Slow Cooker Beef Ravioli Soup

Slow Cooker beef Ravioli Soup

Most really good soups are an all-day affair with some babysitting here and there. This one cooks for 6 hours all by itself before it needs any tending. It's hearty enough for a full meal on its own and uses frozen ravioli, one of the most versatile ingredients in a busy family's pantry.

Slow Cooker Beef Ravioli Soup
Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 7 hours and 30 minutes
Serves: 8


Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic - minced
1 pound lean ground beef
8 cups beef stock
2 cups baby carrots cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound frozen meat-filled ravioli
2 cups frozen cut green beans
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
8 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown beef and onion together in oil, adding garlic at the end and stirring well. Drain well and pour into the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker.
2. Pour in stock and carrots and cook over LOW heat for 6 hours. Check carrots for tenderness.
3. Add ravioli, green beans, bay leaf and thyme. Switch heat setting to HIGH and cook for 1 hour.
4. Stir in tomato sauce and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and heat for another half hour over HIGH heat.
5. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Minestrone Soup

I can't for the life of me figure out why I haven't yet posted this soup. It's honestly one of the classics and one I'm very fond of. I do have a recipe with Disney at both Family.com and Spoonful.com, but that was created with super-busy parents with basic cooking skills in mind. I dug it out and revamped it to better suit my own tastes and that of my family.

Minestrone uses just about any vegetable, bean and pasta you have on-hand. It's so forgiving and yet so delicious. You can make it exactly the same each time, or change it up slightly and still have a delicious and hearty soup. Try this recipe and tweak it as you like to fit your own needs.

Minestrone Soup
Printable Recipe
Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 45 minutes
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery - diced
1/2 small cabbage, shredded
2 leeks-white part only-cleaned and sliced
2 small carrots - peeled and diced
8 cups water or chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced
2 cups fresh green beans - cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 - 15 ounce can cannellini beans
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes - undrained
1 15-ounce can tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 small zucchini- diced
1 cup dry pasta - such as ditalini or little shells
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot, celery, cabbage and leeks and cook for 5 minutes or so, or until onions become translucent.
2. Pour in water or stock and stir in potatoes, green beans, cannellini beans, zucchini, tomatoes and puree, bay leaf, thyme, basil and oregano and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer immediately and cook for 15 minutes until veggies are tender.
4. Add pasta and parsley and cook until pasta is tender - another 10 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove bay leaf. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan.

Real Beef Soup

Beef Vegetable Soup

When I was a child I honestly don't recall many soups being served that didn't come from a red and white can. There were navy beans and cornbread (not really soup) and mom's split pea with ham (still a favorite today), but other than that we were soup-less unless it was prepackaged.

I do remember one phase that mom went through which was making soups from canisters of "Homemade Soup Starter". Even as a kid I detected an "off" taste to each and none was my favorite. For some reason the one that stands out the most is the beef soup.

It was a small cardboard canister filled with dehydrated veggies, powdered soup stock and small pasta shells. The only thing the consumer was to do was to "Add 1 lb. of beef cubes" and the requisite amounts of water and stew away.

It worked, but it honestly didn't work well. I still haven't come across a soup from a package that I truly love. Here, then is my fresh version of that canister of soup.

Beef Vegetable Soup
Serves 8
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Ready In: 2 hours 20 minutes

1 1/2 pounds beef cubes
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
1 medium onion - chopped
2 medium carrots - peeled and diced
2 stalks celery - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
3 medium potatoes - peeled and diced
1 cup finely diced tomatoes
8 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh Thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 cup small shell pasta
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup fresh or frozen cut green beans

1 Combine beef cubes, salt and pepper and stir.
2. In a large heavy bottomed soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and add beef. Brown on all sides.
3. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until veggies are translucent.
4. Pour in stock. Stir and add potatoes and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours until veggies and beef are very tender.
5. Add bay leaf and thyme. Add remaining veggies and pasta and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
6. Remove bay leaf and taste for seasoning before serving.

Meatball Fazool!

What? OK, let me explain. I'm cheating. No, not like that.

Being a fairly new single mom (but, highly spoken for ... haha, see what I did there?) I find myself making shortcuts here and there that I maybe didn't used to make. I work 55-60 hours a week at one job and when I have work elsewhere that can take a huge chunk of my time, as well. Between all the kids' needs and work and online commitments, I don't always have time to cook as I'd like.

That being said, this past week was a double-header as far as football goes. My boyfriend was watching the Eagles and right after, I was watching the Steelers (well, we watched both together, but you get the idea). Football watching is NOT to be done without some kind of not-so-good-for-you food.

A favorite here is mini meatball subs. Basically meatballs in any type of tomato sauce (this week it was one I made from fresh tomatoes) and little rolls about 4 inches in length. You can really only fit 3 meatballs in each so I usually have leftovers.

Add to that some cannellini beans, small pasta and a handful or celery, carrots and onions and you have Meatball Fazool - or a version of Pasta e Fagioli with meatballs thrown in. It's good.

So, no recipe, you can look HERE for that and swap out the tomatoes for sauce and add a pound of pre-made meatballs and,voilà - good stuff. I did half of everything as I only had half a pound of meatballs left. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Tortellini Soup with Chicken Meatball Dumplings

We're getting buried with a heavy snowfall in the Lehigh Valley today and being snowed in is the perfect time for soup. I made two today - Nacho Mama's Tortilla Soup and this one. This is a variation on the Chicken Ravioli Soup I made for Family.com.

Substituting tortellini for the ravioli and making chicken dumplings rather than chopped chicken gave this one a whole new dimension of flavor.

Tortellini Soup with Chicken Dumplings
Printable Recipe
Ready in 30 minutes
Serves 6

6 cups chicken stock or broth

2 cloves garlic - minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup diced carrot
19 ounces frozen cheese-filled tortellini
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2 large eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 slice bread
salt and pepper to taste


1. Heat chicken stock in a soup pot until boiling; reduce heat and add carrot and bay leaf. Simmer until vegetables are soft - about 20 minutes.
2. While carrots are cooking, combine chicken breast, eggs, Parmesan and bread in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
3. Return stock to boiling and shape chicken mixture into small balls. Drop into stock.
4. Add tortellini and cook for 5 -6 minutes until tortellini are tender and cooked through.
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Tomato Noodle Florentine Soup

I visited with my oldest daughter at college on Saturday and we stopped at a local diner for lunch. Part of our meal came with a choice of soup and I chose tomato noodle. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything I'd ask for again. It was a sort of combination of tomato soup and vegetable noodle, but lacking any real flavor. I vowed then to come up with my own, and this is it.

I use canned tomatoes all the time - it's one of those things that is sometimes just better or necessary canned, so don't feel badly about using them for this. Try to get fresh spinach, but if it's looking bad at the store or you just can't get it, frozen is absolutely fine, I've given measurements for both. As always, I prefer freshly grated Parmesan, but a quality pre-grated brand works fine, too.

Cut your prep time by making the noodles while soup is cooking and keeping warm until needed.

Tomato Noodle Florentine Soup
Printable Recipe
Serves 4-6
Ready In: 30 minutes

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion such as Vidalia
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic - minced
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3 cups crushed tomatoes
8 ounces frozen chopped spinach or 1 pound fresh chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces spaghetti or linguine noodles - cooked al dente and drained well
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a heavy soup pot over medium-high flame and add olive oil. Once oil is shimmering, add onion and garlic. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until onion softens and begins to turn translucent. Be careful not to burn garlic.
2. Add stock, bay leaf, oregano and basil to pot. Turn heat to high and stir well. Once stock boils, add tomatoes.
3. Return soup to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes longer, until spinach is fully thawed or limp - depending on which you use. Add sugar and salt & pepper to taste.
5. Remove bay leaf and add cooked noodles and Parmesan. Stir well and serve.

Dawn Hall's Creamy Chicken and Noodle Soup

Photo and recipes used with permission by Dawn Hall and Thomas Nelson Publishers

This recipe is from Dawn Hall's newest cookbook (her 8th!) Busy People's Fast & Frugal Cookbook. Her approach to food is simple, do the best you can with what you have. A fuller look at Dawn Hall, her amazing and inspirational story, and her cookbooks can be found today at the HalfHourMeals.com blog: Food for Thought. The cookbook debuts today and can be found at Amazon.com.

With these recipes there's no stone unturned. Dawn lays it out for her readers from top to bottom: Timing, equipment and shopping list. The only thing you need to worry about is who to make these delicious meals for!

Creamy Chicken and Noodle Soup

This is my best Chicken Noodle Soup recipe yet! Grandma would be so proud!

Ingredients

12 cups plus 1 cup chicken broth made from bouillon, divided
6 stalks celery, finely chopped (to make 2 cups)
2 tablespoons minced garlic (from a jar)
1 (12-ounce) package fettuccine
½ cup cornstarch
1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots
2 (12.5-ounce) cans chunk chicken breast in water

Instructions for entrée:

In a large non-stick Dutch oven or soup pan bring to boil 12 cups of chicken broth made from bouillon.*
Finely chop 6 stalks of celery with the leaves to make 2 cups, add to broth.
Add 2 tablespoon minced garlic (from a jar) to the broth stir well.
Add 1 (12-ounce) package fettuccine into the broth; break the fettuccine in half before adding to broth.
Bring soup to full boil stirring occasionally.
Cook at a full boil soup for 12 -14 minutes or until fettuccine is tender.
Dissolve ½ cup cornstarch into 1 cup chicken broth and set aside. Pour into the soup.
Add to soup 1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots and 2(12.5-ounce) cans chunk chicken breast in water. Breaking up the big chunks of chicken before putting into soup.
Stir until everything is heated through.

Yield: 16 (1 cup) servings

Calories per serving: 153 (9% fat); Total fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 19 mg; Carbohydrate: 22 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 12 g; Sodium: 541 mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 very lean meat

Helpful Hint:

To make the broth: Add ¼ cup chicken granules instant bouillon to 12 cups water stirring until dissolved, and 1 teaspoon chicken granules instant bouillon to the 1 cup water stirring until dissolved.


MS/Meal Suggestion: 30 minutes for total meal:

Homemade Seasoned Crackers

Instructions to prepare suggested meal

Set timer for 30 minutes

30 minutes before meal:

Make the Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup according to the directions. After you put the pasta into the boiling broth, then make the Homemade Seasoned Crackers.

10 minutes before meal:

Begin making the Homemade Seasoned Crackers according to directions.(Recipe below)

5 minutes before meal:

Place the seasoned crackers in the oven. Bake until crispy, 3-4 minutes.
Finish making the soup.



LIST FOR SUGGESTED MEAL:


Supplies List for entire meal

Large non-stick Dutch oven or soup pan

Cutting board

Oven

2 Baking sheets

Timer

Grocery List for entire meal

PRODUCE

Celery (6 stalks needed)
PACKAGED

1 (12-ounce) package fettuccine

1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots

2 (12.5-ounce) cans chunk chicken breast in water

4 fat-free flour tortillas
PANTRY

Chicken broth made from bouillon (13 cups total needed)

Minced garlic

Cornstarch

Garlic salt

Dried parsley (5 teaspoons needed)

Paprika

Butter flavored cooking spray
*************************************

Homemade Seasoned Crackers

(This is recommended with the Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup)

These were a huge hit with the children! They even made more independently later in the week for snacks, because they liked them so much!

Ingredients

4 fat-free flour tortillas
1 ½ teaspoon garlic salt
5 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Place oven rack in middle of oven. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut 4 fat-free flour tortillas into 8 pie shaped wedges. Arrange wedges in single layer on 2 baking sheets.
Spray wedges with butter flavored cooking spray on both sides of wedges.
Sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt, 5 teaspoons dried parsley and 1 teaspoon paprika evenly over wedges.
Place in oven and bake for
Place the seasoned tortillas in the oven. Bake until crispy, 3-4 minutes.

Yield: 16 (2 crackers) servings

Calories per serving: 31 (0% fat); Total fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrate: 6 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 1 g; Sodium: 168 mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 starch


Supplies List for cracker only
Oven

2 Baking sheets

Timer

Grocery List for crackers only

PACKAGED

4 fat-free flour tortillas

PANTRY

Garlic salt

Dried parsley (5 teaspoons needed)

Paprika

Butter flavored cooking spray

Ravioli and Meatball Soup

Yet another example of the fact that almost anything can be made into soup - this Ravioli and Meatball Soup is quick to get together and my kids ate it until the bottom of the pot was nearly dry. Top with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for an extra flavor boost.

The best part of this is that you can go vegetarian very easily by using TVP meatballs and vegetable stock.

Ravioli and Meatball Soup
Printable Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6-8

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion - chopped
2 small carrots - peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery - chopped
2 green onions - sliced green and white parts
8 cups chicken stock
1 pound pre-cooked meatballs
1 pound small cheese-filled ravioli

1. Heat oil in a medium soup pot over med-high heat.
2. Cook and stir vegetables until fragrant and translucent.
3. Add stock and bring to a boil.
4. Add ravioli and meatballs - bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until meatballs and ravioli are heated through and vegetables are tender.

Pasta e Fagioli

Translated as 'pasta with beans' and known as 'Pasta Fazool' in Philly, this soup that has so many variations I can't count them. Everyone has a family favorite recipe and each one is the 'right' one. This is the way I like it - sometimes with red kidney beans and larger chunks of tomato - but always with lots of garlic.

Pasta e Fagioli
Printable Recipe
Serves 8

4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion - chopped
2 stalks celery - chopped
2 medium carrots - peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic - minced
8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 handful freshly chopped parsley
4 cups cooked cannellini beans
1 cup crushed tomato
1 cup small pasta such as ditalini, small elbows or small shells
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic and turn the heat low. Stir and cook until softened - take your time with this step, it will add a lot of flavor. Keep the heat low - it takes about 10 minutes or so.

2. Add stock, parsley and bay leaf and bring to a boil - reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

3. Bring to a boil again and add beans, tomato and pasta. Reduce heat once more and cook until pasta is done - about 20 minutes longer.

4. Take off heat and add Parmesan. Stir well and serve with more Parmesan for the top.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Reminiscent of pho, I find this soup just as satisfying with far less work. There are versions all over the 'net and in countless cookbooks. I like my own version, packed with bok choy, sno peas and rice noodles.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
Printable Recipe
Serves 4

4 cups chicken broth or stock
1 clove garlic - minced
2 Tablespoons mirin
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup fresh cilantro - chopped
4 large green onions - sliced thinly
12 ounces cooked chicken breast - diced
2 cups bok choy - chopped (I like more green than white)
4 ounces sno peas - each cut in half
8 ounces rice noodles - soaked for 15 minutes in cold water

1. In a large stock or soup pot add stock, garlic, mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
2. Add remaining ingredients and continue simmering until bok choy is just tender - about 15 minutes (I like mine to have a little bite left to it).

Ravioli, Spinach and Pesto Cream Soup

What to do with leftover pesto and heavy cream? Combine it and do something delicious with it! That's what the impetus for this soup was. Gotta love leftover moments.

Ravioli, Spinach and Pesto Cream Soup
Printable Recipe
Serves 4

4 cups chicken stock
2 cups frozen ravioli
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup prepared pesto
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb or 1 clove minced garlic

1. Heat stock to a rolling boil and drop in ravioli.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and add spinach and Mrs. Dash.
3. Cook for 15 minutes until ravioli are heated through.
4. Combine pesto and cream in a jar and shake well.
5. Remove soup pot from heat and stir in pesto cream.
6. Serve immediately.

Soupe Au Pistou

Soupe au pistou is a classic Provencal soup made with Provence's version of pesto; pistou. Rather than pine nuts and Parmesan, pistou is made with basil, garlic, olive oil and often times tomato. If you want authentic pistou you must grind the ingredients by hand with a mortar and pestle; hence the name pistou - which means 'pounded'. The soup itself is white bean and vegetable, most commonly made with zucchini, but sometimes with a dark leafy vegetable such as kale.

There are many variations on this soup, but this is the one I made today.

Soupe au Pistou
Printable Recipe
Serves 8

1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 clove garlic - minced
1 cup onion - diced
1/2 cup celery - diced
1/2 cup carrot - diced
2 quarts water or stock of your choice
2 medium red potatoes - peeled and diced
4 cups cooked white beans - preferrably small navy beans
2 cups fresh green beans - cut in 1-inch lengths
3 plum tomaotes - peeled, seeded and diced
2 cups zucchini - diced
1 cup small pasta such as small shells
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 cup grated cheese such as Gouda or Parmesan

Pistou:

4 cups basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomato
1/4 cup olive oil


1. In a large heavy soup pot saute garlic and shallots in olive oil briefly.
2. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook for several minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Add water and potatoes, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender - about 20 minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. Simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Keep warm.
5. To make pistou, combine basil, salt, olive oil, tomato and garlic in a blender. Puree until smooth.
6. Add 1/3 cup of pistou to soup along with grated cheese. Stir well to combine.
7. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with remaining pistou and goat cheese topped rounds of French baguette.

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

This soup is my favorite of all soups. I know I'm not alone in that, either. I'm not quite sure what it is about this soup that makes it so wonderful.

One of my friends is of Italian descent, and he told me about his family's traditional get-together to make Italian Wedding Soup. He said they would painstakingly make hundreds of tiny meatballs and that his grandmother would inspect them. If they weren't "as small as the tip of your pinky finger" grandma would make them start over.

I've come across so many recipes for this, but the necessary ingredients for each are tiny meatballs, greens, and very small pasta. I like acine di pepe.

Italian Wedding Soup
Serves 6-8

Printable Recipe

Meatballs:

1 pound meatloaf mix (ground pork/veal/beef)
1 large egg
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tablepoons fresh chopped Italian parsley (flat leaf)
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic - minced
1 teaspoon salt

Soup:

10 cups chicken stock
1 clove garlic - minced
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 pound chopped fresh spinach or 9 oz. frozen chopped
1 cup small pasta such as acine di pepe

1. Mix together all ingredients for meatballs until very well combined.
2. Bring 10 cups of chicken stock to a slow boil.
3. Drop meatball mixture by the teaspoonful into the boiling stock - one at a time.
4. When all meatballs have been added to the stock, add remaining ingredients and simmer until carrots are tender and pasta is cooked - about 20 minutes.
5. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese sprinkled in each bowl.

Pierogi Chowder

We really love pierogies here; pierogi casserole, fried pierogies, steamed pierogies, pierogies smothered in numerous toppings. I came up with this soup as a result of that love and it's fantastic, if I do say so myself.

Pierogi Chowder

Serves 6-8

Printable Recipe

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion

8 cups water

3 cups diced potato

2 cups instant potato flakes

2 cups milk

1/2 pound American cheese - shredded or cubed

6 ounces wide egg noodles - cooked until tender

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add oil. Toss in onion and cook until translucent.
2. Add water and diced potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender - about 20 minutes.

3. When potatoes are tender, mash until broken up well.

4. Add potato flakes and stir well.

5. Pour in milk and stir until smooth.

6. Stir in American cheese and mix until cheese is melted.

7. Blend in drained noodles and add salt and pepper to taste.

Meatball and Tortellini Soup

I've come across quite a few variations of this soup, but I really like this one. It's a bit like Italian Wedding soup and Tortellini Soup all in one. Make your own meatballs, if you'd like, the frozen ones just make this really quick.

Meatball and Tortellini Soup

Printable Recipe

Serves 6-8

10 cups chicken stock

2 cloves garlic - minced

1 pound frozen meatballs

8 ounces dry tortellini

1 cup diced carrot

1 pound frozen spinach

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Combine everything except Parmesan cheese in a large soup pot and simmer until tortellini is tender. Toss in Parmesan and stir well.