Happiness is hot soup on a cold and rainy day…….Chicken Gnocchi Soup!
This soup will warm you to your very center. Creamy, with chunks of chicken, veggies, and gnocchi.
What is gnocchi you ask? Gnocchi are Italian dumplings made with potatoes and flour and boiled just until they’re like fluffy little pillows. You can make your own or purchase them at the grocery store. I purchased mine. They can be in the dry pasta isle or in the frozen section. I bought from the pasta isle.
I tried a dish with gnocchi a few month ago with dismal results. I think I must have over cooked them as they had a pasty, gummy taste. But I was not going to give up………Continue reading “Chicken Gnocchi Soup”
Sunday was soup day…..White Bean Sausage Tortellini Soup!
Tim and I are of the Mexican or Italian taste palette. This time it’s Italian……Molto bene (very good)……ok, I don’t know Italian, so I looked it up!
Funny how something with simple ingredients can come together and be awesome. Precooked sausage…….Oscar Meyer has an Italian Herb flavor that I really think made this soup. Any precooked sausage or Polska Kielbasa will do.
Onions are a base for almost all soups, but for this dish I added some fennel …….lesson time……. Fennel plants have leaves that remind me of dill and you can eat the “fronds”…..thats what the dill looking part is called. Not only can you eat the leaves, but the seeds and bulbs as well. Fennel looks kind of like a cross between an onion and the base of a bunch of celery and has a sweet anise-like flavor. But it doesn’t taste like licorice… it is a light, bright spring-like flavor. Plus, fennel is good for you, it contains Vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and calcium.
Garlic, which no respectable Italian dish is without….just saying, a pinch of red pepper, gotta have a touch of heat….some chicken stock……please use stock, you will get a much better flavor.
I added a can of white kidney beans….a.k.a. Cannellini beans and spinach for greens.
OMG….I almost forgot the tortellini……hard to make White Bean Sausage Tortellini Soup without it. Silly me….
The whole thing takes all of 30 minutes……who doesn’t have 30 minutes??????
30 minutes to an incredible, warm , hearty soup…….White Bean Sausage Tortellini Soup. Serve it with asiago or parmesan cheese and some crusty bread….delicious!!!!!!!!!
13 ounces package Italian Herb cooked sausage, sliced thin
1 onion, chopped
1 cup fresh fennel bulb, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
2– 32 ounce cartons chicken stock
4 cups baby spinach
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained
1 9-ounce package cheese tortellini
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
Instructions
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add next 7 ingredients. Sauté until vegetables are soft and kielbasa is brown, about 12 minutes. Add stock and bring to boil. Stir in spinach and beans. Reduce heat and simmer until spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes. Add tortellini to soup. Simmer until pasta is al dente, about 5-7 minutes.
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with asiago cheese.
Cool blustery days……I need soup……..French Bread Tomato Soup
Once fall has reared it’s beautiful albeit it chilly head, I want comfort food… casseroles, chili, stews and of course soup.
When I was a kid, tomato soup and grilled cheese was a fall and winter fav. Of course it was canned soup and white bread, and single sliced cheese. Over the years I have jazzed up my tomato soup collection and Tomato French Bread Soup is my latest addition.
Once again I have turned to my pressure cooker. I know I am repeating myself …….but really…….get one of these. If you are a busy family this is just your ticket for quick and tasty meals.
This soup is a veggie tomato soup, loaded with carrots, onions, red pepper, celery, and garlic. Chicken stock, tomato juice, canned tomatoes, a touch of lemon juice, sugar, and cayenne to your heat preference, then into pressure cooker for 15 minutes.
What makes this soup special are the french bread dumplings…….who knew you could cook bread in the pressure cooker????
Using Pillsbury’s Simply Rustic French Bread loaf, I cut it into 6 pieces, and tossed it with some spices, parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
After the soup had cooked for 15 minutes, I dropped the “dumplings” on top and cooked for another 6 minutes or so……..and ta da………Tomato French Bread Soup. Kinda like chicken and dumplings …….only its Tomato Soup and dumplings. Warm and comforting. Perfect for a chilly night!!
I also included directions for a regular slow cooker, for those of you who do not YET own a pressure cooker.
1/2 cup carrots, chopped 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 28 ounce can diced tomato
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup tomato juice
Juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 –1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to your desired heat)
1 – 13.2 ounce can Pillsbury Simply Rustic French Bread, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 teaspoon each, basil, fennel, and oregano
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
In a pressure cooker combine onion, carrots, red pepper, celery, and garlic. Stir in tomatoes ( do not drain), broth, tomato juice, lemon juice, sugar, and cayenne pepper. Set on High Pressure for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the french bread dough into 6 pieces and place in a large bowl. Add spice, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, toss to coat, making sure to evenly distribute the spices and cheese.
After the 15 minutes, allow pressure cooker to set for an additional 10 minutes, then release pressure.
Remove lid and place the french bread pieces evenly over the soup. Put the lid back on and set the pressure cooker to High pressure for 6-8 minutes. Allow to set for several minutes then release the pressure.
Serve with additional parmesan cheese.
Notes
Slow cooker instructions: Add the first 11 ingredients to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
Remove lid and place bread pieces on top of soup. Replace the lid. If using low-heat setting, turn cooker to high-heat setting. Cover and cook for 50 to 60 minutes more. Do not lift lid during cooking time.
