The Souper-Heroes

Looking for a healthy soup that will keep you full for hours? This is definitely that soup; fiber and protein from the beans and meatballs will leave your belly happy. You should double up on this recipe and make it last the entire week, the pounds will melt off!

We included 3 different types of beans and a splash of lemon to this soup, along half a red pepper from our garden. We like it spicy!

Original Recipe

The Souper Heroes Recipe

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 yellow onions, finely chopped

5 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped

4 medium celery stalks, finely chopped

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp dried rosemary (or fresh)

4 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp minced garlic

8 cups chicken broth

One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

One 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

One 15-ounce can pink beans, rinsed and drained

12 ounces (about 2 bunches) chopped Kale

1 1/2 lb ground Italian turkey, rolled into bite-size meatballs

Makes 8 Servings

Instructions

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a 4- to 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, rosemary, and a generous couple pinches of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 seconds. 

Add the broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sausage meatballs, and cook, flipping about halfway through, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Add the kale to the soup; cook 1 minute, then add the meatballs (discarding any of the rendered fat and oil), beans, lemon juice and remaining salt/pepper to taste; cook for 4 more minutes to meld the flavors.

This is a pretty easy throw together recipe. We like to look in the pantry for any leftover cans and make this tasty dinner! This particular day we made our own Beef Broth, which I highly recommend!

We usually dice up a few potatoes for this soup, but we planned on freezing a lot of it and potatoes don't tend to do well in the freezer. 

The Souper Heroes Recipe

8 to 10 cups beef broth

1.5 lb Beef for Stew

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can green beans

1 can chickpeas or pink beans (optional)

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Parsley

1 tsp Basil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional for heat)

3 tsp salt

3 tsp pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Pasta of your choice - we like elbow chifferi

Makes 8 Servings

Instructions

Sautee the garlic and onion with 2 tbsp olive oil until onions are slightly clear.

Throw in beef and cook until meat just turns brown.

Toss everything into a crock-pot and cook 6 hours on high or 8 hours low. ** If you don't have a crock-pot, a normal soup pot will do - bring everything to a boil and cook covered on medium until the carrots are nice and soft, about 80 minutes.

Optional - Before serving, find the chunks of meat and shred them with a fork so you get a bit of meat in each spoonful of soup.

Cook pasta according to box before serving and pour soup over.

Home Made Broth

There really is nothing quite like home made broth. We make broth all the time when we want a big batch of soup, and it tastes AMAZING.

If you ever find yourself with leftover chicken or turkey bones, say from thanksgiving or a good dinner, don’t throw them away!

Let’s break it down:

CrockPot Beef Broth

Ingredients:

6 Marrow Bones (1.5 lbs) You may have to ask your meat section for these, my grocery store is more than happy to make me a package when they’re out!

8 to 10 cups of water (enough to fill your crock pot 3/4 full)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 tsp minced garlic

1 small onion

2 bayleaves

Toss it all in and set the crock-pot on low for 8 to 10 hours. Do it before you go to bed and wake up to the delicious smell of flavorful broth!

Once it’s done cooking, drain and discard the vegetables and bones using a sifter. Your broth should now be clear and smelling amazing. Pour it back into your crock-pot and start adding ingredients for a soup!

CrockPot Chicken/Turkey Broth

This one is even EASIER and a favorite of ours. We usually buy an already cooked rotisserie chicken, enjoy dinner, then pick off any remaining meat, tuck that away and use the bones to make soup.

Ingredients:

Chicken or Turkey bones, meat picked off

8 to 10 cups water

That’s it! You could of course add a cup of carrots or celery like in the beef broth, but chicken or turkey broth gets a lot of the flavor from the fat left over on the bones. 

David's friend Sean gave us this delicious recipe, and it is quite an indulgent treat!! We swooned over the creamy mushrooms and brie. A little goes a long way, too, as it's a very filling soup!

This soup can be made with lighter fat ingredients, but one cup is about 325 calories so I say that's a great win for the taste!

I added some replacement choices for the ingredients because we couldn't find cream sherry anywhere, and the shallots were almost sold out too!

The Souper Heroes Recipe

2 cups cream sherry (can use 2 & 1/2 cups white cooking wine as a replacement)

1/4 cup margarine, cubed

1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms (such as shiitake, cremini and oyster)

8 shallots, finely chopped (can replace with 2 medium yellow onions and 1/2 tsp garlic powder if shallots are hard to find!)

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups beef broth

1 round (8 ounces) Brie cheese, rind removed, cubed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Makes 8 Servings

Instructions

Place sherry in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add mushrooms and shallots; saute until tender. Add parsley and lemon juice.

Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth and reduced sherry.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in cheese until melted. Add the cream, salt and pepper; heat through (do not boil).

Soup Filled With Love

This Valentine's Day, surprise your loved ones with a hearty soup! Heart shaped carrots are a cute addition to any soup, and cutting up just one carrot in heart shapes will assure at least one in every bowl.

It's pretty simple to do!

First, clean and peel the skin off a thick carrot.

Cut a V-shaped slit into the middle of your carrot.

Using a potato peeler, start shaving down the lower half of the carrot into into a point to form the bottom of the heart. Then shave the V-cut you made earlier, rounding the edges to form the top of the heart.

It doesn't have to be perfect, when the carrot cooks it will soften the edges. 

Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Not too thin, or else the hearts will become soft and fall apart in your soup.

Full of flavor and quite filling, this wonton soup is a killer recipe! It's very easy to make too; the original recipe says 15 minutes. We really didn't change much, already a winning soup and pairs great with some warm sake!

You could easily omit the noodles to make it healthier! The wontons provide ample food. We used frozen potstickers and they soaked up a lot of the broth overnight, but they didn't fall apart or become too soggy.

Original Recipe

The Souper Heroes Recipe

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 Tbsp sesame oil

½ Tbsp sambal oelek (Replace with sriracha and a hint of garlic powder if you can't find this ingredient!)

18 oz (about 18) frozen dumplings or potstickers

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

6 oz raw baby baby spinach

8 oz rice noodles, prepared according to package instructions

Makes 6+ Servings

Instructions

In a large pot over high heat, bring chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, sesame oil and sambal oelek to a boil, stirring occasionally.

One boiling, add frozen dumplings/potstickers, mushrooms, and baby spinach to the boiling broth and simmer for 3-5 minutes until dumplings are warmed through and spinach is wilted and mushrooms are tender.

Divide noodles between four bowls and cover with equal parts of the wonton soup.

Bonus soup for this week!

I wasn't quite sure what beet soup would taste like. I've only ever had beets when I juiced and I know they are incredibly healthy in more ways than one. The result was very similar to potato soup - in fact, if I had this with my eyes closed I would probably guess the same. However, the color is VIBRANT! 

I used a potato peeler to remove the rough outer layer off of the beets. Use gloves when doing this, the beet color will rub off on your hands.

Benefits of eating beets:

Lower your blood pressure

Boost your Stamina (nature's viagra!!)

Fight inflammation

Anti-Cancer Properties

Rich in nutrients - vitamin C, fibers, potassium, manganese, vitamin B

Detox Support

So go ahead and try this recipe if you love beets or want to eat a super healthy, filling soup.

Original Recipe

The Souper Heroes Recipe

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium chopped onion

4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 medium beets, peeled and halved

1 medium potato, peeled and halved crosswise

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon lemon juice

8 teaspoons reduced-fat sour cream

Makes 4+ Servings

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.

Add broth, water, salt, pepper, beets, potato, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until beets and potato are tender.

Discard bay leaf. Place one-third broth mixture in blender or food processor; process until smooth.

Place puréed mixture in a large bowl. Repeat procedure twice with remaining broth mixture. Return pureed mixture to pan.

Warm soup over low heat for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice.

Combine 1/2 cup soup and the sour cream, stirring with a whisk. Divide soup evenly among each of 8 bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream mixture; swirl sour cream mixture using the tip of a knife.

That Onion Smell...

If you're anything like me, you love onions in almost everything, but that onion smell can really linger! To keep it off your hands, wear clean kitchen gloves while cutting. 

If you don't have cleaning gloves and your hands are seemingly forever oniony, you can also rub some baking soda and water to scrub off the scent. 

Yum yum, we love a good tortellini dinner! This is a fantastic blend of italian spices and cheesy tortellini, but you can also use mushroom tortellini to make it a lighter meal!

We added Kale to any leftovers, which is easy enough to do: Bring the soup to a boil, add Kale and let cook for 5 minutes. 

Original Recipe

The Souper Heroes Recipe

1 lb lean ground beef

1 medium sweet onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 cup diced carrots

2 32oz box low sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

1 can original Rotel tomatoes

1 can green beans (low sodium)

2 & 1/2 tbs. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 generous tbs. tomato paste

19 oz package cheese or mushroom tortellini

Makes 6+ Servings

Instructions

In a large soup pot, start browning your ground beef, chopping it up as it along the way. Cook until it begins to brown, still red in some places, then drain excess water.

Throw in your onion and garlic and let it cook for about 2 minutes.

Next add the carrots. Keep tossing it around until the onions are opaque and the meat is cooked through.

Pour in the chicken broth, water, tomatoes, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper, garlic powder and tomato paste.

Bring to a boil, then let it simmer together for 30 minutes.

After simmering for 30 minutes add the tortellini and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the tortellini is cooked through.

Optional Kale: Add 2 cups Kale with the tortellini and this soup will be full of vitamins and healthy goodness.

This soup is a fantastic for those of us who want a lighter, healthier creamy soup. It’s a great recipe to prepare at lunch and eat around dinner. I used a crock pot liner so I didn’t have to clean out my crock pot afterwords, and it worked like a charm!

We used chicken thighs for our version and added some red pepper, but chicken breasts are definitely less fatty. This soup will keep better if you cut up fresh vegetables instead of frozen, but sometimes we just can't find that extra time!

If you want to splurge for a super creamy chicken soup, use 1 & 1/2 cups heavy cream instead, regular egg noodles, and around 4 chicken thighs.

Original Recipe

The Souper Heroes Recipe

1 package frozen vegetable mix (stir fry or California)

1 cup frozen corn

3/4 cup frozen green peas

1 zucchini, sliced

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 (14 oz) cans fat-free chicken broth

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 cups uncooked egg noodles (large size) - use No Yolks to reduce cholesterol!

1 & 1/2 cup fat free half-and-half (add more for thicker soup)

1/2 tbsp dried parsley

2 tbsp margarine (optional)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper (add more to taste)

Makes 4 Servings

Instructions

Coat 4 1/2-quart CROCK-POT® slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, or use a slow-cooker liner (pictured). Place all vegetables, in bottom. Add chicken, garlic, broth and thyme. 

Cover; cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Remove chicken and shred (use a mixer, it’s super fast!). Replace chicken and stir it all up.

Stir in remaining ingredients - margarine, salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook 5 minutes before serving. If you'd like more broth in this soup, add a cup of water or broth.

Now for the Noodles! Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add noodles and cook for 8 minutes. Keep noodles separate from soup if saving leftovers, they will get soggy overnight.

We tried a new Thai restaurant recently and ordered this soup (yes, we even order soup when dining out!). It was unlike anything we've had before and David couldn't get enough, so we set out to make it!

I wouldn't have imagined that coconut and lime mix so well together in a warm soup. Originally called Tom Kha Gai soup, we substituted ingredients so this can be made with things found in more grocery stores.

For vegetarian/vegans, just substitute the chicken with double the mushrooms or tofu & chicken broth for vegetable broth, omit the fish sauce and you have a delicious soup!

Pour over some cooked rice for an extra filling meal~

Original Recipe

The Souper Heroes Recipe

2 tbsp lemon grass paste (or 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, tough outer layers removed)

One 1" piece ginger, peeled

1 tablespoon lime zest and 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 & 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into very thin pieces.

8 ounces shiitake, oyster, or maitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into bite-size pieces

One 13.66 oz can coconut milk

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup rice of your choice

Makes 8 Servings

Instructions

Using the back of a knife, lightly smash lemongrass (if using fresh) and ginger; cut lemongrass into 4" pieces.

Bring lemongrass, ginger, lime zest, lime juice, and broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. Strain broth into clean saucepan; discard solids.

Add chicken and return to a boil. Reduce heat, add mushrooms, and simmer, skimming occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rice according to bag instructions.

After mushrooms and chicken are fully cooked, mix in coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar.

Pour soup over 1/4 cup of rice and enjoy!

Knowing When to 'Stock' Up!

When you see a deal like this, take advantage! Many grocery stores offer bogo deals or coupons for stocks and broths. We emptied the shelves with this deal, because we'll obviously be making soups for a while and the boxes take months to expire!

Cans last even longer, although we try to avoid canned foods because of the chemicals in the metal lining.

My favorite soup around winter is Panera’s Autumn Squash soup, so I was pretty upset when I found out last Friday that it’s gone for the year. We were destined to find a copycat recipe, and luckily this one hit it dead on! If you’ve never tried butternut squash soup, you’ll be in for a surprise. It has a sweet, buttery taste with a kick of heat at the end. The heat doesn’t linger so there’s no buildup while you eat, which makes this soup fantastic for all palates!

I was stunned to find out that this soup had no butter or added sugar in it! It tastes so sinfully good, which makes this soup a great cheat meal for when you need a sweet dinner.

This recipe takes more time if you’re using fresh squash, which is what we ended up doing. We used a peeler to remove the skin and that required a lot of patience. Cutting these up also takes some muscle. Most grocery stores have frozen squash available in the freezer aisles, which works just as well!

Original Recipe

The Souper Heroes Recipe

2 Butternut squash, about 4 pounds total (use pre-cut frozen squash if you can find it in your grocery store!)

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 small chopped onions

3 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 cup thinly sliced carrot

1 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeno pepper (we have jalapeno pepper powder and used ¼ tsp of that instead) *Remove the seeds to make it less spicy.

4 cups chicken stock

½ cup heavy cream (substitute half and half for a less fat version)

Makes 8 Servings

Instructions

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Peel the squash and cut into 1 inch pieces.

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the carrot, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, and then add squash, jalapeno pepper, and chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15- 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove from the heat and puree the soup using a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to the heat, add the cream and nutmeg and stir.

Shredding Meat

This one is a family recipe, so it's a Soupremacy original! It's very easy with few ingredients and chopping to do.

Some great additions to this soup would be pink beans or chickpeas for added protein if you don't want to use sausage. We used ground turkey sausage and it was fantastic, but feel free to substitute with ground beef or chicken!

We also added Kale to get something green in there. I know we're big advocates of Kale in soups but it really is a super food and worth getting into every meal!

The Souper Heroes Recipe:

1 lb ground turkey sausage (or beef or chicken, your choice!)

1 medium onion, cut into long slices

1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 cans seasoned diced tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp italian seasoning

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional for heat)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 15oz can beef broth (substitute with vegetable for vegetarian!)

1 can of water (use tomato can)

1 1/2 cups dry pasta

2 cups Kale (optional)

Makes 4 servings.

Instructions

In a large soup pot, add 2 tbsp olive oil and saute garlic and onions for about 1 minute.

Add turkey sausage and cook until brown. (!! If using beef, cook beef separately, drain, then add. Beef has a lot more fat and water which should be drained properly to make this a healthier soup)

Add 2 cans tomatoes undrained, beef broth, 1 can of water, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 45 minutes.

Add pasta and (optional) kale and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

This soup may not appear the most appetizing, but we were huge fans after one bite!! It’s incredibly healthy and our version adds a kick of spices as well, so tone down the pepper if you’re not into the heat.

The onions cook down and completely disappear in this soup, and if you’re adding turkey it will tone down the smell of cooking cabbage (farts…it smells like farts). Cabbage is seriously good for you though, and if you’re never tried cabbage soup…this is the one to get you hooked!

Original Recipe

The Souper Heroes Recipe

1 savoy cabbage (the leaves are squiggly!)

1 can chickpeas

2 small onions

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 32 oz Vegetable broth

1 15 oz can Chicken broth (substitute Vegetable if vegetarian!)

4 tbsp olive oil total (3 for soup, 1 for turkey)

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 & 1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional if you like heat!)

1 package smoked turkey sausage (optional)

Makes 4 servings.

Instructions:

Remove outer leaves from the savoy cabbage, cut off bottom hard stem, wash and chop into 1/2 inch cubes.

Peel the onions, halve and cut into thin strips.

Heat up 3 tbsp oil in a pan and add garlic and onions. Saute until onions appear clear.

Add the savoy cabbage and the chickpeas, both broths and all dry ingredients. Simmer covered for 45 minutes.