Beef Nacho Soup

In their most basic form, nachos are simply corn tortilla chips and melted cheese. This soup takes the seasoned beef, cheese, tortillas, tomatoes and chili peppers and combines them in a bowl of steaming yumminess. That is too a word.

Anyway, there is one version of beef nacho soup that seems prolific across the web. Everyone posts it and it seems that everyone "owns" it, but it's exactly the same recipe. Beef, taco seasoning, cheese soup, diced tomatoes with green chilies and milk.

I have an aversion to canned soups in recipes. I've done it. I mean, I have 7 kids, of course I use shortcuts! But, when it comes to a soup blog, I can't conscionably tell you to use a canned soup in the preparation of another soup. That even sounds weird.

So, rather than use a highly processed can of soup, I used a highly processed block of cheese. Yep, I used Velveeta. I often use Velveeta for macaroni and cheese (it's killer - trust me) and it ads the right creaminess without separation like real cheddar.

Here's the recipe, with baked tortilla chips on top - because I had to assuage the Velveeta guilt somehow -  and fresh cilantro, sour cream and black olives as well, although you can top this soup however you top your nachos.

Beef Nacho Soup
Printable Recipe
Serves 6
Total Time: 30 minutes

1 pound ground beef
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 clove garlic - minced
3 cups beef stock
1 can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
8 ounces Velveeta - cubed
Salt to taste
6 ounces tortilla chips
Garnishes such as: sour cream, black olives, fresh Cilantro, salsa, shredded cheese or sliced jalapeños.

1. Brown ground beef in a medium soup pot and drain off fat. Add spices and stir well.
2. Pour in stock and tomatoes. Heat over medium-low heat for 20 minutes so flavors can meld.
3. Add Velveeta and stir until melted and smooth. Salt to your liking.
4. Serve in bowls with toppings.

Michigan Chicken, Bean and Sausage Stew

I've had this recipe floating around in my stores for a very long time. It's even written down in my family cookbook, but with no real directions, just ingredients and amounts. So, today I took the challenge of getting this together in a deliciously edible form to share.

I haven't the faintest idea why it's titled "Michigan", but it sure is good. Canned beans are fine, but I really prefer dry to start with. I almost always forget to soak overnight so I end up doing the fast soak method and the beans turn out just fine.

Any type of sausage will do, I prefer a good country-style sausage, but Italian is tasty and a smoky kielbasa would be great as well. The original recipe calls for salt pork to start, and I'll put that in the recipe, but I started with olive oil for a bit of a healthier alternative. I also added lemon juice to brighten it up and add some contrast.

Michigan Chicken, Bean and Sausage Stew
Printable Recipe
Serves 8

1 pound navy beans, sorted, soaked and cooked until tender OR 4 - 15 ounce cans of beans, drained)
4 ounces salt pork - diced fine OR 2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced onion
2 pounds cooked chicken (any cut) diced into cubes
1 1/2 pounds sausage, cooked and sliced thickly - about 1/2"
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 - 15 ounce can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil or salt pork. If adding salt pork, render for several minutes. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent, do not brown.
2. Add chicken and sausage and stir well. Pour in beans and stock and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes - uncovered.
3. Put in bay leaves, thyme and tomato sauce. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes - uncovered until thick. Remove bay leaves, add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Blow it When it's Hot

Do you believe that there's not enough emphasis on soup in contemporary culture? Have you ever wondered why nobody has ever written a rap about soup? Have you ever dreamed of being in a music video about soup?

Here's a mugshot ... er, photo, of the rapper himself.

Okay... probably not, but just in case the whole idea appeals to your strange and twisted sense of humor, then why not get involved with this little project: http://t.co/uSywHZoo

John Inverness is an armchair philosopher. He does philosophise about other things, but it is mainly about armchairs. John loves soup. So much so, that he has written a rap about it, based on Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot". It's very funny, but he needs a bit of moolah to make a video. He needs your help.

Head on over to watch this very silly video and drop a buck or two to help John reach his goal!

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!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

When I was growing up my mom made the absolute best stuffed peppers. As much as I love them, my kids don't so much so this soup combines the flavors I love and the texture and form that the kids will actually eat.

I debated putting rice in this because mom's stuffed peppers never had rice added to the meat mixture. I did add it, though because most people seem to be used to the meat/rice variety of stuffed peppers.

This turned out well and you can adjust the ingredient amounts to your liking without affecting the overall flavor very much. The consistency of this is closer to a stew than a soup. Adjust the stock to your liking to make it thinner.

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Serves 4-6
Printable Recipe

2  Tablespoons olive oil
1  small onion - chopped
1  clove garlic - minced
3 medium peppers (I use tri-color) - diced
1  pound meatloaf mix or lean ground beef
1 can crushed tomatoes - undrained (14 ounce)
6 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock
1/2  cup  uncooked rice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste


In a large soup pot with a heavy bottom sauté onion, garlic, and green pepper in oil until tender. Stir meat into vegetables and cook until meat is browned, about 10 minutes, stirring often so meat is in small chunks. Stir in rice,  tomatoes, juice, stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer 45 minutes or until rice is cooked. Adjust liquid if necessary.  Taste for seasoning and serve hot.

Cajun Beef Soup

I had this in, of all places, a hospital cafeteria recently and it was so good I found myself pushing the ingredients around and taking notes so I would be able to recreate it. The only thing missing here is baby lima beans, which I find most people don't like much anyway (but I adore), so I left them out.

This is a thick and hearty soup closer to a stew and the flavor is very rich. Step up the heat however you like with more cayenne or even a good hot sauce. Substitute the spices and herbs for a good quality Cajun seasoning - a tablespoon or so should do it.

Cajun Beef Soup

Printable Recipe

Ready In: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Serves: 8-10

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced green pepper

2 cloves garlic

8 cups beef stock

2 cups diced carrots

2 cups diced potato

2 cups frozen corn kernels

2 cups black eyed peas

3 cups chopped cabbage

1 can diced tomatoes - undrained

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large soup pot brown ground beef with onion and green pepper. Drain well.

2. Add garlic and beef stock and cover with a heavy lid. Simmer for half an hour until beef is very tender.

3. Add remaining ingredients and lid again. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Soup is done when vegetables are tender and soup base is thick.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

I recently lost my step-father to a massive heart attack. The long and short is that we knew he had metastatic cancer but he fell and needed stitches so was transported to the ER via ambulance (nobody saw him fall and at the age of 85 it was precautionary). Once there, it was discovered that he'd had a rather large heart attack. Not quite two days later that heart attack was the cause of his death. Most of us were able to be with him when he passed and although he was not conscious I'm hoping he felt our presence with him.

He was very particular about his food, having been raised by English parents who moved here to the U.S. in the early 1900s. Mostly he was a "meat and potatoes" guy and there wasn't much he ate that fell outside the boundaries of that. Manhattan Clam Chowder was one food that he loved. Not New England as one would expect from a man with a blander palate, but the 'red kind'.

This is so close to the one he ate that there would be no telling it didn't come from his favorite soup maker - only it's a bit better ;) I know he'd enjoy it if he were here to do so.

Manhattan Clam Chowder
Printable Recipe
Makes 1/2 gallon
Ready in 35 minutes if using canned clams 45 if fresh

6 pounds clams scrubbed and rinsed (or two 10 ounce cans chopped clams - undrained)
chicken stock or clam juice as needed
2 slices bacon
2 cups chopped onion
2 stalks celery - chopped
1/2 green pepper - chopped
2 medium carrots - peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
1 bay leave
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups peeled and diced potato
3 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes or 1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with liquid
1/4 cup fresh parsley - chopped
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

In a large pot bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add clams. Cover tightly and cook for 5 minutes. Stir clams and recover. Cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until most of the clams are opened.

Put clams to a large bowl and strain the broth through a fine-meshed sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl. You need about 8 cups of broth, if not add chicken stock or bottled clam juice to make enough. Once clams are cool, remove them from their shells and chop.

***If using canned clams, make sure there are 8 cups of liquid with the clams - bottled clam juice, chicken stock or juice from the canned clams should be used to make up the 8 cups.

In a large heavy soup pot add bacon and cook until crisp. Pour off all fat except 4 tablespoons and crumble bacon - set bacon aside.

Add onions, celery, pepper and carrots and cook until vegetables are softened - about 10 minutes. Do not brown.

Add garlic, bay leaf, oregano and thyme and stir. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cover. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender - about 15-20 minutes.

Add tomatoes and continue to cook for another 1o minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and chopped clams, crumbled bacon and parsley and season with pepper and salt, if needed. Let chowder stand, covered for an hour then reheat gently before serving.