Cheeseburger Pasta

I found this recipe online.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 10 3/4 ounce can of tomato soup (here they are sold in 10 ounce cans)
• 10 3/4 ounce can of cheddar soup (also sold here in 10 ounce cans
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups uncooked medium pasta shells

1. Cook beef over medium-high heat, until well browned.
2. Stir the soups, water and pasta in with the beef. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Cook until pasta is tender.

Verdict: I would classify the dish we ended up with as a soup, as there seemed to be more liquid in ours then in the picture in the website above. Still, it was a good, hearty soup, though I would probably add more seasoning to it.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Corn, Chicken and Bacon

I found this recipe on another food blog.

• 1/4 cup onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• Two 15 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
• One 8 ounce can of Mexicorn (this is supposed to be a blend of corn and peppers, but I don’t think anything like that is sold here, so we just used corn)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups of chicken, shredded
• 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• Bread bowls, if desired (we didn’t use)

1. Place onion, garlic and tomatoes in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Add corn. Stir in the salt, pepper and cumin (if using). Stir in buttermilk, chicken and bacon. Let simmer until ready to serve.

 

Verdict: We did not like this soup. The raw onion and garlic that was pulsed along with the tomatoes were too overpowering to the taste. I think there should have been less than 4 cloves used, or that they should have been cooked before being pulsed.

Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a recipe I found online.

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup pre-sliced mushrooms (we didn’t use)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 cups milk
• 14 ounces chicken broth
• 4 ounces vermicelli or spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces (we used spaghetti)
• 2 cups shredded processed light cheese (the recipe suggested Velveeta, but we went a different way and used cheddar)
• 4 cups cubed 1 inch cooked pieces of chicken
• 3 cups small broccoli florets
• 1 cup half and half (10% cream)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions, mushrooms (if using) and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes or until the water evaporates (I guess this is mainly important when mushrooms are added), stirring occasionally.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter, stirring until it melts. Sprinkle with flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium low, cook 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Add pasta and cook 10 minutes (our spaghetti wasn’t cooking at medium low, so we raised the heat closer to the high end).
4. Add cheese to pan and stir until melted. Add chicken, broccoli and salt and pepper. Cook until broccoli is tender.

Verdict: I was a little nervous about this soup, because it seemed different from the ones I had done before. I think most of the soup recipes I have made are broth based, but the amount of milk in this one was definitely something different. Plus, we were always planning on a different cheese, so we could have gotten anything. But in the end we ended up with a deliciously creamy soup, which I would rank as one of the best tasting soups I have made/eaten!

Tomato Vegetable Noodle Soup

I found this recipe in the French language Metro newspaper.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 of an onion, diced
• 1 celery branch, finely cut
• 1 carrot, cut into rounds (we had the small carrots, so we used about 1 1/2 cups of them instead because we like carrots)
• 4 cups water
• 1 10 ounce can of tomato soup
• 1 bay leaf (we didn’t use)
• 1 teaspoon of herbes salées (we didn’t use, instead we used about 1 teaspoon each of thyme, basil, oregano, salt and pepper)
• 1 tablespoon of powdered chicken broth
• 1 cup of fusilli, uncooked (we used elbow macaroni instead)
• 1/2 zucchini, cut into moons (we used the whole zucchini)

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until tender.

2. Add the water, tomato soup, bay leaf, herbes salées (or whatever seasoning you are using) and chicken stock powder. Bring to boil.

3. Add the pasta. Lower to medium heat and let simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until pasta is done (ours needed longer and a higher temperature).

4. Remove from heat and add zucchini.

Verdict: My family really loved this recipe, saying it was one of their favourite tomato soup recipes but I wasn’t as impressed. I didn’t think it had a deep enough tomato flavour and the combination of vegetables wasn’t my favourite.

Roasted Tomato Soup

I found this recipe on another food blog.

• 3 lbs ripe tomatoes
• Olive or canola oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 head to 2 cloves of garlic, as per your tastes (we used 4 cloves, because we love garlic)
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (we used chicken)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup milk, half-and-half or heavy cream (we used cream)
• Basil or pesto (as this was optional, we didn’t use)

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. Cut tomatoes into smaller chunks and place them on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add the garlic cloves. Drizzle with oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 1 hour. Set aside to cool a little.

3. Transfer tomatoes, garlic and juices from pan into a pot and blend using an immersion blender. Add chicken stock and sugar. Simmer for about 10 min. Add cream just before serving.

Verdict: This was good, but wasn’t as creamy as I was hoping it would be. I think there’s a better homemade tomato soup recipe to be found.

Bacon-and-Egg Soup

This is a food network recipe.

• 1/2 pound thick slab bacon, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (we just used the 6 slices of bacon we had left over)
• 4 slices of rustic Italian bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (since the point of this was to make homemade croutons, we used store bought croutons instead)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (didn’t use because it was used to make the croutons)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus 1 small piece of the rind (we didn’t use the rind)
• 4 tablespoons parsley (we used a lot less, because we are not really fans of parsley)
• 4 fresh eggs (we used 2, because not everyone wanted a poached egg in their soup)

1. Preheat oven to 375F (if making the homemade croutons).

2. Cook the bacon in a medium pot over medium heat until done. Transfer to a paper lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pot.

3. (While the bacon is cooking, toss the bread with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, about 8 min.)

4. Add garlic to the bacon drippings and cook until golden, 1 to 2 min. Add broth, 1 1/2 cups water, the Parmesan rind, half the parsley and salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 min.

5. Adjust the heat so it is barely boiling. One at a time, crack each egg into the soup and poach until just set, 2 min. Transfer eggs to individual serving bowls.

6. Stir in 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the remaining parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Ladle broth into bowls over the eggs. Top with bacon, croutons and remaining cheese.

Verdict: This was a weird soup. It didn’t really taste bad or good. I felt that there was something missing to it (my mom added rice to hers but it didn’t help much) and my sister thought the broth was too watered down.

Apple-Cheddar Soup

This is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe.

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash of cayenne pepper (we used ground black pepper)
• 1 medium cooking apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Fresh apple slices (didn’t use)
• Green peppercorns (didn’t use)

1. Cook onion and butter in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat until tender.

2. Stir in potatoes, cider, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 min.

3. Add chopped apples. Simmer, covered, 5 min or until potatoes are tender.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and the milk. Stir into soup. Cook, while stirring, until bubbly.

5. Slowly add cheese, whisking until melted.

6. Serve with fresh apple slices and peppercorn (we didn’t do this).

Verdict: We all really liked the soup. There is something about the combination of apples and cheddar that sounds like it won’t work but that I discovered a little while ago really tastes delicious. My only complaint about the soup is that it kind of all looks the same. The broth, the apples and the potatoes are all similar in colour. My sister thought it was good but that there was something missing to make it great. Like maybe another vegetable like carrots.

Beef Tortellini Soup

This is a Pillsbury recipe.

• 1 lb of beef stew meet
• 1 14/5 ounce can of diced tomatoes (we used a 19 ounce can)
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped (didn’t use, because I don’t like celery)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 2 cups cheese-filled tortellini
• 1 cup green beans

1. Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. Add beef, tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery (if using), garlic, sugar and beef broth to cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 9 hours.  (We cooked ours on high for about 4 and a half hours.)

3.  Stir in basil, tortellini and beans and cook another 25 min (in the original the setting is increased to high here, we left our on high but cooked ours 30 min to make sure the pasta was well cooked).

Verdict: This soup needed more broth. I would probably put in closer to 3 cups next time. I really liked the soup, though. The vegetables weren’t too mushy but they were still done. I liked the pasta and the beef together. A great, hearty soup for a cold day.

All American Cheeseburger Soup

I got this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.

• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (didn’t use, because I don’t like celery)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (we used garlic powder, about 1/2 teaspoon worth)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 28 ounces of beef broth
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes (all I could find was a 19 ounce can, so we used that one)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (the recipe suggested Cheddar and American cheese. I am not really sure what American cheese is, I don’t think I’ve seen anything here with that name. We used mozzarella instead)
• 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup milk

1. In a large pot, brown the beef, onion, celery (if using) and garlic. Drain off fat. Sprinkle flour over the beef and vegetables. Cook, while stirring, for two min.

2. Add the broth and potatoes. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 min (potatoes should be tender at this point).

3. Stir in diced tomatoes, cheese, tomato paste, ketchup and Dijon. Cook, while stirring, until cheese is melted and the soup has come to a gentle boil.

4. Add in milk and heat through.

Verdict: This was a real hearty soup. My only complaint was that the Dijon gave the soup a tangy taste that was pervasive in every bite.

Bacon Soup

I found this recipe in the French Metro newspaper.

• 3 large potatoes, diced
• 1 large leek, cut into slices
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 9 cups water or chicken broth (we used a combination of the two)
• 150g bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup 15% cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to boil. Cover and let simmer 1 hour.

2. Use an immersion blender to chop everything up. Let simmer another 15 min.

Verdict: We didn’t really like this soup. It didn’t have much of a taste to it. Maybe it called for too much water, washing out the taste? I’m not sure.