As the temperatures drop and the winds howl, nothing is more comforting than a bowl of soup. Served alone or with a grilled cheese sandwich or piece of bread, soups are a delicious meal perfect for winter. Here are some of our favorite simple winter soup recipes.
Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Left to warm in the slow cooker all day, this soup is easy to pull together and ready as soon as you get home from work. Cooking the pasta ahead of time is a time saver during the evening and keeps the pasta from absorbing all the broth. This is one of the simple winter soup recipes that we have on repeat.
Ingredients:
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
8 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of small pasta (like ditalini, orzo, achini de pepe)
2 cups of spinach, trim off stems and chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Half a package of frozen meatballs (preferred Italian style)
Directions:
1. Place the carrots, celery, onion, chicken broth, bay leaf and meatballs into the slow cooker along with chicken broth.
2. Cover and cook on low for eight hours or high for four.
3. About thirty minutes before serving add uncooked pasta. Alternatively, you can cook the pasta ahead of time, rinse in cold water, and store in the fridge. Then add the pasta into the slow cooker a few minutes before serving to warm.
4. Five minutes before serving, add in spinach. Taste soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper.
5. Remove bay leaf from soup. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Creamy Tortellini and Sausage Soup
Filling and warm, this soup tastes like it has been cooking all day, but is really a quick meal. It stands alone and doesn’t need a side dish.
Ingredients:
Half of a package of cheese tortellini (you can use fresh or frozen)
1 pound of sausage (we prefer Jimmy Dean)
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 cup of fresh spinach, trim stems and chop (if frozen, thawed and squeezed dry)
2 tsp. Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
4 cups of chicken broth
¾ cup of heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Brown sausage. Then add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until softened (about five minutes).
2. Turn the heat down to medium. Add garlic and pepper and cook for one additional minute while stirring.
3. Add chicken broth and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until the carrots are cooked through.
4. Add the heavy cream, spinach, and tortellini. Continue for an additional five minutes or according to the heating directions on the tortellini package. Discard bay leaf.
5. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Serve and enjoy!
Chicken Noodle Soup
This classic is always a light and refreshing lunch or dinner and is great for those days when you aren’t feeling well. Just like the Italian Wedding Soup, if you plan on freezing some soup for later or having leftovers, then cook the noodles separately and just add them into each bowl as needed.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of bone in chicken breast
1 tablespoon of olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
8 cups of chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups of egg noodles or any of your choice
Directions:
1. In a large soup pot on medium heat, add the olive oil.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in soup pot, skin side down and brown.
3. Once the first side is browned, turn and brown the other side.
4. Add chicken broth, onion, celery, carrots, and bay leaf.
5. Bring soup to a boil and then lower heat and cover pot with a lid. Cook for about twenty minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
6. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred breast meat.
7. Return chicken to the pot and add noodles. Cook according to package directions. (If you plan on having leftovers, you can always cook the noodles separately and add them to the individual bowls to keep the noodles from absorbing all the chicken broth. )
8. Remove bay leaf from pot. Taste for seasoning. Serve and enjoy!
