Easy Homemade Tomato Basil Soup

 

While tomatoes mean summer to me, tomato soup has been a cold-weather favorite ever since my college roommate introduced me to the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich combo after a day skiing. Whether you enjoy this soup with a sandwich or not, it is a flavorful way to warm up on a chilly day.

Have I told you I share a house with my 80-year-old mom? She moved to Topeka in 2018, so we could be roomies! I love having her here, and we have a deal: I cook, and she empties the dishwasher. LOL One of our favorite meals is soup, which I make no matter the season. Minestrone and chicken-noodle are my typical go-to recipes, but this one for Tomato Basil Soup may jump to the top of the list.

I adapted this recipe from one I found in Autumn by Susan Branch, who I’ve mentioned as one of my favorite authors in a past blog post. I was drawn to this soup because it is soooo easy! It’s the perfect recipe because, once you make it a couple of times, you’ll be able to do so again and again without looking at the recipe because it’s that easy to remember. 

One important tip: Use the highest quality crushed tomatoes possible. I like the flavor of the Cento brand. While cheaper brands are available, you won’t regret spending a few extra cents since the tomatoes take center stage in this soup.

Yield: 4

Author: Linda Ditch

Tomato Basil Soup

This luscious soup, adapted from a recipe in Autumn by Susan Branch, is one of those perfect recipes because, once you make it a couple of times, you’ll be able to do so again and again without looking at the recipe. It's that easy...and delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (I use Cento brand)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1/2 cup half and half
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Pour the olive oil into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 to 60 seconds, and then add the remaining ingredients except for the half and half. Bring to simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the half and half, and then add salt and pepper, to taste.

Cheesy Broccoli Corn Potato Chowder with Ham

What do you do when cravings collide? 

Recently, I was enamored by a social media post for ham and potato corn chowder, but I also was longing for a cheddar broccoli soup. Plus, I had some fresh broccoli that wasn’t going to stay that way for much longer.

So, I combined two soups into one. Boy, was it good—even though the name is a little long!

Full of healthy veggies and sharp cheddar, with just enough ham to give it a smoky taste. 

Best of all, this recipe is perfect for the slow cooker. Put in the bulk of the ingredients at the start of the day and by dinnertime, all you have to do is blend the mixture to your desired chunkiness (I used a stick blender), and stir in the cheese, cream (if using), and ham. 

Dinner is ready! 

Yield: 6 to 8

Author: Linda Ditch

Cheesy Broccoli Corn Potato Chowder with Ham

What happens when broccoli-cheddar soup combines with a corn chowder? Add some ham, and this soup is the result.

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce bag frozen corn
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 32-ounce carton low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces Velveeta, diced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces ham, diced

Instructions

1. In a large slow cooker, add all of the ingredients except for the cheeses, cream, and ham. (Add more water if necessary.) Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
2. Using an immersion (stick) blender, whizz up the soup in the slow cooker until it reaches your desired consistency. (If you don’t have a hand-held stick blender, ladle 2 to 3 cups of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Then pour the blended mixture back into the slow cooker.)
3. Add the ham to the soup, and then the cheeses, a handful at a time, stirring until melted and blended into the soup. Then stir in the cream. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
4. Serve and enjoy. (FYI: Like most soups, this one tastes even better the next day!)

Created using The Recipes Generator

Hemingway Black Bean Soup

 

Sometimes you just need a big pot of comfort beans. 

When I wrote the review of Key Lime Crime by Lucy Burdette in August, I was transported back to the single day I spent in Key West while on a cruise in 2016. Those 6 hours were enough for me to fall in love with the town’s unique and beautiful spirit. 

I loved the houses with sleeping porches to beat the nighttime heat. I loved all the people traveling on bikes and scooters.

I even decided the chickens roaming everywhere were cute!

My favorite stop was the Hemingway Home. No big surprise a writer would be intrigued by the home of such a famous and infamous author like Ernest Hemingway. 

I still dream of one day having a writing studio inspired by his. Also, as a cat person who is absent from feline friends thanks to rental agreements, I had to pet each one of the purring polydactyl (six-toed) creatures I met.

In the gift shop, I picked up a copy of The Hemingway Cookbook by Craig Boreth. It’s a lovely cookbook full of stories and photos of Ernest Hemingway and the key people and places in his life. Plus, there are plenty of recipes for some of his favorite meals.

I tested out this one for black bean soup. My only changes from the original were to use chicken broth instead of just water and utilizing my slow cooker instead of the stovetop. 

What I love most about this recipe is you can use these beans in many other dishes as well. They work for refried black beans, a bean dip, or drained and added to burritos. Soup isn’t the only option with a pot full of these beauties! 

I’ve marked a few more recipes in the cookbook to try (Lime Ice, anyone!) and Key West is tops on my list of places to explore further one day. 

 

Yield: 6

Author: Linda Ditch

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Hemingway Black Bean Soup

Adapted from The Hemingway Cookbook by Craig Boreth

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry black beans
• 2 large green bell peppers
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons crushed dried oregano
• 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Diced bell peppers, for garnish
• Sour cream, for garnish

Instructions

1. The night before, rinse the beans and check for any stones. Put the beans in a large bowl and cover with water to 2 to 4 inches above the level of the beans. Set aside to soak overnight.
2. The next day, drain the water from the beans and then pour the beans into a slow cooker. Dice the green bell peppers and onion and add to the cooker, along with all the ingredients up to the vinegar. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. Add water to the slow cooker if more moisture is needed.
3. Just before serving, add the vinegar, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve as is or over rice. (I used brown rice.) Garnish with the chopped bell peppers and sour cream (or Greek-style yogurt).

Created using The Recipes Generator

Aunt Mable’s Vegetable Beef Soup

This week we said goodbye to my Great-Aunt Mable. She was 103 years old when she passed!

I wrote about Aunt Mable in the past, when I shared her Honey Fruit Salad Dressing. She was a go-getter! She reminded me of the Energizer bunny. I guess her batteries finally wore out.

At the gathering before the funeral, I asked her daughter, Sue, if there was a recipe Aunt Mable made that was her favorite. She instantly replied, “Homemade vegetable beef soup. When I came home from college, she would have it waiting for me on the stove. Even though it was late, the soup was waiting, nice and hot. It tasted wonderful, but I don’t remember just the taste. I remember the comfort eating the soup gave me.”

I know what she means. I feel that way every time I make my Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup. It was inspired by one my mom made and it gives me a lot of comfort, too

Here is Aunt Mable’s version. Give it a try and let me know what you think! I can’t wait to give it a go!

Goodbye Aunt Mable. You were a wonderful lady. It feels like the world has lost a little of its energy without you.

Aunt Mable’s Vegetable Beef Soup

This recipe is shown just how she made it. Feel free to adjust it to your taste. I’m sure she did through the years!

Beef shanks, approximately 2 pounds

1 to 2 carrots, shredded or chopped small

1 large onion, chopped small

3 to 4 stalks of celery, chopped small

1 can tomatoes, diced with juice

1 teaspoon sugar

3 to 4 potatoes, chopped

1/2 cup alphabet macaroni

Salt, pepper, Accent, to taste

3 to 4 drops Tabasco sauce

1 can beef broth

Brown beef shanks in a little oil in a large heavy pan. Cover fully with hot water. Cook on low til tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Watch water to make sure it does not evaporate. Remove meat to mixing bowl and cover.

Add the carrots, onion, and celery to the broth and cook til partly done. Add tomatoes sugar, potatoes, and macaroni. Add some salt, pepper, and Accent. Cook til done. Add a can of beef broth, then add more water if needed.

Chop meat on a board, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add to the soup. You can also add any leftover peas, corn, etc. Important: Add 3 to 4 drops Tabasco sauce. (It warms the tummy and adds flavor.)

Public at the Brickyard’s Corn Chowder on the #KSCornTour

A couple of weeks ago I told you about my adventures on the #KSCornTour. But, you know me, what I remembered the most was the food. We ate a lot. I mean A LOT!!! And most of the dishes featured corn—of course!

On our last evening in Wichita, we ate at Public at the Brickyard in the city’s Old Town area. Located on one of the many brick roads in this area, the restaurant was a cozy, warm place to enjoy a meal. They scope out local farmers and beer vendors to bring their efforts to Public customers.

We met up with some Kansas corn farmers to talk about their lives and agriculture in the state, and what they see for the future. It was a fun and informative evening.

The Public folks had a variety of their pizzas on the long table when we arrived. I really liked the Margherita and this Matterhorn, with prosciutto, mozzarella, fontina, and sweet tomato marmalade with fresh arugula on honey wheat dough.

But what I remembered the most was the Corn Chowder. Rich, creamy, slightly sweet, and a little smoky from the roasted corn.

How good was the soup?

I ate the whole bowl before remembering to take a photo.

I considered licking the bowl clean but I try to save that behavior for home.

Before leaving town, I went back to the restaurant and begged asked for the recipe.

Fortunately, they were willing to share…and let me share with you.

The homemade version tasted just as amazing as the restaurant one. With the arrival of autumn’s chill, this is a comforting way to warm up and would be the perfect start to a holiday meal.

Public at the Brickyard’s Corn Chowder

Reprinted with permission

Ingredients:

8 ears of corn, roasted


2 yellow onions, diced


8 cloves garlic, minced


1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced


2 tablespoons vegetable oil


1/4 cup red wine vinegar

4 cup chicken stock

2 pints heavy cream


1/4 cup sugar


Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Method:

1. Roast corn and cut corn off the cob. (Or used frozen corn—see note below.) 

2. In pan, heat vegetable oil and heat onion and garlic. Deglaze with red wine vinegar. Reduce for two minutes. Add chicken stock, sugar, cobs and half of corn. 

3. Simmer 30 minutes and remove cobs. 

4. Puree mixture with electric blender and return to pan. (Be careful not to fill blender too full so you don’t spray hot molten liquid out of the top.) Add heavy cream and remaining corn to pan. 

5. Simmer 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. 


Note: Since fresh corn season was over when I made this, I used frozen corn kernels. There is approximately 3/4 cup of kernels on every ear of corn so you can use approximately 7 cups of kernels for this dish. To roast them, I put the kernels into the pan with the vegetable oil and sautéed them until they started to brown. Then I added the onion and garlic to sauté until tender.

Note 2: I’ve made this in a slow cooker. I placed the frozen corn kernels, diced onion, garlic, and chicken broth into the slow cooker, set on low, and let cook for 8 hours. Remove about half of the corn kernels, and then blend the rest until smooth. Add back the kernels, and the remaining ingredients. Allow to continue cooking until the soup is hot.

Disclaimer: This post and the #KSCornTour are sponsored by Kansas Corn, which is a collaboration of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and the Kansas Corn Commission. They paid for all of my travel expenses and compensated me for this post. However, my writings, views, opinions, thoughts, and cravings are entirely my own.