Soup's On!

It's perfect weather for soup. I always make so much chicken noodle...I decided to switch it up a bit. Both of these recipes are easy, delicious and perfect for a cold winter supper. I recommend a chunk of crusty bread or grilled cheese along side. Enjoy!

Italian Chicken & Vegetable Soup

1 rotisserie chicken, or 3 chicken breasts cut in chunks (cooked)

2 T. olive oil + 1 T. butter

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 zucchini, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 cans (14oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic

1 carton (32oz.) chicken stock or broth (low sodium)

1 c. rotini pasta

Shredded parmesan for garnish, optional

Heat olive oil and butter in large soup pot. Add celery, carrots, zucchini, onion, bay leaves, salt & pepper and saute until they start to get tender. Add in tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add cooked rotisserie chicken or chicken breast chunks and pasta and continue to boil, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Discard bay leave and serve with shredded parmesan on top.

Beef Barley Soup

2 T. olive oil + 1 T. butter

2 lb. beef stew meat

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large potato, peeled & chopped

1 small can corn, drained (about 1/2 cup)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained slightly

2 (32oz.) containers beef broth or stock (low sodium)

1 c. barley

Heat olive oil and butter in large soup pot on medium-high heat. Brown stew meat and season with salt & pepper. Remove meat from pan and set aside. Add a little more olive oil if needed and add the onion, carrots, celery, and potato to the pot. Saute until just getting tender. Add minced garlic, corn, and tomatoes and saute. Add beef stock to pot and bring to a boil. Add in beef stew meat, cover, and cook for a couple hours on low until meat is very tender. You could do this in the crock pot as well. During the last hour of cooking, add the barley and cook until everything is very tender. Broth should thicken a bit because of the potato and barley. Delicious!