Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

On cold winter nights, we love to eat soup and homemade bread. Potato soup has long been one of my comfort foods. This version adds ham to the soup, giving a little more yummy flavor and texture. It's quickly become one of our favorites. And it's a great way to use up leftover ham.

Here's what you need:

1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded (I use about 1 cup of matchstick carrots)
2 teas minced garlic
4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced (you can also use frozen Southern style hash browns)
1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk

In a large soup pot, saute the onions in a little butter. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for a few more minutes. Add the potatoes, ham, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook until the potatoes are tender. This should take about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper.

In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and stir until there are no lumps. Cook until bubbly. Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring constantly. Make sure it's not lumpy! Keep cooking until thick, stirring constantly to avoid scorching.

Stir the milk mixture into the soup. Cook until the soup thickens to your liking. Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Chicken Meatball Soup

Whenever I think of comfort food, chicken noodle soup immediately comes to mind. It soothes a sore throat and warms a person up on a cool day. It's just comfort in a bowl, ya know?

And while I do make pretty good chicken noodle soup, it gets a little routine at times. This yummy soup recipe is a great alternative to traditional chicken noodle soup. It's got a burst of flavor from the dill and uses small pasta instead of noodles. My family couldn't get enough of it.

My recipe inspiration came from a lady at church who brought a similar dish to a church dinner. She got the recipe from the Ukraine where she's been on several mission trips. I searched online and found this recipe at Will Cook for Smiles which is very similar to the Ukrainian one. I added a few tweaks of my own to the prep and ingredients and this is the result.

First, you need to make the chicken meatballs, so here's what you need:

1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 teas minced garlic
1 egg
1 teas dried dill weed
1/2 teas sea salt
1/4 teas pepper

Combine the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl. Form into small balls (you should get about 30-35 meatballs) and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until meatballs are no longer pink in the center.

While the meatballs are baking, you can get the rest of the soup ready. You'll need:

1/2 onion, diced
1 cup shredded or finely chopped carrots
2 teas minced garlic
4 cups chicken stock (1 32-oz carton)
4 cups water
1 1/2 teas dried dill weed
1 1/2 teas sea salt
1/4 teas papper
1 cup orzo or other small pasta like ditalini

In a soup pot, cook the onions with a little olive oil. Add the carrots and allow to soften. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients except the pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.

When the chicken meatballs are cooked, carefully add them to the simmering soup. Stir in the pasta and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Broccoli Cheese Soup Revisited

I've posted a broccoli cheddar soup recipe before, but recently decided to tweak it a little. It had a can of cheddar cheese soup as one of the ingredients, but I'm trying to eliminate processed foods from my cooking. So I started using a homemade roux instead. A roux is just a mixture of butter, flour and liquid that is used to thicken soups and stews.

Now my family prefers this version. And I can't say that I blame it. It's thick, creamy and delicious. My kids have even declared it "better than Panera

Here's what you need

1 TBSP butter
1 small onion, diced
2 teas minced garlic
4 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen broccoli
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 teas salt
1 teas pepper
1/4 teas nutmeg
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp white and sharp yellow)

For the roux:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk

In a large pot, melt the 1 TBSP butter. Add the diced onions and cook until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Add the broth and water, then bring to a boil. Carefully add the broccoli, carrots, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes until the veggies are soft.

When the broccoli and carrots have cooked, remove from the heat. With an immersion blender, blend until about half the soup is pureed. You want to leave some of the veggies chunky. If you don't have an immersion blend, pour about half the soup into a regular blender, making sure you leave some room for the liquid to expand. Blend until you reach the desired smoothness and return to the pot.

Return the soup mixture to the heat and allow to reach a simmer. Now it's time to make the roux.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour, making sure there are no lumps. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook and stir until the mixture is thick. Add to the soup mixture, stirring well. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Now add the cheese and stir until it's all melted.

Serve in bread bowls to really wow your family!

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Bacon

Cooler weather is upon us, and there's nothing I'd rather eat during this time of year than soup. Okay, I'd really rather eat chocolate, but that's true for every season so I guess it doesn't count as my favorite.

This particular soup is creamy and delicious. It combines chicken and hearty wild rice, with just a touch of smoky bacon. And it's so easy to prepare.

Here's what you need:

2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken
1 cup wild rice - I actually use a brown rice/wild rice blend
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled - you can sub a pkg of real bacon pieces
1/2 teas poultry seasoning
1/2 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas onion powder
1/2 teas sea salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 teas dried parsley

In a large slow cooker, stir together the chicken, wild rice, broth, water, bacon, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until the rice is tender.

About a half hour before serving, make a roux to thicken the soup. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour until smooth, then cook until bubbly. Gradually stir in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture thickens. Stir in the parsley. Pour the roux into the slow cooker and stir well. Allow to heat through for another 20 minutes or so. If the soup gets too thick, add a little broth or milk to thin it out.

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

We used to have an Asian fusion restaurant in our area that served Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine. My husband and I predicted it wouldn't last long, and we were right. Not that the food wasn't good - it was phenomenal! That type of restaurant just didn't fit the area in which we live. We're a small-town, home-cooking sort of place. The very same restaurant would have done fabulously in Atlanta or Birmingham.

I was very sad to see that restaurant go. They served a delicious coconut curry chicken soup that made my mouth water. I've experimented with several recipes until I finally found this one that is as close to that restaurant soup as it can be. And my tastebuds are rejoicing!

Here's what you need:

2 TBSP butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 TBSP green curry paste - found in the Asian aisle in your grocery store
1 1/2 teas minced garlic
1 TBSP minced fresh ginger - you can sub 1/2 teas ground ginger
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 cups (32 oz carton) chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 TBSP fish sauce - look in the Asian aisle
2 teas curry powder
1 TBSP brown sugar
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 TBSP lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the curry paste, garlic, ginger and red pepper. Cook for another few minutes until the red pepper is softened.

Stir in the broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, curry powder, sugar and chicken. Heat until warmed, but don't boil. Add the lime juice and salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with cilantro. This recipe makes 4 servings.

For a more hearty meal, serve this over rice or noodles.

Fresh Tomato Soup

Our garden went a little crazy this summer with all the rain we've had. So I needed to use up some of our bounty and this soup was perfect! It tasted so light and fresh, just like summer.

Here's what you need for the soup:

10-12 ripe tomatoes (about 3 lbs), washed and quartered
1 cup shredded carrots
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1 TBSP minced garlic
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teas sea salt
1 teas dried oregano
1 teas black pepper

In a large pot, simmer the tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and chicken broth for about an hour, covered. Squish the tomatoes up a little as they cook down.

Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for 15 more minutes or so.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, it's okay to use a regular blender. You'll need to puree in batches and don't fill the blender too full. The hot liquid will blow the lid off the blender if you're not careful. Ask me how I know.

If desired, stir a little milk or cream into each bowl.

If you don't have fresh tomatoes, I have another very easy tomato soup recipe you can try. It's delicious, too!

Chicken Chili

Chicken, potatoes, beans and corn blend together in this simple soup to create a tasty, warming meal. Salsa verde adds a fantastic burst of flavor. It's a great alternative to traditional chili that will be sure to please your entire family.

Here's what you need:

1 small onion, diced
5 medium potatoes, cubed (I used Yukon Gold, but any kind will do)
1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa verde
1 teas cumin
1 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas chili powder
1/2 teas sea salt
pepper to taste
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can creamed corn

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in a little olive oil. Add the potatoes, broth, salsa verde and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, beans and corn and heat through.

Easy Tomato Soup

The past few weeks have been cold and breezy here in the Deep South. In fact, our weatherman said last night that temps have been 20-25 degrees below normal for this time of year!

On days like those, I like to serve my family warm, nourishing lunches. Comfort food, if you will. And what could be more comfort-like than tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?

This quick, easy soup can be ready in just a few minutes. I like to let it simmer for 20 minutes or so to let the flavors blend, but really all you have to do is combine the ingredients and heat them up. Lunch is served!

Here's what you'll need:

1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth
2 teas dried basil
1 teas garlic powder
1 teas onion powder
1 teas dried oregano
1 teas sea salt
1/2 teas black pepper
1 cup milk or cream

In a sauce pan, combine the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, broth and seasonings. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, pour about half the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Repeat with the rest of the soup. Be careful, though. Hot stuff in a blender can erupt like a volcano.

 Stir in the milk or cream. Serve!

Pasta Fagioli

 Last week was wet and dreary, but this soup seemed to perk us right up. It's a satisfying blend of veggies, beans and pasta in a flavorful tomato-based broth. It's so easy, too. I had this simmering away in less than 10 minutes, and in just 20 minutes more, it was on the table.

This is excellent the next day, too, but the pasta will absorb a great deal of liquid. You will need to add more broth or some water to thin it out. Also, this makes a great freezer meal, but don't add the pasta until the day you serve it. It will get mushy when you reheat it if you freeze it in the soup.

So here's what you need (and you probably already have most of it in your pantry!):

1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced - about 2 teas.
2 carrots, shredded or finely chopped
2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
1 can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (29 oz. can) tomato sauce or puree
1 carton (4 cups) beef broth
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 TBSP dried parsley
1/2 TBSP dried basil
1/2 TBSP dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups small pasta - I used shells but anything small will work

In a large saucepan, heat a little olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook until slightly soft. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the pasta. Simmer for 10 minutes - or as long as you like to let the flavors blend.

Bring the soup to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is tender. Garnish with some Parmesan cheese if desired.

3 Bean and Beef Chili with Hominy

I had never used hominy in a recipe until this one. I really didn't even know what it was. Hominy is made from the kernels of corn that have been soaked in an alkali solution. The kernels puff up to twice their normal size. I got canned hominy, so it had already been cooked, but you can purchase it dried as well.

The taste of hominy is very much like corn tortillas. I think I was expecting more of a sweet corn taste. It was such a great addition to a basic chili recipe that I'll probably use this as my go-to chili from now on.

Here's what you need:

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can hominy, drained
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
2 cups beef broth or water
1 TBSP dried minced onion
2 teas chili powder
1 teas cumin
1 teas powdered garlic
1 teas salt
1/2 teas black pepper

In a large pot, combine all the ingredients. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. If the chili is too thick, add a little more broth or water to thin until it reaches the desired consistency.

Garnish with sour cream and cheese, if desired.

See the light-colored bean-looking things? That's the hominy.

Quinoa Chili

I've been trying to incorporate quinoa into our diets more since it's a great source of protein. I had some leftover quinoa from another recipe, so I decided to make some chili. The quinoa was a fantastic replacement for ground beef. It even had a similar texture.

To make this recipe completely vegetarian, sub out the beef broth for vegetable broth.

Here's what you need:

1 small onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 can chili beans or kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth
1 teas chili powder
1 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas cumin
1/2 teas sea salt
1/4 teas black pepper
2 cups cooked quinoa

In a saucepan, cook the onion and zucchini in a little olive oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the quinoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the quinoa and heat through. If the chili thickens too much to your liking, add a little more beef broth.

You can also play around with the spices if you like a little more heat to your chili. Sprinkle in some cayenne or a little more chili powder. Diced tomatoes with green chiles would be a great addition, too.

African Peanut Soup

This is an unusual, tasty soup with peanut butter as an ingredient. To my knowledge, I had never eaten soup with peanut butter before, so this was a first for me. I wasn't sure how well it would blend with tomatoes to create something the kids would eat, but they both enjoyed it very much. It was even better the second day.

Here's what you need:

1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 teas minced garlic
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cartons beef or chicken broth
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/4 teas chili powder
1/4 teas salt
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
2/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
extra peanuts for garnish

In a large pan, cook the onion and pepper in olive oil until tender. Add the minced garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Don't let the garlic burn.

Stir in the tomatoes, broth, chicken, chili powder and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the rice and give it a good stir. Cover the pan and continue simmering for 20-30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in the peanut butter until well blended. Garnish with additional chopped peanuts.

Ham, Broccoli and Potato Soup

Temps have been well below normal here in the Deep South. Yesterday it didn't even reach 40 degrees! Baby, that's cold for this neck of the woods! Well, on cold days like that, soup is my go-to meal to warm my family. I still had some Christmas ham leftovers in the freezer, so I threw them together with some other yummy ingredients to make this wonderful soup.

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups diced fully cooked ham
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
3 cups frozen hash browns (not shredded)
2 cartons (32 oz each) chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1 teas garlic powder
1/4 teas sage
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Place the ham, broccoli, hash browns and onion in a slow cooker. Pour the chicken brother over all. Stir in the garlic powder and sage. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours until potatoes and broccoli are tender.

About 30 minutes before serving, whisk the milk and sour cream in a small bowl until smooth. Add to the slow cooker. Stir in the cheese until melted. Allow the soup to warm up again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The ham gives such a wonderful flavor to the soup! The only complaint my family had was the broth was thin....which I love because I sop up the broth with crackers or bread. But if you prefer a thicker soup, blend some flour with warm water and pour into the soup about halfway through cooking time.

Feel Better Chicken Stew

This time of year always brings sniffles and coughs. Chicken soup is a standard remedy for those who are suffering from colds and flu. I decided to pump up the healing properties of chicken soup by adding some ginger and garlic, along with a splash of lemon juice. Even if you or your family aren't feeling poorly, this stew will nourish and warm you.

Here's what you need:

One 3-4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 teas minced garlic
8 cups chicken broth
3 chicken breasts
1 small onion, diced
2-3 carrots, grated (you can use matchstick-cut carrots instead)
1 cup brown rice
1 teas dried parsley
juice of one lemon

In a large saucepan, combine the ginger, garlic, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Toss in the chicken breasts, veggies, rice and parsley. Cover and reduce heat, allowing the stew to simmer for about an hour.

Check to see if the chicken is cooked. When it is, remove from the pot and shred with a fork. Return to the pot.

By this time, the rice should be puffy and tender. It will help thicken the stew. Right before serving, stir in the lemon juice.


For more yummy recipes, head over to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

Leftover Ham Recipe #3 Ham and White Bean Soup

One of the best parts about having ham for dinner is having a leftover bone or two with which to make soup. It imparts such wonderful flavor to soup and reduces the amount of seasonings you need to use.

I make this soup in the crockpot. And you'll need a big crockpot.

Here's the ingredient list:

1 ham bone
1 cup diced ham
4 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 teas minced garlic
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans (15 oz each) white beans, drained and rinsed well
2 teas cumin
1/4 teas black pepper
Water, optional

Put all the ingredients into a large crockpot. If there's any room left after the bone, veggies, beans and spices, add a little water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the ham bone from the pot. Scrape off any meat still clinging to the bone and return the meat to the crockpot.

This soup is delicious! The cumin adds a smokiness to the broth and the veggies soak up all the wonderful ham flavor. It's even better the next day, if you can prevent your family from sopping it all up right away.

Pizza Soup

We love pizza around here. So when I found this recipe for Pizza Soup, I knew it would be a hit with my family. It was. I played around a bit with the ingredients to tweak it to my family's tastes. Everyone loved it. It was especially good the following day.

Thanks to my early Christmas present, chopping the pepperoni was a snap. The beauty of this recipe is that you can add your favorite pizza toppings to make it uniquely yours. Next time I make this, I'm going to add mushrooms and green peppers.

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb ground turkey or beef, browned and drained
1 pkg pepperoni slices, chopped (I actually used about 1/2 of the pkg)
2 jars (24 oz) spaghetti sauce, your choice
1 carton beef broth
1 TBSP dried minced onion
2 teas Italian seasoning
1 teas garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup half and half
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Croutons and more shredded cheese for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine the browned meat and pepperoni. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, broth and seasonings. Blend in the half and half. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes. This will help the flavors blend.

Stir in the shredded cheese until all of it is melted. Taste and adjust for seasonings.

Serve with croutons and additional cheese, if desired.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

Here's a hearty chowder to warm you up on these cool fall evenings. The sweet flavor of the corn and the chunks of chicken combine perfectly to make a filling meal. The Old Bay seasoning gives a little zip to the soup, too.

What you'll need:

1 small onion, diced
2 cups frozen Southern-style hash browns
2 TBSP flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
2 pkgs frozen creamed corn, thawed
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 teas Old Bay seasoning
1 teas dried parsley flakes
1 teas garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

In a saucepan, cook the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add the hash browns and cook for a few more minutes. Sprinkle with flour to coat.

Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring as you go. Scrape up any bits of flour on the bottom of the pan. Do the same with the evaporated milk. If don't have evaporated milk, just sub regular milk, about 1 1/2 cups.

Now stir in the creamed corn. This was the first time I'd ever used frozen creamed corn for anything. I chose sweet white corn, but next time I make this, I'll use one package of white and one package of yellow.


Add the shredded chicken and seasonings. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Garnish with cheddar cheese and bacon bits, if desired.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed peppers are so yummy, but buying enough peppers to serve everyone can get expensive. I found a recipe for stuffed pepper soup that had all the flavors of stuffed peppers but with fewer peppers. It also eliminated the chore of actually stuffing the peppers with the meat and rice filling, too. Anytime a recipe can be made easier is fine by me! And if you'll look at the original recipe, you'll see that I did some tweaking. As usual.

Here's what you need:

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, diced
2 green peppers, chopped
4 cups beef broth
2 cans (15 oz each) tomato sauce
1 teas Italian seasoning
1 teas salt
1/2 teas black pepper
1/2 teas garlic powder
2 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice)

In a large pot, start browning the ground meat. After a few minutes, add the onions and peppers so they can cook in the juices. When the meat is no longer pink, drain.

Add the remaining ingredients except the rice. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until peppers have reached desired tenderness. Stir in the rice and heat through.

The kids devoured this! And it's a good thing, too, because this recipe makes a lot of soup. We had enough for leftovers the next day. But like any soup with rice, it thickened up quite a bit. I added a little water to thin it out and a few shakes of the spices so the flavor wasn't watered down too much. This soup is definitely a winner!

Easy Crockpot Potato Soup

My family adores potato soup. I have prepared it the same way for years - dicing potatoes and onions, boiling them until done, adding spices, herbs and milk...you get the picture. Then I found a similar recipe to mine that was cooked in the crockpot. And instead of dicing up potatoes, this recipe said to use frozen hash browns - the Southern style, not shredded.

It was like the clouds suddenly parted and the sunshine peeked through! Why hadn't I ever thought of that before? It cut the prep time for this recipe down to a few minutes - basically just adding ingredients to the crockpot and turning it on. With cooler weather approaching, you're going to want to make this incredibly easy, delicious soup.

Here's what you need:

1 pkg (30 oz) Southern-style frozen hash browns - not O'Brien, just plain
4 cups chicken broth (this is one large carton or 32 oz)
1 cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 teas onion powder
1 teas garlic powder
1 teas salt
1/4 teas black pepper
4 oz cream cheese, cubed

Dump the frozen hash browns into the crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cream cheese. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. During the last 1/2 hour of cooking, add the cubed cream cheese and stir for a few minutes to melt and blend into the soup.

Add your favorite toppings such as bacon bits, shredded cheese or green onions. Or all of the above! The Princess chose green onions, Mr. Lego just wanted a little bacon. I added everything, like a loaded baked potato. And the next day they cheered when I warmed up leftovers. That's how simple and yummy this soup is.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

I made this soup years ago and Charles really liked it. I don't know why I stopped making it, but I finally dusted off the recipe and gave it another try. This soup is amazing! The kids loved it and asked for more. I tweaked it a little bit from the original recipe to suit our current tastes. Hope you like it!

Here's what you need:

1 lb Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 small onion, diced
2 teas minced garlic
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce of your choice
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teas Italian seasoning
1 teas dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups frozen cheese tortellini

In a large stockpot, brown the sausages in a little olive oil, breaking them up as they cook. Add the onion and minced garlic. Cook until the onions are soft. Add the green pepper and grated carrot. Cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the peppers have softened.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients except the tortellini. Simmer for about 20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend nicely. The soup will smell so good at this point!

Turn up the heat a little so the soup comes to a gentle boil. Add the frozen tortellini and cook for another 5 minutes or until the tortellini are thawed and heated through. Sprinkle some extra Parmesan cheese over the top of each serving.