Ethiopian chicken stew

I was a bit hesitant about this recipe, mostly because I know nothing about Ethiopian cuisine. There wasn't anything overly special about this recipe. It was actually a bit spicy for me. I don't know that I would make it again, but if you like flavor, give it a try. The chicken was extremely moist as well.

Ethiopian chicken stew-adapted from More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'dea
Total time: 6 hours
Serves 4

• 1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 large yellow onions, diced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
• 2 cups water

Grease a 5-quart slow cooker. Pour in the can of tomatoes. Top with chicken, then the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or high 4-5 hours or until chicken juices run clear and onions are tender.

Chicken noodle soup

Every once in awhile, having a good chicken noodle soup is awesome. It's still pretty cold here in Milwaukee, so it definitely hit the spot last week. This recipe only takes 30 minutes, so it isn't a fantasic soup (I find really good ones take a few hours), but it still tastes great! It was also fantastic for leftovers!

I love to do what I can to prep my meals. I try to tell myself I'm going to prep for the whole week after I get home from the store, but sometimes, that just doesn't happen. This picture is from the night we made the Caprese lasagna roll ups. I had 30 minutes while they were in the oven, so took the time to prep the chicken and veggies so I could just throw together the soup when we got home the next day as we were going to be very busy.

The final product!

Chicken noodle soup-adapted from 5 Ingredient, 15 Minutes Recipes by Weight Watchers

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves 6

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/3 cup celery, chopped
• 1/3 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 7 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked pasta of your choice (I used medium shells)

Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add chicken, celery, carrots, onion, and black pepper. Cook for about 6 minutes or until chicken begins to brown and vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add pasta, reduce heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes or until pasta is done.

Chili

This was a chili that surprised me. It takes less than an hour to make, and I'm always skeptical of those. It was actually quite tasty, and I think it was the tomato basil soup! I liked that this was a recipe that had a lot of already prepped ingredients for nights where I just don't feel like doing it all!

Chili-adapted from Campbell's Creative Cooking With Soup
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves 6

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can condensed tomato rice soup
• 1 can tomato basil soup
• 1 can kidney beans
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Cheddar cheese and sour cream for garnish

In a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat cook the ground beef, onion and garlic until beef is browned. Pour off fat.

Stir in soups, beans, chili powder, and red wine vinegar. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Ladle into bowls and top with cheese and sour cream.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

This was a great chicken noodle soup. I usually only like chicken noodle soup when I'm sick, but this was something I could eat all the time. The only weird thing is that after letting it sit overnight is that it continued to thicken, so it got to be less of a soup the next few times I warmed it up. Maybe adding additional chicken broth would help when you want to warm it up again.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup-adapted from American Classics by Taste of Home
Total Time: 1 Hour
Serves 8

• 2 medium onions, diced, divided
• 2 celery ribs, diced, divided
• 4 cups water
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 14 1/2 ounces chicken broth
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillion granules
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
• 1 3/4 cups milk, divided
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Place one onion and celery in a Dutch oven. Add the water, chicken, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and strain broth; set both aside. 

In the same pan, saute remaining diced onion and celery in butter until tender. Add canned broth, carrot, potato, bouillon, basil and reserved broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add noodles, return to a boil and cook 6-8 minutes or until noodles are tender. Cut chicken into chunks; add to soup. Stir in 1 1/4 cups milk and heat through.

Combine flour and remining milk until smooth; add tos oup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

This soup has been on my radar for awhile now that I keep getting kale in my market basket from Growing Power. I finally made it, and it's one of the easiest soups I've made! I also solely used my homemade chicken stock for the broth. That recipe will be coming soon, and I'll link to it (also super easy). The original recipe calls for white beans, but I accidenty bought black beans. Tasted just fine, so you could use whatever you have on hand!

Pasta Fagioli Soup-adapted from Recipe.com
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves 8

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
• 29 ounces (2 cans) chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 8 ounces small pasta shells, uncooked
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 bunch kale, destemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Grated parmesan for serving

In a large saucepot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more.

Stir in tomatoes, chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and Italian seasoning. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.

Add kale and cook for 5 minutes. Bring down heat to medium and stir in beans, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Cook about 3 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve with grated parmesan.

Cheeseburger Soup

For some reason, I've always wanted to try a cheeseburger soup. I finally got around to it! It's a slow cooker recipe too, which is even better! And it's a slow cooker recipe where you actually prep more and it only needs to cook in the slow cooker for about 2 hours!

Cheeseburger Soup-adapted from WeightWatchers
Total Time: 2 hours
Serves 8

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth, divided
• 1 cup low-fat evaporated milk
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• Tortilla chips, for serving

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Saute garlic, onion and celery until tender, about 5 minutes. Place into a lightly greased 5-quart slow cooker.

In the same skillet, brown the ground beef. Pour off any grase and add to the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1/2 cup of broth; stir until lump-free. Pour flour mixture into same skillet; add remaining 2 1/2 cups of broth. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in bottom of skillet, and pour into slow cooker; stir in evaporated milk, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper. Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 2 hours. Serve soup topped with crumbled chips. 

Chicken Quinoa Chili

I love finding new ways to use quinoa. Although it can be a little on the expensive side, a little bit goes a long way and it's such an awesome source of protein! The quinoa in this recipe really makes it a thicker, rather an soupy, chili, which I prefer. Beef could definitely be subsititued in this chili, but personally, I think I actually prefer chicken chilis! I know it's summer, but on those cool days, this will be a wonderful treat!

Chicken Quinoa Chili-adapted from Sweat Treats and More
Total Time: 5 Hours
Serves 8

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 2-16 ounce cans black beans
• 15 ounce can corn, drained
• 2-1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 bel pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Cheese, sour cream for garnish

Spray the inside of a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients to crock and cook on low for 5-7 hours or until the chicken is cooked through. Take out the chicken breasts and shred or dice into bite sized pieces. Serve with cheese and sour cream as desired.

Jalapeno Popper Chili

I loved this chili. It had so much flavor and cheesy goodness to it. I'll definitely be making it again-although likely not until the fall.

Jalapeno Popper Chili-adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Total Time: 7 1/2 hours
Serves 8

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 12 ounces dry great northern beans
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces light cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 cup frozen corn kernals

Add all the ingredients except cream cheese and corn to a 5-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Remove the chicken and dice or shred into bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken to the slow cooker. Stir in cream cheese and corn. Cover and cook on low for 10-15 more minutes, or until cheese has melted. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and serve with cheese and sour cream.

Bacon Beer Cheese Soup

Scott and I are still searching for that perfect beer cheese soup. We fell in love with a few restaurants' soups in Eau Claire during college, but haven't been able to find a suitable replacement. This one was pretty delicious, but not quite THE one. We'll keep trying :)

Bacon Beer Cheese Soup-adapted from Smells Like Home
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Serves 4

• 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cup chicken broth
• 6 ounces pale ale or beer
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Cook the bacon in a large sauce pan over medium high heat until crispy. Scoop out bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Turn the heat down to medium and add the carrot, celery, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables begin to soften.

Whisk the flour into the vegetables and stir for one minute. Whisk in chicken broth and continue to stir until no lumps of flour remain. Blend the mixture with an immersion blender or carefully transfer into a blender. Blend until smooth and return to saucepan.

Pour the beer into the mixture, bring to a simmer, stirring as needed. Allow to cook down for 10 minutes, then stir in milk and allow to warm, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cheese by the handful, letting each batch melt completely before adding more. Garnish with bacon before serving.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I have yet to find the perfect chicken noodle soup recipe. This was pretty close though! And it's a slow cooker recipe, so just let it cook all day! Perfect for those days you aren't feeling up to much, or just need something to warm you up! I like that you just shred the chicken, instead of cubed chicken. It's tasty!

Chicken Noodle Soup-adapted from Yummy Mummy Club
Total Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Serves 8

• 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 slices ginger, about 1/4 inch, peeled
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups dry egg noodles

Spray the inside of a six-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with chicken, broth, wine, salt and pepper. Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return to slow cooker. Add noodles and cook on high for 20-30 minutes or until noodles are tender.

White Chili

I'm still uber behind on blog posts. I made this chili when it was cold and dreary and it made everything better. Very easy and super flavorful. {I promise I will get back to more exciting blog posts once I get caught up and don't wait MONTHS to post}

White Chili-adapted from Taste of Home
Total Time: 7 hours
Serves 12

• 3-15 1/2 ounce cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 jar Alfredo sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can chopped green chilies
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 small yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• Salsa, sour cream, tortilla chips and additional cheese for garnish

Grease a 5-6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place all ingredients except garnish into slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-7 hour or until chicken is cooked through and able to be shredded. Garnish with additional toppings.

Chicken Taco Soup

One of my best food memories growing up is how much I liked Chili's tortilla soup. Don't ask me why, but it just always sticks in my head! I've been looking for a good taco/tortilla soup recipe and I think I found it! This recipe was super simple, and most of the stuff you will likely have on hand at home! I thought the flavors were fantastic, and you can always use hotter or milder salsa, depending on your taste.

Chicken Taco Soup-adapted from Family.com
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 6

• 1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
• 2 pounds black beans, cooked and drained
• 2 cups prepared salsa
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• Tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and/or sour cream as a garnish

In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients except garnish and heat over high heat. Bring to a boil and then simmer about 15 minutes, or until flavors are blended. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and/or sour cream, if desired.

Heat's Homemade: Cream of Anything Mix

I have decided to try to make more of my own ingredients. This is both for health and financial reasons. I'll know exactly what's in these ingredients, and I usually have most of the stuff on hand, and/or it will last me so long the initial cost will outweigh how much I don't have to spend in the future.

The thing that got me started on this was when I made this pizza sauce and pizza dough. I realized I spent just a little bit of money to buy the ingredients I didn't have, but had most of them on hand. It also tasted great and I could customize it as I chose!

The next thing I wanted to try was to make this mix for cream of chicken, mushroom, etc. soups. While the cans are relatively inexpensive, $0.66-$0.99 each, I feel like they just seem so unhealthy and gloopy. My post tomorrow will show the actual recipe I made with this, but I think it turned out great! The entire mix fits into a gallon size ziploc bag, or you could find a cool container to house it in. It then makes the equivalent of 9 cans of soup!

Cream of Anything Mix-adapted from One Good Thing by Jillee
Total Time: 5 Minutes
Makes equivalent of 9 cans of soup

• 2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon
• 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 

Combine all ingredients in a resealable plastic bag, mixing well. Use 1/3 cup mix with 1 1/4 cup cold water for the equivalent of a can of soup. Whisk until well blended.

Cheesy Veggie Soup

Scott and I are still in the process of finding the perfect beer cheese soup recipe. This wasn't it, but it was still a good, cheesy soup recipe for those rainy days! The one thing I wish I did better was make sure to blend this a little more. I got a little impatient and decided not to make sure it was thinned out!

Cheesy Veggie Soup-adapted from Mommie Cooks
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup beer
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Stir in onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Mix in flour, beer and chicken broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, add in half & half and cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

Carefully transfer chunks of vegetables and soup into a blender in batches (or use an immersion blender if you're lucky enough to have one). Puree until smooth and return to stock pot. Repeat until soup is smooth.

Beef Stew

Our best friend, Shea, bought me a brand new cookbook last week! Step by Step Cook's Encyclopedia: 110 Easy-To-Follow Recipes, and I was SO EXCITED to start trying recipes! The pictures are amazing and walk through each step, which I have found super helpful! I can't wait to try more from here.

This is probably one of the longest, non-slow cooker recipe I've ever made. But, in the end, I thought it was worth it! The flavors were great, the beef and potatoes cooked perfectly, and even though it took a lot of time it was relatively easy to make.

Beef Stew-adapted from Step-by-Step Cook's Encyclopdia
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Serves 4

• 3 pounds stew beef
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups beef stock
• 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 pounds potatoes, cut into large chunks
• Salt and pepper

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large stock pot over high heat. Once the oil begins to smoke, add the beef and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes, until beef is well browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in four and cook, stirring continuously for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Beat in one cup of the stock and cook, scraping up all the sediment from the bottom of the pan. Stirring the remaining stock and add the carrots, celery, ketchup, bay leaf, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt. Return the beef to the pot.

Bring back to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Add the potatoes, replace the lid and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally for an additional 30 minutes, or until meat and potatoes are tender.

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Buffalo Chicken Chili

I can't lie to you guys. I didn't try this recipe. I made it, so I still want to put it up here. Since it's a slow cooker recipe, I got it ready in the morning and went to work. I think this was a day we got a surprise free lunch at work, and I just wasn't hungry all night.

Scott ate it though! The only thing he complained about was that the chicken was a bit dry. I know I put it on the top of the mix, so I'm thinking I need to put it on the bottom next time. I'm not going to give this a rating, but I'll try it again and update you. If you give it a try--let me know!

Buffalo Chicken Chili-adapted from Best One Dish Meals by Pillsbury
Total Time: 8 hours
Serves 6

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium stalks celery, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1-28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 -15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Buffalo wing sauce
• Crumbled blue cheese

Spray 5 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place all ingredients except buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.

Stir in Buffalo wing sauce. Serve with blue cheese.

Summer Squash Soup

I was slightly nervous to make this soup. The last time I made a soup that required a blender was a split pea soup, that I didn't even put on this blog. However, I'm INCREDIBLY glad I tried this soup! I added some crushed red pepper and it made all the difference in the flavor of this soup! It's a hearty soup with a lot of nutrients. The romano cheese also made the flavors great. I had extra green onions, so I chopped them up for an additional garnish.

Summer Squash Soup-adapted from Healthy Cooking Recipe Cards by Taste of Home
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 8

• 2 large sweet onions, chopped
• 1 medium leek (white portion only), chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 medium yellow summer squash, cubed
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup romano cheese

In a large saucepan, saute the onions, leek and garlic in oil until tender. Add squash and saute 5 minutes longer. Add broth, thyme, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Discard thyme sprigs. Cool slightly. In a blender, process soup in batched until smooth. Return all to the pan, stir in lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, pepper and red pepper flakes and heat through. Sprinkle each serving with romano cheese.

West Lake Beef Soup

I was so excited to try this recipe. It was the first one I was making from Easy Chinese Recipes by Bin Yinn Low, but, unfortunately, I was very disappointed. As you can see by the picture below, it didn't look all that appetizing. It also basically had NO flavor to it whatsoever. I don't think I'd give this soup a try again-we threw most of it out, which is very rare for us

West Lake Beef Soup-adapted from Easy Chinese Recipes by Bin Yinn Low
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 dashes white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Marinate ground beef with rice vinegar and sesame oil for about 10 minutes. Break up ground beef into smaller pieces once marinated. Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch with the 3 tablespoons water, until smooth, set aside.

In a large pot, bring the chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and add the ground beef into the soup. Skim the fat off the surface as necessary.

Stir in the white pepper, salt and cornstarch mixture and turn off the heat. Add in the beaten eggs and immediately stir. Cover pot for 2 minutes. Add the cilantro and serve immediately.

Beef Stew

I'm not going to lie, this was not one of my best adventures as of late. There wasn't a whole lot of 'soup/stew'ie-ness to this dish. It was carrots, potatoes and beef with a light sauce over it. The flavors were good, but nothing spectacular. I might make it again, but with smaller chopped potatoes and depending on how it looks when it goes into the slow cooker, another can of soup or beef broth. Give it a try with some modifications and let me know how it goes!

Beef Stew-Adapted from Easy Family Meals
Total Time: 8 hours
Serves 4

• 1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
• 12 ounces potatoes, diced
• 4 carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 envelope beefy onion soup mix

Place meat, potatoes and carrots in a 4 quart slow cooker. Top with soup, 1/2 cup water and soup mix. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours.

Minestrone Chili

I haven't yet made minestrone, but this recipe was great! I used to hate tomatoes and tomato sauce as a kid, but I've recently learned to come around to it. This was called a soup, but I decided to call it a chili. It's so thick, but absolutely amazing! I almost would've added a can of chicken broth, or something to give a little bit more liquid after adding all the beans and pasta. The flavors were great, especially with the pepperoni slices. This could easily be substituted with Italian sausage (I added this below so I remember to add it next time) or chicken-you could even add any additional stew vegetables into this soup that you have on hand!

Minestrone-adapted from Taste of Home Cooking School
Total Time: 6 1/2 Hours
Serves 8

• 2 cans (one 28 ounce, one 14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups water
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3-1/2 ounces sliced pepperoni
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage, browned
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1-1/4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine first nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook for 15 more minutes, or until heated through. Serve with cheese sprinkled over the top.