Super Simple Soups

11/5/2020 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

Every year when autumn leaves begin to fall, I pull out my soup recipes from their summer hiatus hiding and decide which one to choose. It’s sort of like a treasure hunt as I’m looking for old friends. So many choices. Where to begin? I narrow down the choices by deciding if I want a meat based treat or something vegetarian.

Soup is as old as the hills and  probably goes back to the caveman days when people threw whatever they had into a kettle and cooked it over an open fire. Later generations discovered that a few herbs made the food taste better and it’s been a staple meal ever since.

Every nation has its own special soups. China has Egg Drop Soup. It’s French Onion Soup in France. Miso Soup in Japan. White Bean Soup in Cuba. Butternut Squash Soup is the choice in North Africa. Borshch or Beetroot Soup is a favorite in Russian. And the varieties continue all over the world.

Just for fun, I Googled the top five best selling soups in America and they are as follows:
Chicken Noodle Soup
Tomato Soup
Clam Chowder
Potato Soup (that surprised me!)
Minestrone (another surprise).

Now, I don’t know about you, but for me, soup preparation can be an all day process. I usually start with sautéing onions, celery and carrots for the broth base and go from there. Sometimes it’s a tomato base other times it’s a creamy base. But almost always I’m building the ingredients layer by layer and sometimes, hour by hour.

So, I started collecting what I call “Super Swift Soup” recipes for those times when I don’t have time. I usually find such recipes on pasta packages or cans unless I happen to cut one out of a magazine. They’re hard to find but I have three that I’m going to share with you today. The chili soup is mine.

CHICKEN or TURKEY NOODLE EXPRESS
A Swanson recipe

2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) Chicken Broth (3 1/2 cups)
Generous dash pepper
1 medium carrot, sliced (1/2 cup)
1 cup cubed, cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 cup uncooked medium egg noodles
1 stalk celery, sliced (1/2 cup)

Mix broth, pepper, carrot and celery in medium saucepan.
Heat over medium high heat; bring to a boil.
Stir in noodles. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add turkey and heat through. Serves 4

NOTE: I find these portions a little skimpy. So I would double this recipe.

SHORTCUT MINESTRONE SOUP
A Barilla Recipe

Keep it classic with marinara or mix it up
with other pasta sauce flavors like tomato basil or roasted garlic.

1 (14 oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 (23 oz) jar marinara sauce
5 cups water (more as needed)
1 can 12 oz cut green beans
1 can drained and rinsed white beans
4 ounces small pasta (or tortellini)
Lemon pepper

Heat the frozen vegetables in a large saucepan.
Add the marinara sauce and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil.
Stir in green beans, white beans and pasta. Add more water if needed.
Cook until pasta is done, about 5 minutes.
Top with pepper and parmesan cheese.
Serves 6  

SUPER SWIFT CHILI BEAN SOUP

1 pound ground meat or less (beef, turkey or whatever)
1 medium onion, diced
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
2-3  cups water
1 can tomatoes
1 can chili beans
1 small can corn
1 can diced green chilies
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano

Saute meat and onions. Drain excess fat.
Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil.
Turn down heat and simmer 2 hours or longer.
Taste for salt and other spices shortly before serving.
Garnish with grated cheddar cheese or sour cream.
Serves 4-5

“Keep it simple and keep it seasonal with Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner”