vegetable soup Archives - Cozy Country Living

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Shannon — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:00:55 +0000

Spring is finally here and I have been doing my best to get in that “Springy” mood, but lets face it…it’s still cold out! Not just a little cold either. A few days this week were snowy and cold! With that, my family and I seem to be taking turns fighting little colds ourselves. I don’t know if it’s because the weather is slightly warmer one day, and then cold, damp and rainy the next, but I would like for us to all feel 100% very soon. Even when the weather finally figures out what it’s doing, allergies will be the next thing to tackle. My remedy for all of the sneezing, coughing and aches and pains? Soup!

This Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup is so easy to make and will comfort you and your loved ones whether they are fighting a cold or not. Cannellini, kidney and fine green beans are cooked hassle free in your slow cooker with carrots, zucchini, spinach, Italian Style tomatoes, celery, onion and garlic in a flavorful broth with bite sized shell pasta for a hearty and healthy meal. This soup is perfect paired with a salad and bread for a simple week night dinner or even for a relaxing, cozy weekend lunch on a rainy Spring afternoon. Topped with freshly grated Parmesan, this soup is sure find a place in on your family’s slow cooker meal menu!

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

6 1/2 cups good chicken or vegetable stock (or homemade)
2 (15 oz.) cans Italian Style diced tomatoes
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 large stalk of celery, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, sliced very thin or chopped very small
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups green beans, chopped into bite sized pieces ( I have used frozen thin green beans and they work great)
1 (15 oz.) can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
1 (15 oz. ) can Red Kidney beans, drained and rinsed well
1 small zucchini, diced small
1 (9 oz.) package frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3/4 cup uncooked small shell pasta
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
rind of Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Saute the onion, carrots and celery in a little olive oil just until softened a bit- even just 5 minutes.
Add all ingredients to your 6 or 7 qt. slow cooker.
Mix well, cover and cook for 6 to 7 hours on High or 10 to 11 hours on Low.
During the last 30 minutes if cooking on High, or last 60 minutes if cooking on Low and add uncooked pasta.
Stir and cover to finish cooking.
Remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and serve hot with a fresh salad and bread.
Serves 6-8.

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Loaded Vegetable Soup

Shannon — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 13:00:22 +0000

After feeling a little under the weather and taking a few days off in the kitchen, I finally felt like myself again yesterday. Bad sinus headaches and a sore throat aren’t fun at all! My children were off from school again because of the frigid below zero temperatures, so we all stayed warm and cozy in our pajamas all day. It was nice not having to venture out into the nasty weather! I used my “backup soup” that I had stored in my freezer when I wasn’t feeling well, so I was in the mood to make another pot of soup. I could eat homemade soup for dinner all week, especially this time of year. My refrigerator was full of vegetables from my last shopping trip, so this Loaded Vegetable Soup was on my to do list.

Fresh carrots, green & red peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, celery, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, potatoes, peas and corn seasoned with basil, salt, pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper, simmer all afternoon in a Dutch Oven, giving you a warm, healthy soup that your family will love.

This Loaded Vegetable Soup is filling on it’s own, but is wonderful with homemade bread or rolls. This recipe makes a lot of soup, so if you don’t want left over soup for lunch the next day (by the way- it’s even better after it sits overnight!) you can freeze the remaining soup for a different day. It’s nice to have a meal stored in the freezer for busy week nights and unexpected illnesses! This veggie packed soup is sure to help anyone with the a case of the sniffles fell better! Enjoy!

Loaded Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

2 - 3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 large carrots, sliced
1/2 bunch of celery with leaves, chopped
2 medium sized onions, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
4 large vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (15 oz.) can Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen fine green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
3 potatoes, scrubbed and diced with skin on
10 cups of water
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 large bay leaves
1/4 cup dried basil (I know that seems like a lot, but it adds so much wonderful flavor to the soup)
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Coat your Dutch Oven or stock pot with olive oil and warm on medium heat.
Start with the carrots and saute your vegetables.
I chop as I go, adding in one vegetable at a time until they are all sauteed while stirring.
After all the vegetables are added, slowly add the water, tomato paste, bay leaves, basil, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper.
Stir, cover and turn heat to low-medium.
Let simmer on your stove top for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Turn off the heat.
Season with more with salt and pepper if you wish.
Serve hot with fresh bread or rolls.
Serves 8 generously.
Tastes even better the next day!
*To Freeze, cool to room temperature and store in plastic freezer friendly bags or a freezer friendly container.

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Double Noodle Chicken Vegetable Soup

Shannon — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 11:31:13 +0000

Last week my children had their first week back to school. It was so nice for everyone to get back into a regular routine. Along with back to school and the changing of seasons, comes allergies:( Last week my allergies were horrible and I needed a little relief. I did end up taking an allergy pill, but when I feel congested I want soup. When the air is crisp and you don’t feel 100%, soup always makes you feel warm and cozy.

I am the kind of mother who only makes 1 dinner, so the soup I was going to make, had to be one that everyone would like. Chicken Noodle Soup is always our “go to” soup, but with a garden full of vegetables, I wanted to load up whatever soup I made with those fresh grown goodies! I don’t know about your children, but mine just love noodles in soup. It’s their favorite part! This Double Noodle Chicken Vegetable Soup has the best of both worlds. It has the comforting Chicken Soup taste, but also has extra noodles, and is still bursting with vegetable flavor from the garden. I knew my whole family would eat this soup with no problem if I cut the vegetables very small, doubled the noodles and of course added chicken. This recipe makes a lot of soup, but I love to freeze the leftovers. It’s always nice to have some extra homemade soup in the freezer when someone comes down with a cold. Nothing is more comforting to a sick family member than a hot bowl of homemade soup!

Double Noodle Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1 Rotisserie Chicken
2 large onions,chopped fine
3 ribs of celery, with leaves, chopped fine
4 large carrots, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced small
1/2 head fresh broccoli, chopped small
1 cup zucchini, shredded
1 red or green pepper, chopped small
1/2 cup peas, frozen
1 good handful fresh parsley, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, smashed
16 cups water
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2-3 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 (12 oz.) package of fine egg noodles, cooked and rinsed with hot water

Instructions

Take a rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and shred the chicken with a fork or your fingers and store in the refrigerator for later.
Set the large chicken bones aside- they will be used in the broth.
In a large stock pot, heat 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil, add the chicken bones and heat for a few minutes.
Add the chopped onion, celery, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, green or red pepper and smashed garlic and parsley, stir and saute about 5 minutes or until fragrant.
Add 16 cups of water.
Stir and add salt, pepper and bay leaves.
Stir well and cover.
Bring to a slow boil and then simmer for about an hour and a half.
Remove all of the chicken bones with a slotted spoon- I like to go over the soup a few times to make sure they are all removed.
Remove the smashed garlic and bay leaves.
Add the shredded chicken, frozen peas, and cooked noodles to the pot and cover until ready to serve.
Serve with fresh bread or a sandwich.
*To freeze, let soup cool to room temperature, then place in a freezer safe, air tight container and freeze.

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Homemade Alphabet Vegetable Soup

Shannon — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:00:25 +0000

I know, I know…soup in the summer? Most people might not think about making soup when the weather becomes warmer, but there is something comforting about soup on a rainy day no matter what the temperature may be. I, along with my children are outdoors a lot when the weather is nice and we suffer from seasonal allergies that make us stuffy and congested this time of year. A hot bowl of soup is soothing when you have been blowing your nose or coughing all day. It has been rainy and damp here lately so I decided to make a big, huge pot of this Alphabet Vegetable Soup. I love the veggies and my children love the alphabet pasta:) This veggie packed recipe does make a ton of soup! I always make this with the intentions of freezing quite a bit of it or serving a large group of people. I love freezing this homemade soup in big mason jars, so if someone does get sick, all I have to do is pull this out of the freezer and warm it up. What your favorite soup to freeze?

Homemade Alphabet Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

8 oz. alphabet pasta, cooked and set aside
1 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped small
1 bag of baby carrots, chopped small
4 celery stalks, chopped small
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
16 cups water
1 Tbsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. seasoned salt
2 Tbsp. beef bouillon
12 oz. bag frozen chopped green beans
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 large potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked separately
2 bay leaves

Instructions

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil on medium high heat and saute the carrots and celery for a few minutes.
Then add the onion and the garlic and saute for a few more minutes.
Add the tomatoes, water, salt, pepper, basil, beef bouillon and bay leaves.
Give it a good stir, cover and bring to a boil.
Turn to low and simmer for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes until just tender, drain and set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions, rinse and set aside.
When the hour is up, add the peas and beans and let simmer for 15 more minutes.
Turn off heat, add the pasta and the potato and stir.
Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the bay leaves and serve with a sandwich or fresh bread.
*If freezing, let the soup cool to room temperature, put in large mason jars, airtight plastic containers or a plastic freezer bag, label and freeze. Make sure you leave room in the container for the soup to expand as it freezes.

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