Chicken Tortilla Soup

Our Best Bites

This is the recipe that uses the leftover grilled taco chicken that my family LOVED! It is a really great soup. If you don't like lime cut back a little bit. Its not the normal meat and veggie soup so it is a great recipe to break up the norm.



Leftover grilled taco chicken
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1-2 jalapeno peppers, minced
4 (15 oz) cans chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can chopped or diced tomatoes
1/4 c fresh lime juice (3-4 limes)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
garnishes:
crumbled cotija cheese or shredded pepper jack cheese, cilantro, advocado, lime wedges, crispy corn tortilla strips

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook a few more minutes until pepper is softened and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, juice the limes and set aside. Start preparing the toppings. Grate or crumble the cheese, chop the cilantro, cut up the avocado, and fry the tortillas. Right before serving add lime juice, cilantro, and cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and add desired toppings.

Ground beef soup

food.com

There is nothing better on a cold winter day than to come home from school or work and have hot soup for dinner. I can never have too many good soup recipes and if your husband is like mine he needs his meat and potatoes and this recipe has both. Pair it up with a dinner roll for a complete meal. I doubled this recipe and it was enough for our family of 6 to make two meals.



1 lb ground beef
1 onion
1 1/2 cups carrots
2 cups potatoes
1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans corn
1 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
4 cups water
2 -3 tablespoons beef bouillon
1 teaspoon garlic
Directions
Boil potatoes, corn, carrots and tomato paste in water.
Add beef bouillon and garlic.
Brown beef and onions, drain off fat.
Add beef and onions to soup. Boil until vegetables are fully cooked.

Ham and Potato soup

allrecipe.com

Can you ever have too many soup recipes? I have a huge bag of potatoes that I need to use up and I grew up on potato soups so what better way to use them (besides a baked potato) then in a soup its a win win right ;) I however am not a fan of ham but trying to be an awesome mother and wife I still make ham for my family because they love it. I made one the other night and had sooo much leftover so after making grilled cheese with ham (mine was grilled cheese with jalapenos) I decided to make this soup. I was shocked how much I actually liked it I didn't even pick my ham out...nope I just pulled my big girl pants up and ate it. In fact this may be one of my favorite soup recipes! So don't blow this one off because you are picky like me :) Try it you may like it. On the original post about this the lady says the best part is you can use as many potatoes or as much ham as you want and boy did I ever. I decided that more goes further so I added what I thought was a good amount and it was pure HOT deliciousness!!!



3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery (I left this out because I didn't have any and you know how I feel about running to the store for one thing)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk


Directions
Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Allrecipes.com

I don't know about you but I have been freezing my behind off. Winter is coming and I am not excited. I am not a winter person, I don't like to be cold at all. I am not one of those fun moms that go out and throw snowballs in the winter and I rarely help make snowmen. I'm not a scrooge or anything I just hate the cold! I am living in the wrong area I know. The best part of winter is hands down homemade soups!! There are so many possibilities some using leftovers some that you make a ton and then eat them for leftovers all week. This one made the whole house smell so yummy we couldn't wait to eat it. THIS IS MADE IN THE CROCK POT SO IT DOES TAKE AWHILE TO COOK!! After its all done you can place toppings on the table for people to garnish with. Toppings can include: cheese, avocado, fresh squeezed lime juice, etc.




1 pound shredded, cooked chicken ( I did this in the crock pot the day before)
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can green enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
I ADDED a can of black beans to ours and it was great!!
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas*
vegetable oil*




Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

**Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Now if you don't want to make your own tortilla strips then you can do what we did and just use corn tortilla chips it just keeps life a little simpler.

Wonton Soup

MarthaStewart.com




Why go out to eat when you can stay in during this winter freeze? My family LOVES Chinese food with wonton soup being one of there faves! My kids had 2 bowls a piece! I enjoy this recipe and recommend you have another hand in the wonton wrapping so they don't dry out as quickly. My kids got involved and had a blast but needless to say a lot of the meat ended on the outside of the wonton during cooking! I prefer to cut back on the ginger just a bit, use 3/4 tsp for the wonton filling and only add 1 1/2 tsp of the rice vinegar to the broth as well as just a smidgen less on the sesame oil. It was so good even my baby CLEANED it up, literally there was nothing left on her high chair except a little liquid!



Wonton Filling recipe:
1/2 cup finely chopped Napa or Savoy cabbage
Coarse salt
6 ounces ground pork, not all lean (Carolyn used ground chicken breast and loved it even more)
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil




Directions
In a medium bowl, toss cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Wrap cabbage in a double layer of paper towels; firmly squeeze out excess liquid. Return cabbage to bowl; add pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well with a fork. Refrigerate leftover filling up to 2 days.


Soup:


24 rectangular (3 1/2-by-3-inch) or square wonton wrappers
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
Coarse salt
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 to 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil


Directions

After wontons are made then In a large pot, combine broth, 4 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Add wontons one at a time; return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until wontons are just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in scallions, vinegar, and sesame oil; season with salt. Serve

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

Taste of home

The weather where I live is supposed to get YUCKY this week so when we sat down and figured out what to eat this was the anonymous decision. This is definitely one of their favorite soups which is funny because they don't like chicken noodle soup out of the can. My hubby is obsessed with this soup and its so easy to make I wont complain!!!



I cook the chicken in the crock pot a day or two in advance by placing it on low with 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth for about 4 hours.

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
2 cups uncooked yolk-free wide noodles
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

Directions
In a stockpot, saute the onion, carrots and celery in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, oregano, thyme and poultry seasoning until blended.

Gradually add the broth, potatoes and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in chicken and noodles; simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Reduce heat. Stir in milk; heat through (do not boil). Yield: 8 servings

Tortellini Soup

A soup that is low in calories and yet filling HECK YA!!!

(Allrecipe.com)

1 pound Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry red wine (opt)
8 ounces fresh tortellini pasta 1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cubed
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Remove casings from sausage. Brown sausage and cook until crumbly. Remove meat from pot. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings. 2. Cook onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Add broth, water, wine, carrots, tomatoes, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and the cooked sausage. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes. 3. Add zucchini, green peppers, parsley, and tortellini. Simmer another 25 minutes, covered, for fresh tortellini, or 45 minutes, covered, for frozen tortellini. Serve with fresh parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

240 calories

Lasagna Soup (a farmgirl's dabbles)

I am a sucker for soups! I can sit down to a homemade bowl of soup no matter the season. When i came across this one i didn't know how much i would actually like it because it has sausage and that's not something i particularly care for, but we loved it! Although hamburger would work fine we needed something different. It is so good and the cheesy yum adds just the right touch of cream. I would rather have this than a side of lasagna now any day! I served it with a side of crusty garlic bread made by La Brea, it's located in the deli area. Ladies (Gents) if you haven't tried this bread and you like garlic, you won't be disappointed! It's the perfect side dish for this fantastic soup.

Lasagna Soup (print recipe)

for the soup: 2 tsp. olive oil 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage 3 c. chopped onions 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp. dried oregano 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 2 T. tomato paste 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes 2 bay leaves 6 c. chicken stock 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum: 8 oz. ricotta 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 tsp. salt pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings: 8

Creamy Corn Chowder by OUR BEST BITES

This is my hubbys new favorite soup! It is made out of ingredients that is usually in your pantry or fridge.

2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. water
2 1/2 c. milk (skim or 1% work just fine and lighten it up considerably)
2 regular-sized chicken bouillon cubes, 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube, or 2 tsp. chicken base
1/2 lb. bacon (optional)
1 small onion, minced
2 red potatoes, diced into small cubes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can corn, drained or about
1 1/2 C frozen fresh corn
Salt and pepper to taste
A few dashes of hot sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)
Fry bacon until crisp. In the meantime, melt butter over low heat in a soup pot. When melted, add flour to make a roux and whisk until it comes together in a little ball. Add water and whisk until completely combined and there are no lumps. Add milk and chicken base or bouillon and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes, onions, and garlic, and simmer (but don’t boil!), stirring very frequently, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add crumbled bacon and corn and heat through. Add a few drops of hot sauce and then salt to taste. The reason why I don’t have an exact measurement is that while the soup REALLY needs salt, bacon also really differs in its saltiness, so it can be super easy to make this soup waaaaay too salty. Start with about 1/4 tsp., give it a few minutes, and then add more if you need it. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with extra bacon and/or cheese if you want

Harvest Soup (Carolyn)

My sister made this soup a couple years ago and brought it down and everyone fell in love with it. This uses a TON of stuff out of your garden which most of you are probably picking like crazy right now before everything freezes.

6 cups water
3 potatoes chopped
1 3/4 cup carrots
2 cups celery
3/4 cup onion
4 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup crookneck chopped
1 1/2 cups corn
1 cup broccoli*
1 cup cauliflower*

Combine water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, salt, pepper, & dill weed. Bring to a boil. Add squashes & corn, cover & simmer 15 minutes. In a seperate pan melt butter, add flour, milk, & chicken broth. Stir gently and constently until well combined. Add cheese melt into sauce. Mix with veggies.

*If you don't want to use broccoli & cauliflower just use extra squash.

Taco Soup

Brown:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
Drain & season with garlic salt

Put in crock pot with :
1 can corn with liquid
1 can stewed tomatoes + liquid
1 can kidney beans, rinsed + 1 can water
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning

Cook on low for 6-7 hours
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and corn chips

Zuppa Toscano

Is your family like mine and have to have a REAL soup not just one you would find in a liquid diet?This is the perfect meat and potatoes soup. My hubby was drooling while I cooked this because this is a soup with lots of meat (which varies depending on taste) I didn't have one complaint!! The next day my hubby took this to work and all the other guys were oogling his dinner and wanting his! They were all loving the fact that there was soooo much meat in it!!!

1/2 a  (14oz) can beef broth
3 (14oz) cans chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
a pinch of red pepper flakes ( I did 2 cause we like spice)
dash of garlic salt
1 small onion diced and cooked with sausage
2 lbs Italian sausage cooked and degrease*
1/2 pkg. bacon cooked and chopped up *
8 potatoes scrubbed and chopped into 1/4" chunks
4 cups kale
* this made for A LOT of meat but that's how my hubby likes it! You can cut down on the meat by omitting the bacon or 1 lb sausage.
Start by cooking your sausage, onion and bacon  until fully cooked. While this is cooking cut up your potatoes. throw everything into a 5 qt crock pot including potatoes. Once the meat & onions are all cooked DEGREASE them then throw it all into the crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours on high or until the potatoes are ready.

Baked Potato Soup (Our Best Bites)

I made this the other day and my husband loved it!!! The kids were not fond of the green onions in it so when I make it again I might leave the onions out until the end and just add them to mine and my husbands.

3 Tbsp. butter
2-3 cloves garlic-minced
1/2 c. flour
4 1/2 c milk (low fat works great)
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs) baked*
2 C. grated cheddar (or sharp cheddar) cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 c. sour cream (low fat is fine) divided
1/2 c. chopped green onions, divided
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided

Melt butter in stock pot over meadium heat. Add garlic and saute 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add flour to pan. Slowly add milk a little ata time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth (Now if you get to this point and dont have a smooth liquid Stop! Save your soup by popping the mixture in the blender, then continue on) Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, About 5 minutes.
Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium low. Cut potatoes in half length wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes breaking up large clumps. Add 1 1/2 c. grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. green onions, and 4 strips of the crumbled bacon. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.

*dont have time to bake potatoes in the oven? Just pierce them with a fork a few times and then pop them in the microwave. Cook in 5 minute intervals until a knife easy pierces through them. It usually takes about 5-10 minutes. To bake them in the oven pierce each potato with a fork and place directly on oven rack. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.