Lasagna: Soup Style

I'm not sure if I've shared this with you all, but I love soup.  I mean I am borderline obsessed with the stuff! Give me soup for almost any meal and I am one happy girl.  I love it so much I will even eat it in the scorching summer heat.  I know, I know, I'm such a rebel.

Say hello to my new little friend.  It combines my love of all things soup with lasagna.  How could that ever be wrong?  I especially love it because I can have a lower calorie pasta for carb-loading the night before I embark on my long runs for half marathon training.  That's right people, you thought I forgot didn't you?  Well believe me, my legs and brain are far from forgetting.

In case you're curious (which you probably aren't so I'm sorry) this is what training looks like (for me at least)

Monday: 4 miles normal pace
Tuesday: 3.5 miles normal pace
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 4.5 miles easy
Friday: rest
Saturday: Long run [this week 8 miles] easy pace then I can die
Sunday: DIE rest

So that's a glimpse into my training schedule; so think of me when you're in your bed Saturday morning watching TV because I will be out slowly torturing myself as I run lap after lap after lap in the Rec Center.

Anyhow, back to the soup. It's actually pretty healthy but you probably wouldn't know that from the taste.  I think it tastes a bit like chili, but Mike just thinks it tastes great.  I'll let you all be the judge.

Lasagna Soup
Adapted slightly from www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil


1 pound ground turkey


1 onion, chopped


3 cloves garlic, minced


1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth


1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce


1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper


1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 noodles)


1/2 cup chopped fresh basil


3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese


1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese


Instructions:

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saucepot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, 8 – 10 minutes. 

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add the noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender, 10 – 12 minutes.  Add parmesan cheese to the pot. Dish up into heat proof bowls, top with mozzarella and put under broiler set on high for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  [Alternately, you can just dish the soup in bowls and put cheese on top – the heat from the soup will melt it just the same]

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Remember how last week was comfort food week at our house?  Well here's another fruit of my labor:  Chicken tortilla soup.  I am a big fan of soup and also a big fan of Mexican food.  This of course was the perfect combo, even Mike said this was a soup he could eat a lot of - high praise from that meat loving man.

I'm just going to let most of the pictures do the talking on this one.

I've become a kind of connoisseur of chicken tortilla soups if you will and this one has all the good stuff from all the soups I've had.  Hope you enjoy this soup as much as I do; my mouth's watering just looking at these pictures.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 jalapenos, finely diced

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 cups water

1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can corn, drained

1 bag boil-in-bag brown rice, cooked (or 2 cups prepared rice)

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

2 limes, juiced, plus wedges for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Option garnishes

1 cup shredded cheese

avocado slices

tortilla chips

Directions

In a large saucepan heat the vegetable oil. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Once the onions have softened add the garlic and jalepenos and cook for another minute. Pour the chicken broth, water, tomatoes, corn, rice, and beans into the pot and bring to a boil. Once at a boil lower heat to simmer and add your chicken breasts. Cook the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes. Once chicken is cooked remove from pot. When cool enough to handle shred it and set it aside, or place in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with paddle attachment and shred that way (believe it or not, it works like magic!) Return chicken to pot and add lime juice and fresh cilantro. Garnish with tortilla chips, cheese and avocado if desired.

Sun-dried Tomato Soup

I'm not sure about where you live, but this morning mid-Missouri was greeted with rain with a slight bit of ice in it.  Yes. Ice. Rude. It's still officially fall weather, not officially winter yet, just calm down on that craziness please!


Yes. I am a winter-hater. I want my warm/temperate weather year round and a beach.  (Yes, I do realize Missouri doesn't have beaches, but if I had it my way, they would.)  So with all this nastiness outside, it means it's time for some comfort food.

Hello gorgeous.  You and me are going to be best friends.


I have to say, I was not a fan of tomato soup until I tried this one out.  It's hearty and chunky without tasting like you're eating a bottle of ketchup.  Of course it's best paired with a grilled cheese and lots of cheese.  


As for me, I will be staying inside and reading all day.  Don't get too jealous though, I will be reading law books.  Feel less jealous now? That's what I thought.
Hope you enjoy and stay warm wherever you are this day.


Sun-Dried Tomato Soup

Adapted from Food and Wine magazine

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, sliced

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained but juices reserved

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 t dried thyme or 2 thyme sprigs

1 T dried basil or 1/4 fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream - seriously. Use the heavy cream. It makes all the difference.  

In a large saucepan, melt butter in the olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until softened, about 4 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and canned tomatoes. Combine reserved tomato juice and chicken broth in a 3 to 4 cup measure. Add water to make three cups liquid. Add liquid to pot with basil and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. 

Transfer small batches of soup to a blender and puree. And when I say small batches, I mean small batches; otherwise you'll have a very large mess. I only know that from experience. Return to pot and warm over low heat. Stir in cream and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: 4 servings.  Serve with something cheesy.