Zuppa Toscana...a Rustic Sausage and Potato Soup!

This is a  very rustic soup, almost a stew that is very much like the one they serve at Olive Garden.  It's hearty, very filling, easy to make, and economical which makes it a big winner in my book.  With some homemade soups you need to start them fairly early in the day, but this one can be ready, start to finish in 45 minutes. 

 Here's what you'll need:

1 lb sausage (Italian or regular breakfast sausage works)

4-5 medium baking potatoes, washed and sliced with skins on (don't slice them too thin or they will break up too much)

3 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes (use 6 of other brands that only make 1 cup of broth)

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 Tbs. minced garlic

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

6-7 cups water ( enough to cover potatoes in the pot)

2 cups half and half

4 cups kale or baby spinach  (I prefer the spinach)

grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for garnishing

Brown the sausage, onion, celery and garlic in a little olive oil.  Scrub the potatoes well and slice with the peels left on.  Add all of the seasonings, the water and the bouillon cubes.  Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are fork tender...maybe 20 minutes!

Add the half and half and stir.  Break up the potatoes some at this point, but not a lot. You want most of them to stay in slices.  Don't let it come back up to a boil, just keep on low heat to heat the cream.  You can add the kale or spinach to the entire pot right before serving if your family all likes the greens. If you have picky eaters, like I do, just place some of the greens in each of the bowls that want them and ladle the hot soup over them.  This cooks them plenty and actually I prefer to do this. 

Garnish each bowl with shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese and  it's best served with breadsticks, crusty bread or even cornbread hoe cakes are really good with it.



Beefy Minestrone!

Classic Minestrone is a thick Italian soup that is sort of a vegetable, bean and pasta soup with Italian seasonings.  It can be made meatless or with meat.  I like this recipe, because it does include ground chuck or beef so it's a bit heartier.  

 I feed men and men in my house  do not think they have eaten without some form of meat involved, but this only uses 1 pound of ground chuck so it stretches a pound of meat pretty far!  This minestrone comes together fairly quickly and is ready in an hour, but the leftovers are even better the next day for some reason. 

 Here is what you will need for this soup:

1 lb. ground chuck

1 medium sweet onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, sliced thin

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 cup carrots, cut in matchsticks

1  (10 oz.) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables

1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups of beef broth

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (I used Red Gold)

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 tsp. Greek seasoning (could substitute seasoned salt)

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. sugar

1 cup small pasta, cooked al dente and drained (I used ditalini, but elbows would work also)

shredded Parmesan cheese

Brown the ground chuck in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.  Add the diced onion, celery and garlic and saute them as the meat browns.  Drain any excess grease if your beef was rather fat.  Leave a little fat though because it lends flavor to your soup.

Add the carrots, mixed vegetables (still frozen), cannellini or great northern beans, beef broth,  tomatoes, tomato sauce, water and all of the seasonings and sugar.  I add a bit of sugar to almost all tomato based soups, because it helps balance the acid and my family likes the flavor better.

If you substitute seasoned salt for the Greek seasoning, you might want to add a bit more basil and oregano, because Greek seasoning contains some Italian seasoning in it.  Just taste it and see if you think it needs more. 

Bring this to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.  If it becomes too thick, add a cup of water.

Add the cooked pasta just right before serving and after you have removed the soup from the heat or place some pasta in each soup bowl and ladle the soup over it.  You do not want the pasta to cook more after added to the soup, because it becomes overcooked and to soft and will absorb the liquid in the soup.    Sprinkle each bowl with Parmesan cheese, if desired or let each person garnish their own.  This is really good served with these Homemade Breadsticks  or Buttery Garlic Knots!







Ten Amazing and Easy Soups!

 

 

Since January is National Soup Month, I decided to bring 10 of our favorite and most popular soup recipes all together in one place to make it easy to find them when you want a good soup for that cold winter day!  These are all inexpensive to make and several of them can be made in the slow cooker also!

 

 



Just click on the name of the recipe below the picture to go to the recipes for each.  Let me know which ones are your family favorites!

 

Beefy Vegetable Soup

 

 

Unstuffed Pepper Soup

 

 

Chicken Fajita Soup

Silky Chicken Noodle Soup

 

Cheesy Potato Soup!

  

Senate White Bean Soup

 

Pasta Fagioli

 

White Chicken Chili!

  

Zuppa Toscana!

 

 

Beef Stew!

 



Pasta Fagioli...a delicious Italian soup just like Olive Garden!

I love Italian food, next to just good southern food, it's probably my favorite to both cook and eat.  Unfortunately, in our city, which is actually very diverse to be in southern Kentucky, we lack what I would call good authentic Italian restaurants...you know those owned and ran by Italians.   We do have Olive Garden, which I realize is not what you would call authentic Italian, but I still really love it.   However, my family does not love it.  My husband and my son, when he lived at home, didn't like to eat there.  The only time I ate there was with my co-workers.  We usually went at lunchtime and we loved to get their unlimited soup and salad special.  The pasta fagioli was always a favorite.  I actually get cravings for this soup.  So, one day I decided to replicate it at home. 

 There were some copycat recipes on the internet and I just started experimenting with them and adapted them until I think I got it down.   The really funny thing is, my husband loves this pasta fagioli that I make at home, but says he doesn't like it at Olive Garden...makes no sense to me, but I will tell you what I think is the key difference as I go through the steps of making it.

I made this batch in the slow cooker, but you can make it just as easily in a dutch oven or soup pot on the stove.   I also used ground beef, but if you like a little more spice you can use  half ground beef and half Italian sausage.  

 Here is what you will need:

1 1/2 - 2 lb. ground chuck

1 20 oz. jar of Spaghetti sauce ( I used Ragu Basil and Sundried Tomato, which is so good in this)

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning

4 beef bullion cubes

1 medium onion diced

1 Tbs. minced garlic

2 cups sliced celery (about 4 large stalks)

2 cups carrots cut in matchstick pieces or diced (about 4 carrots)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil  (or 2 tsp. dried)

1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano  (or 2 tsp. dried)

1 15 oz. can white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini)

1 15 oz can light red kidney beans

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. brown sugar (this is the secret ingredient I add that Olive Garden probably doesn't)

dash of Tabasco (optional, leave it out if you don't like a little heat)

6 cups of water

8 oz. ditalini pasta (can use elbow macaroni if you can't get the ditalini, Bertolli makes a ditalini pasta)

Shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese for garnish

Brown the ground beef (ground beef and Italian sausage, onion and  minced garlic in a skillet.  Drain any excess grease.

Slice the celery and cut the carrots into matchsticks.  You can purchase the carrots already cut like this if you short on time.

Place the ground beef in the slow cooker you have sprayed with nonstick spray for easier cleanup.  Place the vegetables over the beef.

Add the spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, beans, all of the herbs and seasonings to the slow cooker and give it a stir.   Add the bullion cubes and additional water and stir again.  Set for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.  You won't need to do anything until the time is up.  Prepare your pasta according the package directions minus 1 minute of cooking.   Drain it and either add it to the soup or place 1/2 cup in a soup bowl and pour the hot soup over it.   I like to serve it like this because the pasta stays al dente.  With the left overs, I just add the remainder of the pasta to the soup  and mix to store in the refrigerator.

I like to sprinkle the top of the soup with shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese and serve with hot bread sticks.

  

Cooking tip:  I add brown sugar to this and to most any Italian red sauce I cook I add just a pinch of brown sugar or white sugar.  It sort of cuts the tartness of the tomato sauce and I think it's why my husband and son like my Italian food better than some others they have eaten.  It's not all that noticeable to anyone who doesn't know it, but you can tell when it's left out.