Caroline
Spring is barely two months away. What does that mean? It means we’re in full-on panic mode to get the most out of soup season before the sun begins to melt us again and all we’ll want to eat is ice cubes.
We thought we’d share some easy favorites we’ve tested more than enough times in case you’re in a cooking rut this week. Soup it up.
My soup du jour is the minestrone soup from Skinnytaste. It’s simple, healthy, and not weird so everyone at your table will enjoy it. Some things she recommends that I would like to echo…
1. The parmesan rind definitely adds something. Don’t skip that. In fact, adding those to tomato based soups is always a good idea. You can freeze the rind and then add them when you have a recipe that could use it.
2. Cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup when you’re ready to eat. I’ve found that anytime I add pasta directly to a soup, it turns out not so great, no matter what I do. Maybe you’re more competent than me and can do a better job. I salute you.
3. If you try to avoid gluten for health or Gwyneth reasons like I do, this brand is a good one and does well in recipes that call for pasta.
Kat
These are my confessions: I’ve gotten very into lentils lately. Whew. Glad that’s off my chest. They are ridiculously good for you. They are cost effective. And, according to Kirk on Gilmore Girls when he’s studying to play Jesus, “Christ ate a lot of lentils.”
Do you need any more reasons to add these legumes to your diet? I hope not. This chicken and lentil soup also comes courtesy of Skinnytaste. It’s featured in her One and Done cookbook which is probably my favorite cookbook of hers. She makes the soup in a pressure cooker, but I just make it on the stovetop.
Ingredients:
1 pound of green or brown lentils
1 pound of chicken breasts (She uses chicken thighs, but no thank you.)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of sazon seasoning (recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sazon Seasoning
1 T. ground coriander
1 T. cumin
1 T. turmeric
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. salt
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. black pepper
Combine all ingredients, and it will keep for up to six months.
All you do is add all the ingredients to your pot and add 8 cups of water.
Bring it to a boil. Then let it cook covered on medium low heat for 45 minutes.
Now, it’s delicious and healthy and feeds a crowd, but it’s not picture pretty. It’s the Marla Hooch of soups.
So I’m not including a picture of the finished product, but I’m sure if Joey Tribiani tried it he’d say, “mmmm lentil soup.”
Have a souper Monday!
Will need to make both of these!