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Jun
2020

Easy Tortellini Soup

categories: Main Dishes, Meatless Meals, Soups

Enjoy a piping hot bowl of yummy, Italian-inspired, Easy Tortellini Soup, made in under 30 minutes with only a few key ingredients and spices.
Enjoy a piping hot bowl of yummy, Italian-inspired, Easy Tortellini Soup, made in under 30 minutes with only a few key ingredients and spices.

Even though the weather has been heating up this week, I want to share this soup recipe with you, cause it’s YUMMY, no matter what time of year it is. This recipe for easy tortellini soup is just that… EASY! It also happens to be delicious (in case that matters, too – ha ha!).

If you enjoy Italian food, and the spices associated with it, you’re gonna enjoy this soup. It has a tomato-based broth, with Italian spices, fragrant garlic, cheese tortellini pasta, chopped spinach, and is topped with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. Because it doesn’t require a long cooking time, you’ll be slurping up this delicious soup in NO TIME! Here’s how simple it is to make:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Tortellini

Cook the fresh, frozen, or dry tortellini in salted water, according to the package directions. Once done cooking, drain the tortellini, and set aside. I like to cook the tortellini AND the spinach (see below) at the same time, to save time.

Cheese tortellini are cooked per package directions, and then drained.

Prepare The Spinach

Cook the chopped spinach according to the package instructions. Once cooked, put the spinach into a strainer which is placed on top of a bowl.  Press down with the back of a spoon to press out the spinach juice into the bowl below.

The juice will collect in the bowl sitting underneath the strainer. Keep pressing (a lot) to drain off as much of the juice as you can. Discard the juice once finished. Set the spinach aside. Now it’s SOUP time, and it will come together REALLY quickly!

Frozen chopped spinach is thawed, then drained of excess liquid in a strainer.

How To Make Easy Tortellini Soup

Place the butter into the saucepan you will be using. Melt the butter on medium heat, and then add the minced garlic. Cook on medium heat for about a minute, stirring constantly, so the garlic doesn’t burn. Burnt garlic has a bitter taste, and you do NOT want that in your tortellini soup!

Now add the chicken broth to the pan, and heat it until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and then add the cooked, drained tortellini. Simmer for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.

Butter and garlic is cooked in the soup pan for about a minute.Cooked and drained tortellini is added to the broth in the soup pan.

Finish Making This Easy Tortellini Soup

Once the soup has simmered for 5 minutes, add the diced tomatoes (including juice), drained spinach, salt, and Italian seasoning. Stir well, to fully combine the ingredients. Continue to heat the tortellini soup on low heat for 5 more minutes, or until the soup is fully heated through.

Drained spinach, tomatoes, and spices are added to the tortellini soup.The easy tortellini soup is cooked until heated through.

Serving Easy Tortellini Soup

Once the soup is fully heated through, it is ready to be served and gobbled up! Ladle the soup into individual bowls, and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. The Parmesan cheese garnish is optional, but trust me, it makes this Italian-inspired soup taste SO GOOD!

This wonderfully easy tortellini soup tastes great, especially if you serve it with a nice piece of crusty garlic bread on the side! Yum… I really hope you enjoy it. Store any leftover soup (covered) in your refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

The finished tortellini soup is topped with finely grated Parmesan cheese.A close up photo of the easy tortellini soup.

This truly is a simple soup to make, and it tastes wonderful. We were able to share some with one of our neighbors who lives alone, and he enjoyed it, too!  I hope you have the opportunity to make it for those you love, and trust you will enjoy it, too! Thanks for stopping by, take care, and have a great day.

Looking For More TORTELLINI Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have several tortellini recipes, which include:

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all of my soup recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few delicious soup recipes I think you will enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

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Easy Tortellini Soup
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

Enjoy a piping hot bowl of yummy, Italian-inspired, Easy Tortellini Soup, made in under 30 minutes with only a few key ingredients and spices.

Category: Entree, Soup
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: tortellini soup
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 191 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces fresh, frozen, or dried cheese tortellini
  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 28 ounces chicken broth
  • 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (canned) , undrained
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 6 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional, for garnish)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Cook fresh, frozen, or dry tortellini in salted water, according to pkg. directions. Once done, drain tortellini; set aside.

  2. Cook spinach according to pkg. directions. When done, put spinach into a strainer placed on top of a bowl.  Press down with the back of a spoon to press out juice into bowl below. Drain off as much juice as possible. Discard juice, and set spinach aside.

  3. Melt butter on medium heat in large soup pan. Once melted, add minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, so garlic doesn't burn. Add chicken broth to pan, and heat until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer. Add tortellini. Simmer for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add diced tomatoes (including juice), spinach, salt, and Italian seasoning. Stir well, to combine ingredients. Continue to heat soup for 5 more minutes, or until fully heated through.

  4. Ladle hot soup into bowls, and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on each serving. Serve, and enjoy! Store any leftover soup (covered), in refrigerator, for up to 2-3 days.

Nutrition Facts
Easy Tortellini Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/6 of total))
Calories 191 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 24mg8%
Sodium 1068mg46%
Potassium 415mg12%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 11g22%
Vitamin A 5736IU115%
Vitamin C 19mg23%
Calcium 214mg21%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Enjoy a piping hot bowl of yummy, Italian-inspired, Easy Tortellini Soup, made in under 30 minutes with only a few key ingredients and spices.


Feb
2020

Hearty Minestrone Soup

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Soups

Hearty Minestrone Soup is filling and DELICIOUS! This classic Italian soup, with meat, veggies, tomatoes, beans, and macaroni is sure to please.
Hearty Minestrone Soup is filling and DELICIOUS! This classic Italian soup, with meat, veggies, tomatoes, beans, and macaroni is sure to please.

The first time I had this hearty minestrone soup was when my Father-in-Law died over 40 years ago. A friend of the family was there for his memorial, and fixed a massive pot of this soup for the family at my in-laws home after the service.

The day of his memorial service was very cold and snowy (January), so this hot, delicious, filling meal was a God-send, as well as a sweet, thoughtful “gift” to our family!  A long-time family friend named Veda Quatro made the soup, gave me her recipe, and we’ve enjoyed this hearty, flavor-packed soup ever since that day!

The recipe makes 12 servings, and is CRAZY DELICIOUS. It takes a bit of time and prep work to make, but honestly, the results are wonderful, and will be worth your time! If you will only be serving a few people, you will enjoy having the leftovers for lunches or a quick meal! YUM!

Four Steps To Making Hearty Minestrone Soup!

There are basically 4 steps to making this soup. Cook the stew meat in broth, cook ground beef, onions and spices, cook the veggies, and add the final batch of veggies and pasta to the soup 30 minutes before serving!

It’s really not that hard to make… honest! Here’s how to cook a large batch of this yummy soup:

Step #1 – Cooking The Stew Meat

Place 5 quarts of water into a HUGE soup pot. Add the beef bouillon cubes and the stew meat. NOTE: You can substitute 5 quarts beef broth for water and bouillon, if more convenient. Cook on high for about 20 minutes, or until the stew meat is cooked through. Once done, turn off heat, and transfer the stew meat with a slotted spoon to a plate to rest.

NOTE: Trust me… you will want to use a LARGE soup pot or divide the recipe between two standard sized soup pots for this recipe, because it makes a LOT of soup, once completed!

Stew meat is cooked in beef broth in a large stock pot.

Step #2

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the ground beef, drained stew meat, chopped onion, pepper, and chopped parsley. Cook this mixture until the ground beef is browned and fully cooked through.

As soon as the ground beef is fully cooked, add the minced garlic, and continue to cook, stirring often, for one minute.

Stew meat, ground beef, onions, and parsley are browned in skillet.

Minced garlic is added to the browned meat mixture.

Drain the grease from the skillet (discard) and then add the cooked beef and onion mixture into the broth and stir, to combine.

Cooked beef and onion mixture is added to beef broth.

Step #3

On to the next step! Gather the sliced celery, carrots and shredded cabbage, and add them to the pot of hearty minestrone soup! Pour in the canned diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and then give everything a good stir, to combine. Add the salt, stir then taste the soup, and add  additional salt, if desired, to suit your personal taste.

Continue to cook the hearty minestrone soup (uncovered) on medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until the veggies become tender. The soup liquid will reduce in volume slightly as the mixture cooks.

NOTE: If making soup ahead for serving later in the day… turn off the heat after this step, and let soup sit until 30 minutes before you want to serve, then go to Step #4.

Carrots, celery and green cabbage are prepped for the minestrone soup.Hearty minestrone soup is cooking away in a large stock pot.

Step #4 – The FINAL Step Before Serving

About 30 minutes BEFORE serving, add the uncooked macaroni noodles, frozen peas, kidney beans and zucchini slices to the pot of soup.

Cook the hearty minestrone soup on medium heat (still uncovered) for 30 minutes, and then it will be ready to serve! The broth will slightly reduce as it continues to cook, and the macaroni will fully cook in the soup!

Zucchini, peas, and uncooked macaroni noodles are added to the soup.The macaroni noodles cook fully in the hot minestrone soup.

Time To Serve Hearty Minestrone Soup!

After 30 minutes your huge pot of homemade, hearty minestrone soup is ready to serve! Give it a final taste, and add additional salt, if desired. Ladle the steaming soup into bowls, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and serve!

A bowl of hearty minestrone soup, topped with grated Parmesan cheese.Beef, veggies macaroni, tomatoes and beans are featured in hearty minestrone soup.

I really hope you will give this hearty minestrone soup a try! It is fabulous, and feeds a small village, or provides you with quite a few leftover bowls of delicious soup! YUM!!! Have a great day.

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all of my soup recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have many soup recipes on the blog, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe adapted from: Family friend Veda Quatro’s original recipe (1979)

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Hearty Minestrone Soup
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 

Hearty Minestrone Soup is filling and DELICIOUS! This classic Italian soup, with meat, veggies, tomatoes, beans, and macaroni is sure to please.

Category: Entree, Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: hearty minestrone soup
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 241 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 5 quarts water
  • 1½ pounds beef stew meat , cut into cubes
  • 4 large beef bouillon cubes
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ pound ground beef
  • 1 medium brown onion , chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ cup fresh parsley , finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 cup celery , sliced
  • 2 cups green cabbage , shredded
  • 1½ cups carrots , sliced or diced
  • 43.5 ounces diced, canned tomatoes (=three 14.5 ounce cans)
  • 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons salt , plus additional, to desired taste
  • 1 cup zucchini , sliced thin, then cut slices in half
  • 1 cup frozen peas , do not thaw
  • 15.5 ounces kidney beans (canned) , rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups elbow macaroni , uncooked
  • grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. STEP #1: Place 5 quarts of water into a HUGE soup pot. Add the beef bouillon cubes and the stew meat. NOTE: Substitute 5 quarts beef broth for water and bouillon, if more convenient. Cook on high for 20 minutes, or until stew meat is cooked through. Once done, turn off heat, and transfer stew meat with a slotted spoon to a plate to rest.

  2. STEP #2: Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add ground beef, drained stew meat, chopped onions, black pepper, and parsley. Cook until ground beef is browned and cooked through. Add minced garlic, and cook, stirring often, for one minute. Drain grease from skillet (discard) and then add this mixture to the broth and stir to combine.

  3. STEP #3: Add celery, carrots and cabbage to the pot of soup. Pour in canned diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning; stir, to combine. Add salt, stir then taste the soup, and add additional salt, if desired. Continue to cook soup (uncovered) on medium heat for 30 minutes, or until the veggies become tender. The soup liquid will reduce in volume slightly as the mixture cooks. NOTE: If making soup ahead for serving later in the day -turn off heat after this step, and let soup sit until 30 minutes before you want to serve, then go to Step #4.

  4. STEP #4: 30 minutes BEFORE serving, add the uncooked macaroni noodles, frozen peas, kidney beans and zucchini slices to the soup. Cook on medium high heat (still uncovered) for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then it's ready to serve! Give it a final taste; add additional salt, if desired. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and serve! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

TIP: The original author of this recipe (Veda) told me this tip: If you need to stretch out any leftover soup, just add another can of diced tomatoes or kidney beans, to make it go further!

Nutrition Facts
Hearty Minestrone Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 241 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 13mg4%
Sodium 974mg42%
Potassium 689mg20%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 3271IU65%
Vitamin C 26mg32%
Calcium 82mg8%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Hearty Minestrone Soup is filling and DELICIOUS! This classic Italian soup, with meat, veggies, tomatoes, beans, and macaroni is sure to please.


Nov
2018

Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Pork

Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi in a creamy Alfredo sauce, is a simple, delicious Italian comfort food dish that can be ready to eat in about 20 minutes!
Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi in a creamy Alfredo sauce, is a simple, delicious Italian comfort food dish that can be ready to eat in about 20 minutes!

Do you like gnocchi? We have really enjoyed trying this little “potato pasta” with several different recipes over the past couple of years. They are known primarily as Italian potato dumplings. Did you know the word “gnocchi” actually means “lumps” in Italian? Yep. There are numerous ways to use gnocchi. These little “lumps” of potatoes and flour can be baked, fried, boiled, etc., and taste amazing when paired with a variety of sauces!

A couple months ago I bought a package of gnocchi at the grocery store (usually found in the pasta aisle).  I decided to create my own recipe for Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi, and used a sauce I’ve made a bazillion times to tie all the ingredients together!

The Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi ended up tasting wonderful. Creamy alfredo sauce was the perfect sauce to coat the pillowy soft gnocchi, bacon and fresh baby spinach leaves! The added bonus is that it was a very simple (and quick) dinner to make!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

The first thing you need to do is to cook the bacon.  If you cut the raw bacon into thin strips, it will cook a lot faster (thanks, kitchen scissors)! Cook the bacon in a skillet until it is fully cooked and crispy.

Remove the crisp bacon from the skillet; transfer to a paper towel to drain. Leave any bacon drippings in the skillet (there shouldn’t be too much!). This will help give flavor to the sauce!

Bacon is cooked until crisp for the Bacon Parmesan Spinach Quiche,

Cooked bacon for bacon parmesan spinach quiche draining on paper towel.

Making The Sauce For Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

Using the same skillet (undrained), add the butter and cook on medium low heat until melted. Once the butter has melted, add the heavy whipping cream and garlic powder. Stir well, to combine the ingredients. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce in the skillet. Whisk or stir the sauce until the ingredients are fully blended together.

Continue to cook the sauce on medium low heat, until the alfredo sauce has thickened slightly and is heated through. Be careful to not let the sauce come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat once the sauce has thickened.

Butter and whipping cream in skillet to make sauce for bacon parmesan spinach quiche.

Parmesan cheese is grated into the sauce for bacon parmesan spinach quiche.

The alfredo sauce for the bacon parmesan spinach quiche has thickened.

Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water according to the package instructions. Once the gnocchi is cooked, drain it well in a colander or strainer. Do not rinse the gnocchi.

Gnocchi for the bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi has cooked and then is drained.

Finish The Gnocchi For Serving

Place the drained, hot gnocchi back into the saucepan. Pour the alfredo sauce, fresh baby spinach leaves and crumbled bacon back into the pan.

Stir the ingredients well, to fully coat everything with the alfredo sauce. Turn the heat to low, and continue to heat the bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi until it’s heated through. It only takes a couple minutes to heat through, and the spinach will wilt down as it cooks.

Cooked gnocchi, sauce, fresh spinach and bacon is mixed for bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi.

Bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi, on a wooden spoon, ready to eat!

Once the bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi is heated all the way through, it is ready to serve!  Portion out the gnocchi to individual serving bowls or plates. Top each serving with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve the bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi while it is hot… and enjoy every bite!

Bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi is served in a white bowl.

We truly did love this Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi! The creamy flavorful gnocchi is Italian comfort food at it’s best!  I sincerely hope you will give the recipe a try, because I think you’re gonna love it, too! Have a wonderful day.

Looking For More Recipes Using Gnocchi?

I have a few recipes using gnocchi on my blog that you might also enjoy! They include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

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Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi in a creamy Alfredo sauce, is a simple, delicious Italian comfort food dish that can be ready to eat in about 20 minutes!
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: bacon parmesan spinach gnocchi
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 742 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 strips bacon , cooked until crispy
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt , plus more to taste
  • 17.5 ounces gnocchi
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves (fresh)
  • Parmesan cheese , optional for garnish
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Cook bacon in skillet on medium heat until fully cooked/crispy. TIP: If you cut the raw bacon into thin strips before cooking, it will cook a LOT faster! Remove crisp bacon from skillet; transfer to a paper towel to drain, then crumble (if not already cut into small pieces). 

  2. Using the same skillet (undrained), add butter; cook on medium low heat until melted. Once the butter melts, add heavy whipping cream and garlic powder. Stir well, to combine. Add grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce in skillet. Whisk or stir sauce until the ingredients are fully blended together. Continue to cook sauce on medium low heat, until it has thickened slightly and is heated through. Be careful to not let the sauce come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat once the sauce has thickened.

  3. Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water according to package instructions. Once the gnocchi is cooked, drain it well in a colander or strainer. Do not rinse the gnocchi. Place the drained, hot gnocchi back into the saucepan.

  4. Pour the alfredo sauce, fresh baby spinach leaves and crumbled bacon into the pan of gnocchi. Stir well, to fully coat everything with the sauce. Turn heat to low, and continue to heat gnocchi until heated through. It only takes a couple minutes to heat through; the spinach will wilt down as it cooks. Once gnocchi is heated all the way through, it is ready to serve! Transfer gnocchi into individual bowls or plates. Top each serving with more grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve hot... and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 of total))
Calories 742 Calories from Fat 477
% Daily Value*
Fat 53g82%
Saturated Fat 31g194%
Cholesterol 166mg55%
Sodium 1256mg55%
Potassium 200mg6%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Fiber 3g13%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 3120IU62%
Vitamin C 4.7mg6%
Calcium 438mg44%
Iron 5.1mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Bacon Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi in a creamy Alfredo sauce, is a simple, delicious Italian comfort food dish that can be ready to eat in about 20 minutes!

 

 

 


Nov
2018

Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup

categories: Beef, Main Dishes, Soups

Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup is a delicious, flavor-filled dish, with baked ground beef meatballs and pearl couscous, in a simple garlic/shallot broth.
Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup is a delicious, flavor-filled dish, with baked ground beef meatballs and pearl couscous, in a simple garlic/shallot broth.

A couple of weeks ago, I tried a new soup recipe that I recently found on Pinterest.  The recipe was for a Moroccan meatball couscous soup, and I thought it sounded really interesting, due to the spices used in the tiny meatballs.

Do you like meatballs in soup? We do! One of our favorite soups with meatballs is my Albondigas Soup, which has traditional Southwestern flavors. I wasn’t too sure how this Moroccan meatball couscous soup (using pearl / Israeli couscous) would turn out, but thought I’d give this unique sounding soup a shot!

WOW!  We LOVED this simple soup!  Tiny meatballs, made with ground beef or lamb (I used ground beef), are mixed with a variety of Moroccan spices. The spices include turmeric, cinnamon, chili powder, curry powder, and several more.

Those little meatballs are baked, then added to a simple chicken or vegetable broth, which has been flavored with garlic and shallots. The end result? A wonderful tasting Moroccan meatball couscous soup that will knock your socks off! The soup is very easy to make – here’s how:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup

The first thing you will need to do is preheat your oven to 375° F, and line a 13×9 inch baking sheet (with edges) with parchment paper. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.

Mix together the spices for the meatballs in a small bowl. Place the ground beef (or ground lamb) in a medium bowl.  Add the spice mixture and tomato paste to the meat in the bowl. Mix thoroughly (with clean hands), until all ingredients are completely blended.

Blending spices and ground beef to make Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup.

For each meatball, use a rounded teaspoon of meat. Roll meat between your hands to form a small meatball. Place meatballs onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the meat is gone. I ended up with 43 little meatballs out of this mixture.

Place meatballs into the oven (on the middle rack). Bake at 375° F. for 10-12 minutes, until they are fully cooked through. When done, remove baking sheet from oven, and set aside.

Forming meatballs and baking them for Moroccan meatball couscous soup.

Preparing The Couscous

While the meatballs are baking, you can cook the Israeli (pearl) couscous. For this recipe the couscous is lightly “dry toasted” first, then cooked. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium heat in a saucepan. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the pearl couscous. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally while it lightly “toasts”. Lightly “toasting” the couscous, helps develop a slightly nutty flavor.

Add 1¾ cup water, and a tiny pinch of salt to the toasted couscous. Let the water come to a full boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pan. Cook the couscous for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the water has been fully absorbed. Remove pan from heat once done. Set aside.

Toasting then cooking Israeli couscous for Moroccan meatball couscous soup.

Putting The Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup Together

Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil  on medium high heat, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.  Add the minced garlic and 3 chopped shallots to the hot oil. Cook, stirring often, for one minute.

Add the chicken (or vegetable) broth to the pot, along with 2 more cups of water. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and carefully add the meatballs and the cooked couscous to the hot broth.

Shallots, garlic, chicken broth, & meatballs added to Moroccan meatball couscous soup.

Simmer the Moroccan meatball couscous soup (uncovered) on low heat for 10 minutes.  See how nice and plump the pearl couscous is?

Moroccan meatball couscous soup cooking in broth.

Time To EAT!

Once the Moroccan meatball couscous soup is finished cooking, remove the pot from the stove. Taste test the broth. If you find more salt or pepper is necessary to suit your taste, add it now. Ladle the hot soup into individual serving bowls. To serve, garnish each bowl of Moroccan meatball couscous soup with some chopped fresh flat leaf parsley.

Moroccan meatball couscous soup, served with parsley garnish.

That’s how simple it is to make this delicious soup!  I wasn’t sure I was gonna like it at first (being honest), but my husband and I ended up loving it!  The leftovers were fabulous for lunches, too! YUM.

Moroccan meatball couscous soup, served in white bowl, with fresh parsley garnish.

I really do hope you will consider trying this scrumptious Moroccan meatball couscous soup recipe. You will be surprised at the wonderful flavors in the meatballs and in the broth!  Have a wonderful day, friends.

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all of my soup recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. Some of our favorites include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
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Recipe Source: littlespicejar.com/moroccan-meatball-couscous-soup/

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Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup is a delicious, flavor-filled dish, with baked ground beef meatballs and pearl couscous, in a simple garlic/shallot broth.
Category: Main Dish, Soup
Cuisine: Moroccan
Keyword: Moroccan meatball couscous soup
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 360 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Meatballs:
  • 1½ pounds ground beef (or lamb)
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For Soup:
  • 8 ounces Israeli (pearl) couscous
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil ,for toasting couscous
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil ,for cooking shallots/garlic
  • 8 cloves garlic ,minced
  • 3 shallots , finely chopped
  • 4 cups chicken broth ,may substitute vegetable broth
  • 3¾ cups water , divided
  • chopped flat leaf parsley ,for garnish - optional
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375° F, and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a 13x9 inch baking sheet (with edges) with parchment paper. 

  2. Mix spices for the meatballs in a small bowl. Place the ground beef (or lamb) in a medium bowl. Add the spice mix and tomato paste to the meat. Mix thoroughly (with clean hands), until completely blended. For each meatball, use a rounded teaspoon of meat. Roll meat between hands to form a small meatball (40-45 total). Place meatballs onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until meat is gone. Place meatballs into oven (on middle rack). Bake at 375° F. for 10-12 minutes, until fully cooked through. When done, remove baking sheet from oven, and set aside.

  3. While meatballs bake, cook the couscous.  Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium heat in a saucepan. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the pearl couscous. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally while it lightly "toasts".  Add 1¾ cups of water and a pinch of salt to the toasted couscous. Let water come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and cover the pan. Cook couscous for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the water has been fully absorbed. Remove pan from heat and set aside when done.

  4. Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil  on medium high heat, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot.  Add minced garlic and chopped shallots to the hot oil. Cook, stirring often, for one minute.  Add the chicken (or vegetable) broth to the pot, along with 2 more cups of water. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; carefully add meatballs and cooked couscous to the hot broth. Simmer the soup (uncovered) on low heat for 10 minutes. Once the soup is finished cooking, remove the pot from the heat. Taste test the broth. If you find more salt or pepper is necessary to suit your taste, add it. Ladle the hot soup into individual serving bowls. To serve, garnish each bowl of soup with chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 360 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 57mg19%
Sodium 667mg29%
Potassium 449mg13%
Carbohydrates 24g8%
Fiber 1g4%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 60IU1%
Vitamin C 10.1mg12%
Calcium 36mg4%
Iron 2.8mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Moroccan Meatball Couscous Soup is a delicious, flavor-filled dish, with baked ground beef meatballs and pearl couscous, in a simple garlic/shallot broth.


Mar
2018

Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Pork

If you’re looking for a flavorful, 30 minute, one pot, comfort food dinner to serve family or friends, then you’ll love this satisfying and filling Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi, with baby spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella!
If you're looking for a flavorful, 30 minute, 1 pot, comfort food dinner, you'll love Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi, with spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella!

I love gnocchi, those cute little Italian potato “dumplings”, usually found in the pasta section of the grocery store.  Have you tried them?  I first tried them in soup at a local restaurant, loved them, and went home to make my own Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup.

Since then I’ve also used them to make other delicious gnocchi dishes! So when I discovered THIS recipe on Pinterest recently, I just KNEW it would be good! It most certainly WAS! The recipe is incredibly EASY to make, and tastes amazing!  This meal fills you up, and is so creamy and packed with Italian flavor!  Here’s how easy it is to make, all in ONE PAN, in about 30 minutes:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Making Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi

Place Italian sausage, diced onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large skillet (I used a cast iron skillet). Cook on medium high heat, until sausage has browned, stirring often. If there is any grease left in skillet, simply remove and discard.

Sausage, onion, and garlic cooking in black skillet

Browned Italian sausage and onion in cast iron skillet

Add gnocchi (straight from the package), canned diced tomatoes, and whipping cream to the sausage in skillet. Carefully stir to combine ingredients.

Cream and diced tomatoes added to skillet with gnocchi

Tomatoes and cream added to gnocchi in skillet

Add The Fresh Spinach

Add handfuls of fresh baby spinach to the skillet. Stir and let spinach wilt just a bit in the hot liquid. If necessary, add spinach in batches (I added mine in two batches).  Cook mixture on low for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the spinach has fully wilted down, the sauce has reduced in volume a bit, and the gnocchi is cooked and hot.

Fresh spinach added to cast iron skillet and creamy sauce

Spinach wilted into cast iron skillet with potato gnocchi

Add the grated mozzarella cheese to the skillet; stir well, to fully incorporate cheese into the sauce and it melts.

Mozzarella cheese added to skillet with creamy sausage gnocchi

Cheese stringing from creamy sausage gnocchi on wooden spoon

Time to Serve The Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi

That’s it!  See how easy this dish is to make?  Sprinkle a tiny bit more Mozzarella cheese on top before serving it up into individual bowls, because, you know… it’s cheese! If you want even more pops of color, place a couple small spinach leaves on top, as well.

Italian Sausage Gnocchi in cast iron skillet with wooden spoon

Single serving Italian sausage gnocchi in white bowl

This Italian sausage gnocchi was such an easy, delicious dish to prepare!  My husband and I really enjoyed it (and we’re looking forward to the leftovers, too)! Hope you will consider trying this recipe out… it tastes wonderful! Have a great day!

Looking for More GNOCCHI Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a couple more gnocchi recipes you might enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Author's signature

Recipe Source: Alli at https://tornadoughalli.com/2018/01/one-pot-creamy-sausage-gnocchi/

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Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

If you're looking for a flavorful, 30 minute, one pot, comfort food dinner, you'll love Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi, with spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella! 

Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Italian sausage gnocchi
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 559 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 pound Italian sausage *can substitute 3 links with casings removed
  • 1 brown onion , diced
  • 2 cloves garlic . minced
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 16 ounces gnocchi
  • 3 cups spinach , fresh
  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese , grated
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Place Italian sausage, diced onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large skillet. Cook on medium high heat, until sausage has browned, stirring often. Drain and discard any grease accumulated in skillet.

  2. Add gnocchi, canned diced tomatoes, and whipping cream to the skillet. Carefully stir to combine ingredients. Add handfuls of fresh baby spinach to the skillet. Stir and let spinach wilt just a bit in the hot liquid. If necessary, add spinach in batches (I added mine in two batches).  Cook mixture on low for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the spinach has fully wilted down and the gnocchi is cooked.

  3. Add the grated mozzarella cheese to the skillet; stir well, to fully incorporate cheese into the sauce and it melts. Once cheese is fully melted, serve the dish! May garnish with additional grated cheese, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Gnocchi does not have to be precooked before adding it to dish.

Nutrition Facts
Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 559 Calories from Fat 351
% Daily Value*
Fat 39g60%
Saturated Fat 18g113%
Cholesterol 112mg37%
Sodium 1338mg58%
Potassium 352mg10%
Carbohydrates 32g11%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 1980IU40%
Vitamin C 7.6mg9%
Calcium 174mg17%
Iron 4.4mg24%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!

If you're looking for a flavorful, 30 minute, 1 pot, comfort food dinner, you'll love Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi, with spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella!


Jan
2018

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup

categories: Soups

You’ll love this recipe for Weight Watchers French Onion Soup, with caramelized onions! All the flavor without the extra calories!You'll love this recipe for Weight Watchers French Onion Soup, with caramelized onions! All the flavor without the extra calories!

If you enjoy a robust, flavor-filled bowl of soup, but are dieting OR looking to cut a few calories, then you will LOVE this recipe for Weight Watchers French Onion Soup!  It has caramelized onions and the amazing flavor of the original, but with less calories!

On a cold day recently, I was craving a big bowl of French Onion Soup, but since I am watching my calories, and have lost over 26 pounds the past several months, I wanted the TASTE of this delicious soup, but without the extra calories from bread and that yummy, gooey CHEESE! The most difficult thing about making this (and it’s a cinch), is cutting up those crazy onions (wiping away the tears!).

So… I found this recipe using my Weight Watchers app, and decided to try it. The original recipe was designed to use a slow cooker, but it took almost 12 hours to make, so I modified the recipe so it could be made on the stove top in about 40 minutes total (prep and cook time). OH MY GOODNESS… it is so incredibly delicious!  The caramelized onions swimming in a rich, flavorful broth, and a bit of Parmesan cheese on top tasted amazing. I didn’t even miss the bread! You need to make this soup ASAP!

My husband and I LOVED this meal, and since a serving size is 1½ cups, we each had a large bowl of soup (with a salad on the side). *Note: I made HALF the recipe… so my photos reflect this!) Here’s how easy it is to make:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page  

Prepare The Onions (and wipe away the tears)

Peel onions and thinly slice. Remember, slicing onions is not for sissies… (wiping away more tears). I cut them in half (top to bottom), then peeled them and then sliced.

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Caramelize The Onions

Melt butter in large skillet. Add sliced onions and salt. Cook on medium heat until the onions are well browned, stirring often. This will take about 20 minutes. I made a salad while the onions were cooking, but came back and gave them a good stir every few minutes!

**Here’s my tip on cooking the onions… don’t rush the process. Take your time cooking the onions… you want them nice and brown, caramelized, soft and fragrant, for the best tasting soup!

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Finish “Building” The Weight Watchers French Onion Soup

Once the onions are wonderfully brown (and smell so good!), add a bay leaf and some fresh thyme to the skillet. If you do not have access to fresh thyme, you can add dried thyme, but you will need to reduce the amount by 1/3, since dried herbs are more concentrated in flavor.

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Add sherry, minced garlic, sugar, chicken broth and beef broth to skillet. Stir well, to combine all ingredients. Let this cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will allow the alcohol (sherry) to burn off, and allow the flavors to develop. When done, remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs from soup.  Stir in soy sauce and black pepper.

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Time To Eat!

Ladle the soup into bowls, and immediately garnish each serving with 1/2 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme (if desired). Serve, and enjoy! Here’s a photo of my bowl of soup BEFORE I gobbled it up!.

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup / The Grateful Girl Cooks! You'll love the rich, decadent flavor of caramelized onions in this "lightened up" version of French Onion Soup! All the flavor without all the extra calories!

Shown below is a photo of my husband’s bowl of soup. He wanted a bit of the traditional melted “stringy” cheese on his at the last minute, so I grabbed a thin slice of Swiss cheese we keep on hand for sandwiches.

The cheese was put on the top and I microwaved the soup for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese. It was nice and “gooey” and stringy… just the way he likes it (and only added 70 more calories!)

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

We both really loved this soup!   If you happen to follow a Weight Watchers plan, the total for this delicious bowl of “yummy-ness” is 3 Smart Points!  I highly recommend this recipe… low in calories, high in taste and satisfaction!  Have a great day!

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of yummy soup recipes to check out, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Weight Watchers French Onion Soup / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Recipe Adapted From: https://www.weightwatchers.com

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Weight Watchers French Onion Soup
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

You'll love this recipe for Weight Watchers French Onion Soup, with caramelized onions! All the flavor without the extra calories!

Category: Soup
Cuisine: French
Keyword: french onion soup
Servings: 6 (1½ cup) servings
Calories Per Serving: 116 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 6-7 large uncooked brown onions , peeled and thinly sliced (approx. 3 lbs.)
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme (plus extra if using for garnish)
  • 1/4 cup sherry
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 3 cups beef broth (reduced sodium)
  • 3 cups chicken broth (reduced sodium)
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce (low sodium)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (to garnish hot soup)
  • Additional sprigs fresh thyme (to garnish hot soup)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Peel onions and thinly slice.
  2. Melt butter in large skillet. Add sliced onions and salt. Cook on medium heat until the onions are well browned, stirring every couple of minutes. This will take approximately 20 minutes. Once the onions are wonderfully brown (and smell so good!), add a bay leaf and fresh thyme sprigs to the skillet (if using dried thyme, reduce by 1/2 the amount used). Add sherry, minced garlic, sugar, beef broth and chicken broth to skillet. Stir well, to combine all ingredients. Let this mixture cook, uncovered for 20 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. This will burn off the alcohol (sherry). When done, remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs from soup. Stir in soy sauce and black pepper.
  3. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, and immediately garnish each serving with 1/2 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme (if desired). Serve, and ENJOY! (the leftovers are wonderful, as well!)
Nutrition Facts
Weight Watchers French Onion Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 serving (1½ cups))
Calories 116 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 12mg4%
Sodium 1751mg76%
Potassium 326mg9%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 180IU4%
Vitamin C 18mg22%
Calcium 72mg7%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You'll love this recipe for Weight Watchers French Onion Soup, with caramelized onions! All the flavor without the extra calories!


Aug
2017

Albondigas Soup

categories: Beef, Mexican / Southwestern, Soups

Delicious Albondigas Soup (“little meatball”) is an easy, inexpensive, Southwestern flavored dish, and can be served as a first course or an entree!Delicious Albondigas ("little meatball") Soup is an easy, inexpensive, Southwestern flavored dish to prepare, and can be served as a first course or an entree!
I made Albondigas Soup for dinner a couple of days ago… did you know that “Albondigas” simply means “little meatballs”? That’s right!

This is a yummy, Southwestern flavored “little meatball soup”.  It’s very simple to make… and it sure tastes good!

How I Got This Recipe

I was given this recipe at my bridal shower (almost 40 years ago) by the Mom of one of my bridesmaids.  This recipe for albondigas soup has been made so many times over the years, and we still enjoy it, to this day.

Simple and economical to make, the soup has a mild Southwestern flavor, due in small part to chili powder and other spices! The tiny meatballs made with ground beef, rice, and spices, really fill you up, too!

Albondigas soup is cooked all in one pan. Even the meatballs are added uncooked to the hot broth, and they cook in the pan.

No pre-browning of the meatballs is necessary, so it really doesn’t take much work at all to serve up a hot, steaming pot of albondigas soup! Here’s how to make it:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Albondigas Soup

  Sauté chopped onions in a large soup pot in hot oil until the onions are translucent in color and tender, but not yet browned.

Cooking onions for the albondigas soup in a skillet.
Add the rest of soup ingredients to the pan. These ingredients are chili powder, garlic powder, bisque of tomato soup, condensed beef consommé, water, sliced celery and carrots.

Simmer, uncovered, on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the albondigas soup is simmering, make the meatballs.

Carrots and celery cooking in broth for soup

Prepare The Meatballs

Make the meatballs while the soup is simmering. Place the ground beef, cooked rice, cornstarch, garlic powder, oregano, egg, salt, pepper, and dried parsley in a large bowl.

Stir (or use your hands) until the ingredients are fully mixed together. Form the meat mixture into small meatballs about the size of a walnut shell (about 1½” wide).

I was able to make 31 little meatballs with this mixture. Place the meatballs on parchment paper as they are formed.

Meat, egg, spices for albondigas soup in bowlMeatball ingredients ready to shape into ballsMeatballs formed on wax paper

Add The Meatballs To The Soup

Carefully place the uncooked meatballs into the simmering broth.  They will sink to the bottom of the pot.  I took this first photo below, so you could see the meatballs go into the pot “uncooked”.

The meatballs will begin to cook immediately after putting them in. You can see this in the 2nd photo below, taken 30 seconds after adding the meatballs to the hot broth.

Putting the meatball into the soup potStirring meatballs in soup
Cook the Soup

Simmer the albondigas soup on low heat for 30 minutes after adding the meatballs. Do not put a lid on the saucepan.

When done, the meatballs will float to the top of the soup, as shown below. They should be fully cooked through, as well.

Simmering albondigas soup

The Albondigas Soup Is Ready To Eat!

All that’s left to do is to ladle the hot soup into individual serving bowls. Serve albondigas soup hot with a slice of warm bread and a mixed green salad on the side. Enjoy!

A bowl of albondigas soup, with meatballs and carrots.

I hope you enjoy this simple to prepare, yet tasty albondigas soup! It is a family favorite, and I really think you will enjoy it!

Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon, for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, and have a GREAT day!

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious soup recipes to choose from, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

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Author's signature

Recipe Source: Mrs. Phyllis Dean

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Albondigas Soup
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 
Delicious Albondigas ("little meatball") Soup is easy and inexpensive Southwestern flavored soup to prepare, and can be served as a first course or an entree!
Category: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Southwestern
Keyword: albondigas soup
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 338 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For the broth:
  • 1/2 cup onion , chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • dash garlic powder
  • 1 can Campbells Bisque of Tomato Soup
  • 3 cans Campbells Condensed Beef Consomme soup
  • 3 cans water
  • 1½ cups carrots , sliced
  • 1½ cups celery , diced
For the meatballs:
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup COOKED rice
  • 1 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • dash garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup parsley flakes
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in large soup pot. Saute onion until limp, but not browned. Add remainder of soup ingredients (chili powder, garlic powder, salt, tomato soup, beef consomme, water, sliced carrots and celery). Simmer uncovered on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While soup simmers, make the meatballs.
  2. Combine all ingredients for meatballs in medium bowl (ground beef, cooked rice, cornstarch, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, egg and parsley). Stir well, to fully combine. Form little meatballs with your hands (meatballs should be only about 1½ inches wide). Set formed meatballs on wax paper or parchment paper while you continue to make meatballs.
  3. When soup is done simmering (after 20 minutes), carefully add the uncooked meatballs to the hot broth. They will sink to bottom of pan, but will begin to cook immediately. Cook, uncovered, on a low simmer for 30 minutes. When done, the meatballs will be cooked through and will float to the surface of the soup. Ladle up the hot soup into individual bowls... serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Albondigas Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 338 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Cholesterol 80mg27%
Sodium 1493mg65%
Potassium 822mg23%
Carbohydrates 18g6%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 18g36%
Vitamin A 5760IU115%
Vitamin C 11.3mg14%
Calcium 73mg7%
Iron 2.7mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Delicious Albondigas ("little meatball") Soup is an easy, inexpensive, Southwestern flavored dish to prepare, and can be served as a first course or an entree!

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Feb
2016

Corn, Bacon & Potato Chowder

categories: Bacon, Soups

Corn Bacon Potato Chowder- this thick, creamy soup with potatoes, corn, and bacon is filling, delicious, and easy to prepare. Perfect dish for a cold day!Corn Bacon Potato Chowder- this thick, creamy soup with potatoes, corn, and bacon is filling, delicious, and easy to prepare. Perfect dish for a cold day!When it’s cold outside, a big pot of hot soup always helps to take the chill off! A few days ago, on a drizzly, cold Pacific Northwest day, I made corn bacon potato chowder, from a recipe I’ve used for over 30 years.

This thick, creamy soup is easy to prepare, very filling, delicious, and it’s definitely a family favorite I am confident you will enjoy!!

The recipe is simple to prepare, and the reward for a small amount of your time is a big pot of thick, tasty chowder! Here’s how easy it is to prepare:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page

Cook the Bacon

Start by cooking the bacon (everything is better with bacon, right?). Fry the bacon until fully cooked and crisp.

TIP: Stack the bacon, slice into thin strips, then fry it in the pan you are using for the soup. The smaller pieces cook faster this way.

Cutting bacon before cooking chowder.
When I make this, I fry the bacon in the same pan I cook the soup in, so it makes this a one pot meal! Less cleanup!  YES!!!

Bacon pieces are cooked in large soup pot.

Once bacon is really crisp, remove (using a slotted spoon) to a paper towel lined plate. The paper towels will absorb any leftover bacon grease.

Set a few bacon pieces aside to garnish the soup with later, if desired.  Leave 3 Tablespoons of bacon grease in pan, and discard the rest.

Crisp, cooked bacon is drained and ready to use in the chowder.

Prepare The Chowder Base

Add onion and celery (including celery tops) to the 3 Tablespoons bacon drippings left in the pan. Cook & stir until the onion is translucent in color and tender (3-4 minutes).

Chopped onions and celery are cooked in bacon drippings before adding to corn chowder.

Add 3 Tablespoons flour (this will act as a thickening agent for the corn bacon potato chowder). Stir to combine, and cook on low heat for a minute or two (this helps to “cook out” the floury taste).

Flour is added to cooked onions and celery to help thicken corn chowder.

Flour is cooked with onions and celery.

Time To Add The Milk

Add milk to the saucepan. Stir well, to combine all the ingredients. Heat the liquid until it boils, stirring constantly, and scraping the bottom of pan, so it doesn’t stick.

Once it comes to a boil, cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. The chowder mixture will thicken as it cooks.

Milk is added to corn chowder base and cooked until thickened.

Time To Add The Corn And Potatoes

The next step is to add in the cream style corn, potatoes, bacon, salt and pepper. Canned potatoes are used in this recipe.

Here is a photo of the kind of canned potatoes you need for this recipe. They are called new potatoes (or whole white potatoes) at the grocery store.

Cream style corn and new potatoes about to be added to chowder.

Drain, then dice the potatoes before adding them to soup. I cut them in half length-wise, then in half again lengthwise, then dice.

New potatoes are diced before adding them to corn chowder.

Once potatoes are diced, add in the potatoes, cream style corn, bacon pieces, salt and pepper; stir to combine.

Corn, bacon and potatoes are added to chowder in soup pot.

Cook The Corn Bacon Potato Chowder Until Hot And Thick 

Cook the corn bacon potato chowder only until it is heated through. Take a small taste of the chowder, and add additional salt and pepper to suit your preference.

See how nice and thick this corn bacon potato chowder is? That is perfect, and this means it is now ready to be served and enjoyed.

Corn bacon potato chowder has thickened and is ready to eat.

Serve The Chowder!

Ladle the chowder into bowls (or cups). If you use bowls, this recipe will make 4-5 servings. If you use small mugs or cups, it should make about 6-8 smaller servings.

Garnish each portion with reserved bacon pieces, and chopped celery tops, if desired. Enjoy this hearty and filling corn, bacon & potato chowder!

Corn bacon potato chowder is served with garnishes in bowl.

I really hope you will consider making this corn bacon potato chowder… it is so good for lunch OR dinner, especially on a cold day!

If you enjoy this chowder, be sure to check out my recipe for Fully Loaded Potato Soup! Have a great day, and may God bless and hold you close throughout it.

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of yummy soup recipes you’ll enjoy, including:

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Author's signature

Recipe Source: I got this recipe from my sister-in-law over 30 years ago, written on a 3×5 card. Do not know the original source, however!

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Corn, Bacon & Potato Chowder
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Corn Bacon Potato Chowder- this thick, creamy soup with potatoes, corn, and bacon is filling, delicious, and easy to prepare. Perfect dish for a cold day!
Category: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: corn bacon potato chowder
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 349 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound bacon (I used 6 thick slices bacon)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup sliced celery (including the celery tops)
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 can cream style corn
  • 1 can new potatoes (whole white), drained and diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Bacon pieces and celery tops (chopped), for garnish if desired
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. In large soup pot, cook bacon until crisp; drain and set aside (save a few bacon pieces for garnish). Leave 3 Tablespoon bacon drippings in pan (discard the rest).
  2. Add onion and celery; cook/stir until onion is tender (3-4 minutes).
  3. Add and blend in flour; cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Stir in milk, mix well to combine. Heat to boiling, then boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  5. Add in creamed corn, diced potatoes, bacon pieces, salt and pepper to pan. Heat only until heated through. Taste test soup; add additional salt/pepper, if necessary, to suit your taste.
  6. Ladle soup into serving dishes. Garnish with crisp bacon pieces and chopped celery green tops. Serve hot, and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Corn, Bacon & Potato Chowder
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 349 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 32mg11%
Sodium 726mg32%
Potassium 745mg21%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 415IU8%
Vitamin C 18.5mg22%
Calcium 216mg22%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Corn Bacon Potato Chowder- this thick, creamy soup with potatoes, corn, and bacon is filling, delicious, and easy to prepare. Perfect dish for a cold day!

 

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Dec
2015

Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup

categories: Soups, Turkey

Make this delicious, creamy turkey wild rice soup with wild rice, carrots, and onions in your slow cooker, using your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers!Make this delicious, creamy turkey wild rice soup with wild rice, carrots, and onions in your slow cooker, using your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers!

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we still have some leftovers, thankfully! Speaking of LEFTOVERS…today I’m posting a recipe for Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup. I’ve been making this soup for years (using good old turkey leftovers!).

I found the original recipe in an old Taste Of Home Magazine years ago and tried it. The creamy turkey wild rice soup was so good!  I’ve been making it ever since, with a few slight changes to the original recipe.

Why NOT use the leftover turkey and carcass to make a huge pot of delicious soup? If you’re gonna go to the trouble of roasting a huge turkey, then make it “go the distance” for you. The original recipe for creamy turkey wild rice soup was made on the stove top, but I adapted it for crock pot cooking. I’ve included both sets of instructions in the printable recipe below.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page

Could I Make This Recipe With A Whole CHICKEN Instead Of A Turkey?

Yes. You can also substitute a whole chicken, if desired. Remember to make sure you have at least 2 cups of shredded meat for the soup. Prepare the recipe the same exact way.

How To Make Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup

Start with that leftover turkey. Yeah. Use that beast you fixed for Thanksgiving. Our 15 pounder looked like this when it came out of the oven on Thanksgiving.

Roast turkey is used to make creamy turkey wild rice soup.

The next morning, the leftover turkey looked like this photo below… in a huge pot of water, with onions, celery, carrots, spices, etc. I’m telling you, that turkey never knew what hit it!

The turkey carcass (with some meat still attached) cooks for about 1½ hours (covered). Chopped onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper are also added to the large pot of water. When done, let the turkey cool. Once the turkey has cooled,  cut or pull all the turkey meat you can get off the bones. You will need about 2 cups of turkey for this soup.

Turkey carcass is cooked with onions, celery and carrots in water to make creamy turkey wild rice soup.

Add Ingredients To A Slow Cooker (crock pot)

Put the broth from the turkey (and the veggies, too) into a large crock pot. The total mount of broth should be at least 4 cups. If making the turkey the way shown, you can use the strained broth created by cooking the turkey as replacement for store bought broth.

Add 2 cups of shredded turkey to the slow cooker. Add one box of Long Grain and Wild Rice (and seasoning packet) and butter to the soup. The original recipe called for 2 cups of wild rice. Using all wild rice is really tasty, but I found this package and seasonings to be perfectly easy (and a bit more economical).

Rice and seasonings are added to slow cooker full of creamy turkey wild rice soup.

Cook the creamy turkey wild rice soup on low temperature for 4 hours. After that, add some flour, whisked well with cool water to help thicken the soup broth slightly. Put the lid back on slow cooker, and let the soup cook for another hour. Add light cream to the soup, and cook for 15 minutes.

The Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup Is Ready To Serve

Taste test the soup before you ladle it into bowls. Add salt or pepper, if desired, to suit your taste buds. The creamy turkey wild rice soup is now ready to be served!

Lots of turkey in this delicious creamy turkey wild rice soup.

Here is the finished creamy turkey wild rice soup, after the cream has been added. It looks great, and is ready to eat!

Creamy turkey wild rice soup is served in bowl.

This creamy turkey wild rice soup is a really easy soup to make, and tastes absolutely delicious. I sure hope you will give this recipe a try next time you want to make something with Thanksgiving leftovers. Don’t throw that turkey carcass away… make a huge pot of delicious hot and filling soup!

Thanks for stopping by, and I sincerely hope you will come back again soon for more recipes. Have a great day.

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious soup recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Adapted From: Taste Of Home Magazine, submitted by Terri Holmgren, Swanville, Minnesota (magazine issue unknown – I cut out her recipe years ago and couldn’t find it online)

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Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time
5 hrs 15 mins
Total Time
6 hrs 45 mins
 
Make this delicious, creamy turkey wild rice soup with wild rice, carrots, and onions in your slow cooker, using your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers!
Category: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: turkey wild rice soup
Servings: 12 cups (approx. 3 quarts)
Calories Per Serving: 179 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 turkey "carcass" (with some meat still attached)
  • 1 medium onion , chopped
  • 2 celery ribs , diced
  • 2 carrots , diced
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 cups turkey or chicken broth
  • 1 box wild rice OR 1 box Long Grain and Wild Rice Mix + seasoning packet (Rice A Roni)
  • 2 cups light cream
  • 2 cups diced turkey (or chicken)
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Additional salt & pepper , to taste (if desired)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Place leftover turkey "carcass" in large stock pot. Cover with water. Add onion, celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Cover pot and boil for 1 1/2 hours on medium-low. Remove turkey; let cool, then cut all the meat off the bones. Discard bones. Pour 4 cups of the broth (with veggies) into a crock pot. Shred turkey meat, then add at least 2 cups of the meat back into the crock pot. Add entire box of rice (plus seasoning packet). Add salt, pepper, dried parsley, and butter to soup. Cook on Low for 4 hours.
  2. After 4 hours, mix together the flour and water until smooth. Stir this mixture into the soup in the crock pot until combined. Let soup cook for another hour.
  3. Stir in cream, and cook on LOW for another 15 minutes.
  4. Taste test; add additional salt/pepper, if desired, then serve!
Recipe Notes

If cooking on stove top: Saute onions, celery and carrots in butter 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat; add in flour-cook until it is bubbly. Add in broth, stirring constantly. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Add rice, turkey, cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve.
Another way to make this quicker, use store bought broth and shred up a rotisserie chicken or use pre-cooked turkey.

Nutrition Facts
Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 179 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 58mg19%
Sodium 431mg19%
Potassium 189mg5%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 2140IU43%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 39mg4%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make this delicious, creamy turkey wild rice soup with wild rice, carrots, and onions in your slow cooker, using your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers!

 

 

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Nov
2015

Sundowner Soup

categories: Beef, Main Dishes, Soups

Sundowner Soup is a delicious Italian inspired economical dish that’s easy to make, with ground beef, rice, and vegetables in a tomato based broth.Sundowner Soup is a delicious Italian inspired economical dish that's easy to make, with ground beef, rice, and vegetables in a tomato based broth.
Let me start by saying I HAVE NO IDEA WHY IT IS CALLED SUNDOWNER SOUP. I suppose it might be because you can make up a big pot of this soup in about the same time it takes the sun to set? Well, I don’t really know how or why it got its name, but that’s my story… and I’m sticking with it!

Recently I found this recipe in a 20 year old cookbook. The name of the soup intrigued me, since it apparently had NOTHING to do with the ingredients. I had already laid out one pound of hamburger meat to use for dinner, so decided to give this recipe for sundowner soup a try.

What I can tell you after making it is this: Sundowner soup is delicious, only uses one pound of hamburger meat, and has lots of veggies. The recipe makes a large pot of soup, and is ready in a very short amount of time (under 30 minutes). If you can chop/slice  veggies and brown hamburger meat, you can make this soup!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Sundowner Soup

Here’s how you make this tasty (and economical) Italian-flavored soup: Brown the chopped onion and hamburger meat in a large soup pot. Easy, right?

Hamburger meat and onions are cooked before they are added to soup.

When the meat has browned fully, drain off the grease, and then stir in the sliced carrots and celery. Cook these veggies for 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.

Celery and carrots are added to the soup pot.

Add canned tomatoes, beef broth, cooking sherry, water, Swiss chard, rice, and herbs to the soup pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, and then simmer (covered) for 15 minutes.

Canned tomatoes, sherry, broth spices and Swiss chard are added to the sundowner soup.

Uncooked rice is also added to the soup where it will cook in the broth.

Finish Making The Soup

After soup has cooked for 15 minutes, add the remaining half of the Swiss chard. Give the sundowner soup a taste, and season with a bit of salt and pepper, to your liking. Cover and cook the soup for 5 additional minutes.

More Swiss chard is added to the soup.

Now uncover the soup pot. The rice should be fully cooked and the soup will have thickened up. If you want the sundowner soup thinner, simply add a bit more water and stir.

The pot of sundowner soup is fully cooked and is now ready to serve.

Serve The Sundowner Soup

Ladle the hot sundowner soup into serving bowls. Garnish the top of each bowl of soup with finely grated Parmesan cheese (optional, but oh, so good!). Serve with some crusty bread on the side, and enjoy. Sundowner soup is quite a filling meal, because it has meat, veggies and rice, all in one dish! I think you will enjoy it!

Each bowl of sundowner soup is garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Hope you will give sundowner soup a try. My husband and I LOVED it!  Have a great day. Look around and focus on the multitude of things you (and I) can be grateful for! They are all around.

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

I have lots of soup recipes! They can be found in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few favorites include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureRecipe Source: The cookbook called “A Dinner A Day”, by Sally Sondheim & Suzannah Sloan, pg. 46, Published by Warner Books, 1996.

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Sundowner Soup
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Sundowner Soup is a delicious Italian inspired economical dish that's easy to make, with ground beef, rice, and vegetables in a tomato based broth.
Category: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Sundowner Soup
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 339 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion , chopped
  • 3 stalks celery , sliced
  • 5 medium carrots , peeled and sliced
  • 1 medium bunch Swiss chard (may substitute spinach, if desired)
  • 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes (undrained)
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) beef broth
  • 1/4 cup cooking sherry (may substitute beef broth)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup long grain white rice
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 Tablespoon seasoning salt
  • (additional salt and pepper, to taste)
  • Grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish - optional, but good!)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Brown ground beef and chopped onion in a large soup pot, stirring occasionally. Drain off grease when done.
  2. While meat is browning, slice celery, peel and slice carrots, and chop Swiss chard (or spinach).
  3. When beef and onions are cooked and drained, add sliced celery and carrots to pan. Cook for 3 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes (and juice), beef broth, sherry, water, HALF of the Swiss chard, rice, basil, thyme and seasoning salt to the pan. Stir well, to combine; bring mixture to a boil on medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, put a lid on pan, and simmer for 15 minutes (covered).
  5. After soup has cooked for 15 minutes, add the rest of the Swiss chard. Taste soup; add salt and pepper, if desired. Put lid back on pan and cook soup 5 more minutes. When done, if soup has thickened too much for your liking, simply add a bit of water to pan, and stir to combine.
  6. Ladle soup into individual bowls; garnish soup with finely grated Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
  7. By the way- the leftovers are great, as well!
Nutrition Facts
Sundowner Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 339 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 58mg19%
Sodium 1792mg78%
Potassium 925mg26%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 9400IU188%
Vitamin C 19.6mg24%
Calcium 163mg16%
Iron 4.2mg23%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Sundowner Soup is a delicious Italian inspired economical dish that's easy to make, with ground beef, rice, and vegetables in a tomato based broth.

 

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