Soup's On!

When it's cold out, there's nothing more comforting than a large pot of homemade soup. Check out the Simple Potato Soup, the Red Lentil Soup With Lemon, or any of the other soups in today's post. Enjoy!

CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP

This is from The Mayo Clinic Diet.

Serves 6; Serving size: 1 1/3 cup.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons thyme leaves or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt-free lemon-pepper seasoning

32 ounces low-sodium vegetable broth

6 cups frozen broccoli, chopped

6 tablespoons plain, fat-free Greek yogurt

Instructions

Heat oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium to high heat.

Add onion and cook for about 4 minutes, until soft and translucent.

Add garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes and lemon pepper, cooking for an additional minute.

Add vegetable broth and broccoli. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 8 to 9 minutes, until broccoli is tender.

Remove soup from the heat. Puree in batches in a blender until smooth.

Top each serving with a tablespoon of yogurt.

Nutritional Information: Amount per serving: Calories: 90; Total fat: 3 g; Saturated fat: 0 g; Sodium: 135 mg; Total carbohydrate: 12 g; Dietary fiber: 6 g; Protein: 6 g

WEIGHT WATCHERS SLOW-COOKER SOUP

This was from a Weight Watchers email at least ten years ago. Each serving is about 1 cup.

Ingredients

10 oz baby spinach leaves

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 medium celery ribs, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium garlic clove, minced

4 C vegetable broth

28 oz canned diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed

Directions

Place all ingredients in slow cooker; cover & cook on high for 5 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir, & serve.

Note: If you need the soup fast, simply add prepped ingredients in a large pot on stovetop. Bring to boil & then reduce heat to low; simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.

RED LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON

This comes from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This is a lentil soup that defies expectations of what lentil soup can be. It is light, spicy and a bold red color (no murky brown here): a revelatory dish that takes less than an hour to make. The cooking is painless. Sauté onion and garlic in oil, then stir in tomato paste, cumin and chile powder and cook a few minutes more to intensify flavor. Add broth, water, red lentils (which cook faster than their green or black counterparts) and diced carrot, and simmer for 30 minutes. Purée half the mixture and return it to the pot for a soup that strikes the balance between chunky and pleasingly smooth. A hit of lemon juice adds an up note that offsets the deep cumin and chile flavors.”

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 45 minutes.

This was featured in “A Lentil Soup to Make You Stop, Taste and Savor”, and can be viewed online here.

The Times has two more links with this recipe that come in handy: “How to Make Soup,” a guide by Samin Nosrat and “How to Cook Beans,” a guide by Melissa Clark. Both of these are extremely helpful when making homemade soup and/or cooking beans. I highly recommend both.

Note: This recipe originally called for 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth. For obvious reasons, I've limited it to the veggie broth.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch of ground chile powder or cayenne, more to taste

1 quart vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 cup red lentils

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

ITALIAN WHITE BEAN AND KALE SOUP

This recipe is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Add a slice of crusty bread and a tossed salad to this soup for a quick, satisfying cold-weather meal.

“To make the soup without the Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, simply substitute two 15-ounce cans whole tomatoes for the slow-roasted tomatoes and water used.”

View this online at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/italian-white-bean-and-kale-soup-recipe/.

Servings 4

Ingredients

10 thawed Slow-Roasted Tomatoes (1 cup)

1 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)

6 oz. lacinato kale, coarsely chopped

1 cup cooked white beans

Directions

Blend tomatoes with 2 cups water in blender or food processor until smooth (you should have about 3 cups); set aside.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until translucent. Add tomato purée and 4 more cups water, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Add kale and white beans; cook 10 minutes more, or until kale is tender. Serve drizzled with oil.

VEGAN FENNEL AND PUMPKIN POTAGE

This recipe from Vegetarian Times begins, "Potage is the French term for a thick, blended soup that’s usually served at the start of a meal. A single potato gives this vegan pumpkin potage recipe a rich, creamy texture — without the cream. Fennel gives the soup a sophisticated, anise-like flavor that compliments the rich pumpkin and a bit of tomato paste keeps things from getting too heavy.

"While we can certainly imagine setting down to a big bowl of this on a chilly evening and enjoying it all on its own, it certainly shines as intended, as the first course of an elevated cold-weather dinner menu. Consider serving it for a harvest-time gathering before the lentil-nut loaf and butternut lasagna hit the table."

Makes 6 servings.

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/fennel-pumpkin-potage/.

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1-1/2 cups)

1 medium bulb fennel, trimmed, fronds reserved, cut into 1-inch chunks (1-1/2 cups)

1/4 cup white wine

2 cups pumpkin purée or canned pumpkin

1 medium Yukon gold potato (5 oz.), peeled and cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 Tbs. tomato paste

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Directions

Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until beginning to turn deep brown, stirring occasionally. Add white wine, and stir to deglaze pan, scraping up any browned, stuck-on bits.

Stir in 4 cups water, pumpkin purée, potato, garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and 3 cups water. Season with 1 tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper, if desired. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, or until potatoes and fennel are very tender.

Purée soup in batches in blender or food processor until smooth, adding more water or broth if necessary to obtain desired consistency. Reheat as needed, and serve garnished with fennel fronds.

SIMPLE POTATO SOUP

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 4 servings; Time: 30

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter or extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium potatoes, any type, peeled and cut into small cubes

2 large leeks, well washed and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 cups vegetable stock, preferably warmed

1/2 cup cream or milk

Directions

Place the butter or oil in a large, deep saucepan or casserole and turn the heat to medium. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. (You may prepare the soup in advance up to this point. Cover, refrigerate for up to 2 days, and reheat before proceeding.) Adjust seasoning and serve hot or puree and serve cold.