When spring is inconsistent in its warm sunny days, this creamy chicken soup with spinach and artichokes, together with some homemade bread, make a perfect light supper.
RECIPE:
Category Archives: Soups/Stews/Curries
Instant Pot Ham & Cauliflower Chowder
Still have leftover ham? Here is a delicious and healthy low-carb way to use up some of that leftover Easter ham. This ham and vegetable chowder has half of the cauliflower blended with the stock to create a creamy base and the other half chopped into small florets to add texture to the soup. Adding a little cream and cheese makes for a hearty delicious soup. You can cook this in an Instant Pot, a crock pot, or on the stovetop.
Still have more leftover ham? Here are a couple of other ham recipes to try:
Southwestern Ham & White Bean Soup
RECIPE:
Filed under Instant Pot, Low Carb/Keto, Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles
One thing my kids like me to make after making Homemade Chicken Bone Broth is Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles. You can make it in a pot on the stove, or it is quick and easy to make in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.
The hardest part about the noodles is the cutting. They should be fairly thin and left for at least 30 minutes (up to a couple of hours) to dry. This recipe makes A LOT of noodles. I use about half in this recipe of soup, and then freeze the remaining raw noodles to use another day.
I use a round pizza cutter to cut the noodles. Separate them slightly and move them around occasionally so that they can dry all around before cooking.
Once your noodles are made, the soup takes about 30 minutes to cook in an Instant Pot, or closer to an hour in a regular pot.
RECIPES:
Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles
Egg Noodles:
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg + 3 egg yolks
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbs butter, melted
Soup:
2 Tbs butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock or bone broth
1 Tbs lemon juice
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried oregano
⅛ tsp poultry seasoning
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Salt, to taste (amount will depend on saltiness of stock, about 1 tsp)
2 cups uncooked egg noodles (half of the recipe above)
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
2 Tbs fresh parsley
Noodles:
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center. In a separate small bowl, stir together the egg, egg yolks, and milk. Add egg mixture and melted butter to the well of the dry ingredients. Mix until mixture forms a rough ball, adding additional milk, if needed. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8” thickness. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into thin lengths about 1-½ inches long. Separate slightly so that dough can dry on all edges. Let sit, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2-3 hours. Move dough around occasionally so that the noodles can dry on all sides before cooking.
Soup
Instant Pot Directions:
Add butter to Instant Pot and turn to Saute setting. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until onions are just softened. Stir in broth, lemon juice, dried seasonings, and salt/pepper.
Place lid on Instant Pot and cook on Soup setting for 7 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, and then QPR (quick pressure release).
Remove lid and change setting to Saute. Add the noodles and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until noodles are just barely cooked through. Stir in shredded chicken and heat through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Stovetop Directions:
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, or until onions are softened. Stir in broth, lemon juice, dried seasonings, and salt/pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the noodles to the pot and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until noodles are just barely cooked through. Stir in shredded chicken and heat through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Homemade Egg Noodles
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg + 3 egg yolks
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbs butter, melted
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center. In a separate small bowl, stir together the egg, egg yolks, and milk. Add egg mixture and melted butter to the well of the dry ingredients. Mix until mixture forms a rough ball, adding additional milk, if needed. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8” thickness. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into thin lengths about 1-1/2 inches long. Separate slightly so that dough can dry on all edges. Let sit, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2-3 hours. Move dough around occasionally so that the noodles can dry on all sides before cooking.
Bring water or broth to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Slowly stir in noodles. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until al dente. Exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of the noodles.
To Freeze: After drying noodles, arrange in a single layer on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and return to freezer. DO NOT thaw noodles before cooking. Add frozen noodles directly to simmering broth to cook, adding about 1 minute of cooking time.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Instant Pot, Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries
Instant Pot Chicken Stock/Bone Broth
Making your own Chicken Stock or Bone Broth is simple and inexpensive using an electric pressure cooker, or Instant Pot.
You can start with raw or cooked chicken carcasses. I usually serve 2 rotisserie baked chickens (Yes-the precooked ones from Costco) to my family for dinner one night, and then use the 2 carcasses to make bone broth the next day.
If you are using a raw chicken with all of the meat still on the bones, cook for 60 minutes, then remove chicken from bones and set meat aside. Return bones to Instant Pot and cook again for another 60 minutes.
I freeze the bone broth in 1 or 2 cup containers to use in recipes later.
What’s the difference between chicken stock and chicken bone broth? In terms of preparation and cooking: just time cooked. In terms of taste and nutrition: bone broth is deliciously rich with all of the nutritional benefits of bone marrow. When refrigerated, the bone broth will become slightly gelatinous. I always go for the extra time and make bone broth.
Up Next: Chicken Noodle Soup made from homemade bone broth:
RECIPE:
Instant Pot Chicken Stock/Bone Broth
1-2 chicken carcasses, cut up **(See Note)
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut into quarters
1 stalk celery, with leaves, cut into quarters
4 whole cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs of fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, parsley, sage, etc.)
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Approximately 12 cups of water
Place cut chicken into pot of the Instant Pot. Add vegetables, herbs, seasonings, and vinegar. Fill with water to 1” below the Max line (in my Instant Pot, this is the 4L line).
Place lid on Instant Pot and close valve. Cook on High Pressure:
-Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes for chicken stock
-Cook on high pressure for 120 minutes for bone broth
Allow pressure to release naturally (NPR) for at least 30-60 minutes.
Cool slightly, and then strain bones and seasonings from broth. Divide into containers and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Note on chicken: You can use raw or cooked chicken carcasses. I usually serve 2 rotisserie baked chickens to my family for dinner one night, and then use the 2 carcasses to make bone broth the next day. If you are using a raw chicken with all of the meat still on the bones, cook for 60 minutes, then remove chicken from bones and set meat aside. Return bones to Instant Pot and cook again for another 60 minutes.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Instant Pot, Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries
Hearty Beef Minestrone Soup
As a polar vortex takes hold of the country, there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of hearty beef minestrone soup and warm homemade bread.
Chock-full of tender ground beef, vegetables, beans, and pasta, this soup is very filling and is especially good topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Some of us here are avoiding pasta these days, so I sometimes cook the pasta separately and let people add it to their soup when they dish it up.
This soup also freezes wonderfully. So make a big crock-pot full and set some aside to eat another day. The one thing you need to do when freezing this soup is to freeze the soup WITHOUT the pasta stirred in. Freeze the cooked pasta separately and add the pasta when you reheat the soup. If you freeze the pasta in the soup, it will be mushy when you reheat it.
For a delicious bread to serve with your soup, try one of these recipes:
RECIPE:
Hearty Minestrone Soup
2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 lb ground beef (use 2 lb for a thick soup)
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6-8 cups beef broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can white beans, drained
1 small can (6oz) tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet or beef bouillon base
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup small pasta shapes
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
In a large pot, brown ground beef in olive oil; drain excess fat. Add onion and garlic to the pot and cook until tender. Add broth, Rotel tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, carrots, celery, and cabbage. Bring to a boil; simmer 30 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook about 10 minutes, just until pasta is tender. Add additional water if soup is too thick. Remove bay leaf. Taste and add additional salt, if needed. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
To cook in crock pot: Brown ground beef, onions, and garlic as above. Place in crock pot. Add remaining ingredients (except for Parmesan) and cook on low for about 8 hours. Turn to high heat, add pasta, and cook until pasta is tender, about 30 minutes.
To freeze soup: Prepare as above, but do not add pasta. Place in freezer containers and freeze. Cook pasta separately in water. Drain, cool, and freeze pasta separately. Add cooked pasta to soup after thawing and reheating.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries
Ratatouille
The transition from summer to fall is my very favorite time of the year. I love the cool mornings and sunny (but not humid) days. It is the perfect time for making my favorite comfort food: Ratatouille. Like all good comfort foods, it is warm and filling and permeates your house with delicious smells as it cooks low and slow on the stove. And during this change of seasons, I love that I can still get great fresh garden vegetables and herbs to use in this recipe.
Ratatouille is not always the most visually appealing dish, but is bursting with flavor. It is full of hearty vegetables: eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and lots of fresh herbs Then cooked down on the stove until the flavors blend and meld into the most delicious vegetable stew. Eating healthy has never tasted better!
This is Little A’s very favorite side dish. His face just lights up when he smells it as he comes into the house. All of the kids love it except for Little J (but she hardly counts as she turns her nose up to EVERY vegetable in this dish).
Ratatouille makes a perfect side dish to grilled or roasted meats. I love to serve it this time of year, when we still like to grill chicken, pork, or other things outside. Grilled meat is wonderful, but also begs for something juicy to eat with it. Ratatouille fits that bill perfectly. It is also great later in the winter with a roasted pork tenderloin, roast chicken, or beef roast.
This recipe makes a good-sized pot of ratatouille. You could always scale it back if you don’t want to make that much, but I love to have leftovers of this dish. It makes a perfect lunch all on its own the next day. Or as a sauce for pasta for an easy meal later in the week.
I never measure things when I make this recipe. It is very flexible based on your personal tastes. Below is a good approximation of the amounts that I use.
RECIPE:
Ratatouille
½ cup olive oil
1 large eggplant, skin on, diced
2 onions, chopped
1 red/orange/yellow pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 zucchini and/or yellow squash, sliced and quartered
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
3 cups chopped tomatoes
½ tsp Tabasco sauce (adjust to taste)
3 Tbs chopped fresh basil*
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley*
1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme*
1 Tbs chopped fresh oregano*
Heat olive oil in a large saucepot. Add eggplant to the hot oil and cook until eggplant begins to soften. Add onions, red pepper and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini, salt, pepper, and dried herbs; cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add chopped tomatoes and Tabasco sauce and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, until mixture is cooked down and thickened (30-40 minutes). Stir in fresh herbs during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.
*Or substitute an additional 2-3 tsp dried Italian seasoning for the fresh herbs.
NoEmptyChairs.me
Filed under Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries
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