A couple of weeks ago it was stock, now it's just straight up soup. One of my favorite things about fall is that it's soup season, just throw everything into one big pot and let it simmer for a while and you're done. Easy, right? The easiest soup I've ever made is the one I made last night which I hadn't made in a long time but I have about 42 28 oz cans of tomatoes in my pantry and I really need to use them up.
How did I wind up with 42 28 oz cans of tomatoes? There's a grocery store local to me that gives gas points for buying bundles of things, for example buy 5 cans of tomatoes and get 20 points, which equals 20 cents off per gallon. From that particular deal we wound up with 50 cans of tomatoes and had $2.00 off per gallon. We haven't actually paid at the pump for gas in about a year but I have a ton of tomatoes to go through and I don't want to just make sauce with them because from another deal we still have 27 jars of sauce (and we eat pasta once a week...did I mention the 15 bags of gnocchi I still have in the freezer?).
So...this soup recipe calls for a single 15 oz. can but since all I have are huge cans I just doubled everything else in the recipe. I found it in a Betty Crocker "Simple Soups and Breads" recipe booklet I bought at the cash register of some store years ago. You'll need
1 2lb loaf of Velveeta, cubed (yes really and trust me on this one)
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 15 oz cans of corn, drained
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and chili peppers, undrained
2 cups of milk
Throw everything in a pot over medium-low heat, stir it frquently and as soon as the Velveeta is smooth and melted you're good. No, really, it's that simple. The only thing is that it takes a loooong time for the Velveeta to melt (about 20 minutes for the double batch I made last night) but, honestly, that's it. One tweak for my family is that I used plain tomatoes because that's what I had on hand and my husband and son spiced theirs up with Red Hot sauce but that was just as well because my younger daughter won't eat anything even remotely spicy hot. She crumbled corn bread in hers. These amounts made 8 servings and I have some left over for lunch today (it's really good the next day, IIRC...we'll see!).
So, that's it and it's gluten free, too, if you're concerned. What's your go-to easy soup? Comments are open...have a great day!
No comment on the Velveeta, but it does sound tasty :)
ReplyDeleteMy goto soup:
Wake up in the morning in a resentful mood. Realize that on a better day, you actually did wash the slowcooker sleeve. Into slowcooker, put one bag of dried lentils and enough beef or vegetable broth, usually from a can (depending on current level of kitchen kashrut) to double or triple volume of lentils. Cut your finger on the can lip and curse. Get dressed and leave. As you start your car, remember that you forgot to turn on slowcooker. Go back into apartment and turn it on.
Eight or nine hours later -- hopefully your day has improved -- come home and realize that wearing a bandage on your finger while typing all day was worth it. Open slowcooker. Add cumin or curry powder. Dish yourself out a bowl and wait for it to cool because you will have to lecture tomorrow and a burnt tongue sucks. If you used vegetable broth, stir in some sour cream and top with cheese of your choice. If you used beef broth, top with tabasco. Sit on the sofa and slowly allow the warmth to seep into your soul.
This amount in a standard slowcooker is usually enough for about 3 evening meals for me, a big eater.
Oh, and did I mention I LOVE gnocchi?
ReplyDeleteI love gnocchi, too, which is a good thing considering how much we have, lol! And you make soup the same way I do! That sounds really good, I'm going to have to try that, thanks!
DeleteHow do you make them? My favorite ways are sage / brown butter / parmesan; or gorgonzola sauce.
ReplyDelete[Servetus -- your comment verification is driving me a little crazy!]
I love them with just olive oil, garlic and romano but we always have red sauce on the side for the kids. Thanks for letting me know about the comment verification, I didn't know it was there...will change it now!
Delete