Printable version

Turkey Corn Chili

It's been raining constantly here. I can't even remember when we saw the sun last. It's becoming more like the Pacific Northwest than Arkansas at this point. So, in order to warm back up, I had to make some chili.

Chili is one of those foods that everyone eats differently. Me, I like to put cheese on it and put some chili on Saltine crackers. Brian, he goes more for a "chili lasagna" approach...he takes crushed Fritos and puts them in a bowl. On top goes the chili, then more crushed Fritos and then covers it in cheese. My mom puts ketchup on her chili. My dad adds more hot sauce.

So, how do you like your chili? Red or white? With beans or no beans? Saltines, Fritos, or plain? Cheese? Sour cream? Cilantro? On top of spaghetti? Let me know!

Turkey Corn Chili
Adapted from RR

1 tablespoon (1 turn around the pan in a slow stream) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, red or green, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons (a palm full) chili powder
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons (a palm full) ground cumin
1 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons (several drops) cayenne pepper sauce
Coarse salt
1/2 cup - 1 cup frozen corn kernels or leftover prepared corn
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups prepared chicken stock or broth, paper container or canned
2 scallions, white and greens, chopped

Directions
Heat a deep pot over medium high heat. Work close to the stove for your chopping. Add oil to your pot, 1 turn of the pan, and add vegetables as you chop them.

Add bay leaf and cook vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently, reducing heat if veggies start to stick. Add turkey and cook completely. Season with chili powder, cumin, and cayenne sauce. Season with a little salt, to taste. Add corn, tomatoes, and broth. Combine your chili well, adjust seasonings, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Garnish chili with chopped scallions.