Sooner or later our blissful summer will be but a memory and the chilly days of autumn will be upon us.
It's time for soup. Soup is one of my favourite dinners and also one of my favourite things to cook. To me nothing is more comforting than a steaming bowl of homemade soup, and if you add a crisp green salad and some wonderful bread you have a simple but satisfying meal.
Most soups freeze well and are economical to make, so stir up a double batch and freeze meal-size portions for those "I don't want to cook" nights.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1½ Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
4½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup butter
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2½ cups milk
1/3 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender; drain and set aside. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until tender, three to four minutes, then add garlic and sauté one minute longer.
Add the chicken broth and the bay leaves. Add the chicken breasts and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth. Let it cool for about five minutes, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Remove bay leaves from broth and discard.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 90 seconds. Slowly whisk in the milk, whisking vigorously to smooth out any lumps. Whisk in the cream and bring to a boil, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Add milk mixture, the cut-up chicken, and the noodles to broth and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste; simmer until all ingredients are heated through. Makes four to six servings.
Lasagna Soup
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided use
1 lb lean ground beef
2 Italian sausages (mild or spicy), remove meat from casings (discard casings)
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 to 3 garlic cloves (or more if you really like garlic), minced
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
One 398-ml can diced tomatoes
One 398-ml can crushed tomatoes
½ Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp granulated sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces, or you can substitute 8 oz of fusilli or rotini pasta
8 oz ricotta cheese
1¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage meat into the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until browned.
With a slotted spoon, remove cooked meat to a plate and set aside; drain most of the fat from the pot. In the same pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the chopped onion until it starts to soften, about three minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer. Add the broth, diced and crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and sugar and stir to combine. Add the cooked meat and season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Bring just to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender; reserve one cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the noodles. Add the cooked noodles to the soup along with enough of the reserved pasta water to bring soup to your desired consistency. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses; place a dollop of the cheese mixture in each serving bowl and ladle the hot soup over top. Makes four to six servings.
Italian Wedding Soup
¾ lb ground meat (turkey, pork, or beef, or preferably a combination, you will need meat with a bit of fat in it or the meatballs will be dry)
½ cup panko bread crumbs
3 large eggs, divided use
½ cup grated Romano cheese, divided use
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided use
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (use more or less according to taste)
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 lightly packed cups of bite-sized pieces of leafy greens such as baby kale, spinach, chard or escarole
Lemon wedges for serving
Combine the ground meat, bread crumbs, one egg, one-quarter cup of each cheese, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Mix lightly but thoroughly then form mixture into three-quarter-inch balls.
In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in batches and cook, turning frequently, until browned all over, about three to five minutes. If they're a bit pink in the middle don't worry, they will continue to cook in the broth. Set meatballs aside on paper towels to drain. In a large pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and sauté one minute longer. Add the broth and bring to a boil; add the greens, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook another three minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining two eggs and the remaining cheeses in a small bowl and stir with a fork to blend. While stirring soup constantly, slowly pour in the egg mixture. Cover and simmer until eggs are set, about 30 seconds. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with lemon wedges alongside. Makes six servings.
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
