2 Soups for You!

With Christmas around the corner and winter weather here, there have been parties and soup has been the main course. I have had a few requests for these recipes (Tomato Basil Parm Soup & Stuffed Pepper Soup)  They have been adapted from a variety of recipes and made to fit what I like.

 Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Ingredients
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (14 oz) can Italian style diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ cup flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used the kind already done, that you put on spaghetti)
½ cup butter
1 cup half and half, warmed
1 c. milk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and  leaf to a large slow cooker (Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hour) or in a stock pot and cook until carrots, celery, and onions were tender.
At this point I added all of the vegetables to a blender and blended until smooth. If you prefer a chunkier texture you can leave it as is or even blend just some of it. Return blended veggies back to the slow cooker.
About 30 minutes before serving prepare the roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add the flour. Stir roux constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

 Stuffed Pepper Soup

FYI!!! For this soup I used the leftover Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup to thicken and in place of some of the tomato products suggested

Ingredients

1-2 lb (however meaty you want it!) lean ground beef

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small yellow onion chopped (1 cup)

1 can roasted red peppers

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with onions

1 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5) can beef broth

2 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 cup uncooked long grain white 

Cheddar or mozzarella cheese, for serving (optional)

Directions

In a large pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat, once hot add beef to pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally while breaking up beef, when beef is nearly browned at  onions and garlic until browned. Drain beef and return to pot.

Pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and add parsley, and oregano  then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring just to a light boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.This is where I added in the leftover soup.

While soup simmers, prepare rice according to directions listed on package, then once soup is done simmering stir in desired amount of cooked rice into soup*. Serve warm topped with optional cheese and garnish with fresh parsley.

*For a thinner soup don't add all of the rice and for a thicker heartier soup add it all. Also, if you plan on having it for leftovers the next day then don't add the rice to the pot of soup, just add it to each individual bowl, then reserve the rice in a separate container in refrigerator to add to the soup the next day (otherwise it would turn into mush).