Crockpot Minestrone

I love this recipe, although it is more like a vegetable soup than a minestrone, in my opinion. Don't leave out the zucchini, they are the best part.

Also, thank you for putting up with a ton of food posts from me.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
• extra Parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)

Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, Parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper.Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra Parmesan cheese.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

My gouda! Jayson said that this was his favorite soup ever! In fact, he ranked it as the best dinner we've had in the last 2 weeks. The kids compared it to their favorite soup at Panera, and actually said it was better. But that's probably because my kids always say nice things about dinner.

I didn't take a picture until it was almost gone. Oops! Guess we'll have to make it again.

what's in it?

2 bunches of fresh broccoli [cut and chop the tops]
4 cups chicken broth

2 cup of shredded carrots

1 onion [chopped]
2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

2 cups half and half 

6 TBSP all purpose flour
6 TBSP butter

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp dried basilsalt and pepper, to taste

1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, plus plenty extra for topping [freshly grated]

2 cups of regular gouda cheese [freshly grated, rind removed]

get cooking!Add your broth to a pot on medium-high heat, add your 2/3 of your broccoli [about 2 cups of florets] as well as your carrots, onion, garlic, and bay leaf.  Simmer on medium, covered, for about 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are tender. 

Once the broth is done, start your roux.  In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, whisking constantly.  Once melted, slowly add 6 tablespoons of flour as you continue to whisk.  Remove from heat and slowly pour in the broth from your veggie mixture  and stir to incorporate.  Next pour in the veggies and slowly stir in 2 cups of half and half.  Return to the burner on very low heat, uncovered.   Spoon out the bay leaf and season with the herbs and spices, adding a little extra of whichever you like to taste.  Once the soup has warmed back up, stir in the grated cheeses and remove from heat immediately.

Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cans chicken broth (not condensed)

carrots, chopped

celery, thick slices

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tsp oregano

dash of salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts (about 2 cups cut up)

egg noodles

2 tomatoes (or 1 14.5 ounce can tomatoes, cut up)

Chicken Noodle Soup according to kenna:

In a large pan, I pour in the chicken broth, add the carrots, and celery. Then add the onions, and spices. (while I am doing this, I am usually defrosting my frozen chicken in the microwave). I bring the broth to a boil and cook the vegetables and spices, while cutting the chicken in to bite size pieces. When carrots are almost tender, I add the chicken (if I cook the chicken too long in the broth, it dries out. Darn chicken.) I cook the chicken in the broth for about 8 minutes, or until there is no more pink. Then I add the egg noodles (how much always depends on how many I want.) Cook until noodles are tender (as directed on package). Then I blend a tomato in my blender (just pulsed a couple times - not pureed) and add it to the soup (or add the cut up canned tomatoes instead.) I let it simmer just a couple more minutes and serve. This will feed my family full with leftovers, so you'll probably want to half this recipe. Nothing is really specific, I just add what I feel like ;)

Zuppa Toscana

Seriously, this soup is delicious. It does have a taste a little like biscuits and gravy {due to the sausage and cream} but it is fantastic! Took me about an hour start to finish, with just minimal stirring and adding ingredients. If you don’t want to go to all the trouble of making it, you can just buy it at Olive Garden. {Yes, my goal in life is to be able to make everything better than Olive Garden so I never have to overpay for pasta, salad and breadsticks again.}

*Dutch Oven is just a large pan that can fit the soup in it. Use the largest one you have.

Zuppa Toscana

• 1 lb bulk mild Italian sausage
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 5 (13.75 oz) cans chicken broth
• 6 potato, thinly sliced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ bunch fresh spinach or kale

1. Cook the Italian sausage in a Dutch oven* over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

Beef Stew

Today looks like this . . . with a lot of this . . .

so for dinner we had this . . .

Beef Stew

I've been making this recipe for 8 years. It's nice to put it all in the crockpot and come home to a yummy smelling house. {I know, it's a lot of ingredients, but it's not too bad, I promise.}

1 pound stew meat

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 can green beans (you can use fresh if you prefer. I don't)

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp thyme

3 cups beef stock

2 Tbs brown sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

pepper to taste

Put above ingredients in a slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours, until beef is tender and potatoes are fork tender.

About 30 minutes before serving, transfer a ladleful of broth to a small mixing bowl. Add:

3 Tbs flour

2 tsp tomato paste

With a whisk, stir until smooth. Stir mixture into stew and cook for remaining 1/2 hour. Makes 6 -8 servings.