Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Ingredients for Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

• 1 small package frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 onion, chopped
• Stems from one head of broccoli (they may be leftover from the Chicken Cordon Bleu)
• 1 large can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
• 1 can of evaporated skim milk
• 1 can of chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
• Fresh baguette or sourdough bread.

How to Make Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Steam the broccoli stems and the onion in the microwave till tender.
Place the chopped broccoli, the cooked onion and stems, and the broth in the blender.
Blend until mostly smooth.
Put the blended ingredients in a soup pot.
Add the 3 cans of soup and the can of evaporated skim milk.
Heat through till warm. Top with grated cheddar cheese.
Serve with a fresh baguette or sourdough bread.
It disappears fast!

Photo/Virtual Ern on Flickr

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

French Onion Soup

This is a quick and simple version of the traditional French Onion Soup which takes hours to make. It’s hearty enough for a meal. Serve it with a dinner salad.

Ingredients for French Onion Soup:

• 4 cups of beef broth
• ½ cup of white wine
• 4 large sweet onions, sliced
• 4 slices of thick sourdough bread, toasted
• 4 slices of Provolone or Swiss cheese
• 2 cups of spring salad mix
• ½ cucumber sliced
• 1 tomato, cut
• Salad dressing of your choice

Toss together the salad ingredients and place in the refrigerator until dinner is ready.
Cook the onions in ½ cup of the broth until tender. Allow the broth to cook down and brown the onions, about ten minutes.
Divide the onions into four oven-safe bowls.
Mix the remaining broth and wine and heat.
Pour the warm broth mixture over the onions.
Top with a slice of toast and a slice of cheese.
Place under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese.
Nosh on the cheesy soup with a salad.

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Ranch Style Potato Leek Soup

Mixed Green Salad
Crusty French Bread in the Bread Machine

Potato leek soup is a popular winter soup because it is filling and tasty. This recipe takes things a bit further by adding ranch flavor to the mix.

Soup ingredients:

• 6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 leeks, washed and chopped (include the green parts)
• 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of evaporated skim milk
• 1 package of ranch style dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon salt

Bread ingredients:

• Flour
• Butter
• Yeast

Salad ingredients:

• Red leaf lettuce
• Iceberg lettuce
• 1 hard boiled egg, chopped
• ¼ cup of grated cheese, any kind
• 1 tomato, sliced
• ½ cucumber, sliced

In the morning:
Place the potatoes, leeks, broth, milk, ranch style dressing mix, and salt in the crockpot.
Stir together and cook on low 8-10 hours.
Put the ingredients for the bread in the bread machine. Set to the delay bake option.

In the afternoon:
Prepare the salad.
Remove the bread from the machine and allow it to cool a few minutes.
Smash the potatoes and leek with a potato masher before serving.

My family enjoys grated cheese on top of the soup.

Photo/Penguincake on Flickr

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Who would think something so easy could taste so good. Use the broccoli stems from the Chicken Cordon Bleu if you saved them. Otherwise, use 2 packages of chopped broccoli.


Ingredients:

• 1 small package frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 onion, chopped
• Stems from one head of broccoli (they may be leftover from the Chicken Cordon Bleu)
• 1 large can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
• 1 can of evaporated skim milk
• 1 can of chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
• Fresh baguette or sourdough bread.

How to Make Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Steam the broccoli stems and the onion in the microwave till tender.
Place the chopped broccoli, the cooked onion and stems, and the broth in the blender.
Blend until mostly smooth.
Put the blended ingredients in a soup pot.
Add the 3 cans of soup and the can of evaporated skim milk.
Heat through till warm. Top with grated cheddar cheese.
Serve with a fresh baguette or sourdough bread.

Photo/Virtual Ern on Flickr

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Winter Lentil Stew

Lentils come in a variety of colors, any of which are fine for this stew. It will taste the same, the only difference will be the appearance. I make this stew with a chicken broth, but it can be made vegan by using a vegetable broth instead.

Ingredients
1 sweet potato, scrubbed, peeled, and diced
2 parsnips, scrubbed, peeled, and diced
1 turnip, scrubbed, peeled, and diced
1 cup of grated carrots
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup of Italian parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon basil
1 ½ cups of lentils
½ cup of split peas
8 cups of vegetable or low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Rye bread, sourdough, or rolls

How to make Winter Lentil Stew
Cook and stir the vegetables in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over medium high heat until they begin to tenderize, about 5 minutes.
Add the herbs, lentils, split peas, and broth to the pot.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.
Cook 45 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this soup with a hearty rye or sourdough bread to dip in the juice.

Some of the different types of lentils, also called masoor, are shown here.

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Black Bean Soup in the Slow Cooker

Beans are an inexpensive way to add protein and fiber to your diet. In addition, they are low fat and filling. This bean soup cooks all day in the slow cooker to let the flavors develop. Pair it with homemade bread from the bread machine and a salad, and you've got a meal!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of black beans
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• ½ cup grated carrots
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups red leaf lettuce
• ½ cup of cilantro
• 1 chopped tomato
• Croutons
• Salad dressing of your choice
• Flour and yeast for the bread machine

Preparation the night before:
Soak the beans overnight in water.

Preparation in the morning:
Rinse the beans.
Add all the bean soup ingredients to the crockpot.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Place the ingredients for the bread in the bread machine.
Set the machine to delay bake to be ready at dinnertime.

Preparation in the afternoon:
With a potato masher, slightly mash the beans in the soup.
Toss the salad ingredients together.
Take the bread out of the machine. Allow it to cool slightly before slicing.

Enjoy!

Never miss a post. Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Orzo Vegetable Soup with Grilled Ham and Havarti Sandwiches

This is another fast meal for those nights when you're too busy to cook.


Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 quart of vegetable broth
• 1 small package frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 cups of vegetable juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo

Cook the onion and garlic in the oil until tender.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the orzo.
Cook at a simmer until heated through.
Add the orzo and cook for a few minutes longer.

For the ham and havarti sandwiches:

• Whole wheat bread
• Deli sliced ham
• Sliced havarti or cheese of your choice
• Mustard

Place mustard, ham, and cheese between two slices of whole wheat bread.
Grill on the indoor grill or grill in a pan until the cheese is melted.
Cut the sandwiches crosswise into triangles before serving.

Never miss a post! Follow me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.

Check out my recipes as Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Almost Instant Corn and Potato Chowder

When you need a quick soup for a chilly day, this is about as quick as it gets. This recipe makes plenty for four hearty appetites.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 red potatoes, cubed
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped fine
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small package frozen corn (unless you have fresh, then 2 ears will do)
• 2 jars of alfredo pasta sauce
• Skim milk
• Optional: 1 can of chopped clams

Preparation of the corn potato chowder:
Cook the onion, garlic, and celery in the olive oil until just turning tender.
Put the cubed potatoes in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes or until tender.
Add the cooked potatoes, the corn, and the alfredo sauce to the soup pot.
Heat to a low simmer, then add milk to thin it to the consistency you like.
If you want to turn it into a quick clam chowder, add the clams.
Serve this up with a side of dark bread and a salad.

Photo credit: Paul Goyette
 

Get all my recipes by following me on Twitter as @Dinnermagic.
Visit me as the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Yellow Split Pea Soup

Dinner Salad and Sourdough Bread

Ingredients:
1 package of yellow split peas (16 oz.)
4 cups of water
1 cup of baby carrots, peeled
1 onion, chopped
1 can of creamed corn
1 cup of ham, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper
Salad ingredients:
½ head of lettuce
1 tomato, sliced
½ cucumber, sliced

Preparation in the morning:
Place all the soup ingredients in the slow cooker.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Use a potato masher to mash the carrots if you don’t want whole carrots in the soup.

In the afternoon:
Toss the lettuce, tomato, and cucumber to make a salad.
Serve the soup with the salad and sourdough bread spread with herb butter.

Never miss a post. Follow DinnerMagic on Twitter.



More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.

Fish Chowder that Tastes Like New England Clam Chowder

This is the same recipe that is on my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website. It is quite popular because it’s so hearty and filling, and easy to make.

Ingredients for the creamy fish soup
½ pound scallops
½ pound shrimp
1 pound tilapia or cod
Optional: 1 slice of bacon, chopped fine
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of milk
4 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Preparation of the fish chowder
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil in a large pot.
Cook the onions in the butter and oil until just turning translucent.
Add the bacon if desired.
Add the potatoes and stir.
Add 1 cup of chicken broth.
Allow the potatoes to cook for 5 minutes.
Add the seafood and the rest of the broth.
Allow the seafood soup recipe to simmer for 5 minutes while making a white sauce.
To make the white sauce, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a pan.
Using a fork or whisk, stir the flour into the butter.
Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly, until it turns into a creamy white sauce.
Stir the white sauce into the chowder. Add the dill, salt, pepper, and parmesan.
Allow to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve this creamy fish soup in chowder bowls
chowder bowls with crusty bread and a salad.



Follow DinnerMagic on Twitter and never miss a post!