Taco Soup

Here is my favorite recipe for taco soup. I really prefer the Old El Paso mild taco seasoning flavor, I think it's the best tasting of the prepared packets. 


I think of this soup as a dump soup -- you just dump all the ingredients into a pot and let it simmer until you are happy with the taste. This one is incredibly healthy and tasty at the same time.

Big Batch Taco Soup

2	lb	ground beef, browned & drained
3	cups	onion
2	can (15 oz)	kidney beans
2	can (15 oz)	black beans
2	cans	corn
6	can(28 oz)	tomato, diced
3	package	taco seasoning
1	carton	beef broth

Servings: 22

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1/22 of a recipe (16.9 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving Calories 307.88 Calories From Fat (11%) 33.44 % Daily Value Total Fat 3.79g 6% Saturated Fat 1.36g 7% Cholesterol 27.51mg 9% Sodium 1153.49mg 48% Potassium 1263.75mg 36% Total Carbohydrates 50.39g 17% Fiber 13.75g 55% Sugar 2.6g Protein 22.49g 45%

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Chili Cook-off

I'm off to our church's annual Chili Cook-off contest with two of my favorite stand-by recipes -- Black Bean Soup and Cheese Bread. Technically, neither one is chili. I learned last year that I'm not really a big fan of chili. Also, I'm such a picky eater, for pot-luck stuff I usually bring food that will make me happy. I really have a hard time eating food when I don't know the standards by which it was prepared. I guess I'm admitting several neurosis here. But, don't judge. I bring enough to share. Generally I don't boil the soup this high, but I needed to cook the celery quickly. I realized I started the soup with only one hour until it was time to go -- by boiling the heck out of it, I'm hoping the celery will be soft by the time we make it to the church. UGH! I just realized my jeans are in the washer -- I'm off to throw them in the dryer in the hopes that they'll make it in time! Wish me luck on all counts!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup is always a hit! I take it often to people that are sick or need a meal brought in. When taking it to someone, I always pair it up with my hearty white bread.

It freezes VERY well, just remember to heat it slowly because it is cream based. If you reheat it in the microwave, just set it at a medium power setting.

Good luck!

Wild Rice Soup

1 large Onion
2 cups Carrots, diced
3 cups Celery, diced
½ cup Butter
2/3 cups Flour
6 cups Water
2 tablespoons McCormick chicken base (or 4 Bullion Cubes)
2 pkgs Rice-A-Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice
5 Chicken breasts (cooked and cubed)
2 cups Half and Half
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Pepper

1. Chop vegetables and place in large soup pot. Melt butter and sauté vegetables until tender.

2. Add flour and stir until vegetables are coated. Let the flour cook for about 2-3 minutes until it has a golden blond color.

3. Slowly add water and stir vigorously until flour dissolves. Prepare Rice-A-Roni as directed on box, then add to the soup.

4. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low until well blended, usually about 1 hour.

Servings: 20
Yield: 20 cups

Clam Chowder

I've been experimenting for a couple of months trying to find the best version of New England clam chowder. I figured since I live in New England, I should be able to make it, right?

Well, we love a restaurant in Salt Lake called Market Street Grill. In my mind, they make some of the best chowder out there. So, this recipe is based on theirs. I added more veggies to make it a bit more filling and removed the alcohol.

This is a big pot of soup -- 20 one cup servings. I make it about once a month and freeze the rest in portion sized bags. If I can actually freeze the soup before we eat most of it, I have ready made lunch for a month! I love cooking, but I love eating tasty food with minimal effort even more.

The Best Clam Chowder

3 cups of potatoes, diced less than1/2 inch
3 cups cup of celery, diced less than1/2 inch
3 cups of onions, diced less than1/2 inch
1 large green pepper, diced less than1/2 inch
5 cans diced clams(with juice)
3/4 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tablespoon whole thyme
6 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white grape juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup butter, melted (3 sticks)
1 3/4 cup flour
2 quarts half and half

1. In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except butter, flour, and half and half. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked.
2. In the meantime, combine melted butter and flour in a baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, (to eliminate raw flour flavor and to stabilize chowder)
3. Stir the butter flour mixture, into the chowder and cook, stirring frequently until thick. The mixture should be nearly the consistency of cookie dough.
4. Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half and half and blend well. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve!

Black Bean & Sausage Soup

I originally found this recipe in a Weight Watchers 5 ingredients book. I added a couple of things to make it more flavorful and bulky.

This soup is great when served with empanadas or quesadillas.

Kielbasa & Black Bean Soup

3 cups celery chopped
2 cans tomatoes, diced
2 cans black beans
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups salsa
16 oz kielbasa
2 cups green bell pepper seeded and diced

1. Place chicken broth, salsa and tomatoes in a large soup pan on medium-low heat.
2. Chop celery and peppers and put them in the pot to stew.
3. Rinse black beans well, add to pot.
4. Cut kielbasa into very tiny pieces. Brown in frying pan until a slight golden crust appears. Then place into the soup pot.
5. Simmer soup for at least one hour to blend flavors well.

Souper Wednesday

I'm a huge fan of soup. It's my lunch almost every day. Not soup from a can though -- I actually can't stand the stuff -- homemade soup is the only way to go. It's healthy. It's full of veggies, protein and 'good things'. I usually make what I refer to as a 'vat' of soup -- 8 quarts to be exact. After the soup is finished and cooled, I vacuum seal and freeze 12-15 portions for eating another day.

It's easy to microwave or heat the frozen soup on the stove. To complement the meal, I'll make homemade bread once or twice a week. Finish it off with strawberries for dessert and it's a well rounded but tasty meal.

Total prep time is about 10 minutes to put it all together if I'm just reheating.

The best part -- I save money! Lots of money because I'm not tempted to stop for fast food when running my errands in the morning. I know I have a good, inexpensive meal ready to go at home, no work required.

I usually reserve Wednesday for making soup. Each recipe takes about 30-45 minutes of prep time, but a total cooking time of 2 hours. Blocking the time on my calendar three weeks out of the month, and I have over 30 portions to last me all month long. It also serves as a back-up dinner if I just don't feel like cooking at all.

I'll be giving you my favorite recipes over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!