Pasta E Fagioli

1 lb lean ground beef, browned, and drained of excess fat
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 16.5 oz jar pasta suace
4 cups beef broth
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 dry gluten free pasta

Directions:
Put meat into stoneware. Add carrots, onion, and celery. Add beans, tomatoes, and pasta sauce. Pour in beef broth. Stir in salt, pepper, oregano, and Tabasco sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

From Stephanie O'Dea's Make it Fast, Cook it Slow

Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:
6 sweet potatoes
4 cups broth
2-3 apples, sliced
1/4 tsp ground allspice

Directions:
Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Add to crock pot with apples, broth, and allspice. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Blend with an immersion blender.

This soup is very simple and also very delcious. This is perfect soup for during the week.

Adapted from Stephanie O'Dea's Make it Fast, Cook it Slow

Chicken and Rice Soup

This is a really good substitute for chicken noodle soup. It is also a good way of cleaning out the pantry. From Make it Fast, Cook it Slow.

Ingrediens
2 cups blended vegetables (use whatever you have in the pantry)
1 cup cooked chicken
2 quarts chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup raw brown rice
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
kosher salt
black pepper

Directions:

Wash and trim vegetables and put them into blender. Place in slow cooker. Add chicken, broth, water, brown rice, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Note: You can find herbes de Provence in the spice section of the grocery store or at the spice store.

Chicken and Rice Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

We happened to have a butternut squash in the firge and needed a way to use it up. The solution? Butternut Squash Soup.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
2 small onions, diced
2 small apples, peeled and cubed
1 2/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Ingredients:

Microwave squash for 2 to 5 minutes on high, to soften skin. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and stringy pulp. Brush olive oil on the inside and roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. If the skin doesn't begin to peel off, you may need to cut it off with a paring knife. Add broth, onions, and apples to slow cooker. Stir in salt, pepper, and spices. Add squash when finished roasting and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Blend with an immersion blender.

From Make it Fast, Cook it Slow

Potato Leek Soup

Okay, so I meant to post this recipe last week, but I was really busy. So here is the recipe and I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

3 large leek, diced (you only use the white part)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb brown potatoes
1/2 tsp thyme
black pepper
5 cups chicken broth
2 cloves chopped garlic

Directions:
Chop up vegetables and add broth and spices. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4. Use immersion blender to thicken soup or put small batches into a blender if you don't have one. But the immersion blender is the best thing to make it both creamy and dairy free.

From Make it Fast, Cook it Slow

Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup is one of my personal favorites. It's very good, and it's also good for you. The kind in the can is okay, but I prefer the homemade version. This recipe, like many of my other recipes this week, is made in the crock pot.

2 16 oz package dried split peas
1 onion, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups diced carrot
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb bacon
1 package Canadian bacon

Directions:
Put peas,vegetables, broth and water into crock pot. Mix in salt and pepper. Add bacon. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the bacon and discard. Use a handheld immersion blender to blend the soup to your desired consistency. Add Canadian bacon and allow to warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:
This recipe is great for leftovers, and you will probably have some. However, you will find that when you take the soup out of the refrigerator the next day, it's going to be very thick and hard to work with. You should heat it up in the microwave and thin it out with chicken broth before eating it. You will find that if you do this each time you have the leftover soup, it will be thinner each time. Another thing to consider is that I know some of you guys might be vegetarians or have family members that are vegetarians. If that is the case, you can leave out the bacon and Canadian bacon.

From Make it Fast, Cook it Slow

Tortilla Soup

Finally a gluten free tortilla soup. This one can be made in the crock pot, so it's quick and easy

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
2 green onions, chopped
1 28 oz can tomatoes with juices
1 cup chopped fresh vegetables
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
kosher salt
3 cups chicken broth
tortilla chips

Directions:

Add chicken, vegetables, garlic, spices, salt, and broth. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

This soup is so delicious. The tortilla chips is really what makes the soup. I'm so bummed I forgot to take a picture to post on here.

Corn Chowder

So this one of the crock pot recipes I was just talking about. It's perfect on any day. I really like how it is creamy even though there isn't any dairy. The secret is a handheld immersion blender. It chops up all the vegetables and blends all the flavors. And since it's handheld, it's a lot easier to handle. I've found that if you stir the soup with it, you can blend it a lot easier. If you don't have an immersion blender, though, a regular blender will do fine, but you have to cool the soup first.

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
6 small white potatoes, peeled and diced
2 16 ounce bags frozen corn
2 quarts chicken broth
kosher salt
black pepper

Put onion, carrots, bell pepper, and potatoes in the slow cooker. Add frozen corn and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Use immersion blender to reach desired consistency.

Corn Chowder

I loved the creaminess of the chowder. The immersion blender perfectly blends the flavors. This is definitely a keeper.