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All St. Paul Reads 2011 | Soup recipes

These delicious soups fortified everyone for a lively and thoughtful discussion of Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry!

Cheddar Chicken Chowder

Tip: Buy skinned, boned chicken breasts and preshredded cheese.
Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

2 bacon slices
Cooking spray
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 3/4 cups diced peeled red potatoes
2 1/4 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% low-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Crumble; set aside. Add chicken, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to bacon fat in pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add broth and potatoes; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add corn; stir well.
Place flour in a bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended; add to soup. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper. Top with crumbled bacon.

~ Mary Miller

Pumpkin Curry Soup

¼ c. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1-3/4 c. solid pumpkin (15 oz. can)
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. curry powder
1/8 – ¼ tsp. coriander
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half (or fat-free evaporated milk)

sour cream
chives

In large saucepan, melt butter, sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add curry powder, salt, coriander, red pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add broth and boil gently uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Stir in pumpkin and half and half. Cook 5 minutes, until creamy. Garnish each bowl with sour cream and chives. Serves 6.

~ Jan Aplin

Clam Chowder

2 (6 ½ oz.) cans minced clams
1 c. onion, diced
1 c. celery, diced
2 c. diced potatoes
¾ c. margarine
½ tsp salt
¾ c. flour
Pepper to taste
½ tsp. Sugar
1 qt. Milk

Drain the juice from the clams and pour over the onion, celery and potatoes in a large saucepan. Add enough additional water to just cover vegetables. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt margarine in saucepan, add flour and salt and cook for a few minutes. Add milk and cook until smooth and thick using a wire whisk. Add undrained vegetables and clams. Heat through. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

~ Pam Wachter

Meatball Vegetable Soup

2/3 cup uncooked medium pasta shells
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 ½ oz.) condensed French onion soup, undiluted
12 frozen and cooked Italian meatballs, thawed and quartered
1 ½ cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup frozen sliced carrots, thawed
¾ cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
¾ cup garbanzo beans or chick peas, rinsed and drained

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain pasta and stir into soup.

Yield: 6-8 servings (about 2 ½ quarts)

Note: I double the recipe and simmer it in the slow cooker all day. Just add the pasta during the last 15-30 minutes, so it doesn’t become mushy.

~ Marcy Barnhart

The Machine Shed Baked Potato Soup

2 ½ lbs. baby red potatoes (8-9), quartered
½ lb. diced raw bacon
1 diced yellow onion
¼ bunch celery, diced
4 cups water
2 T. chicken soup base
4 cups milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 ½ sticks margarine
¾ cup flour
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup chopped parsley

Boil potatoes in water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large, heavy pot, sauté bacon, onions, and celery over medium-high heat until celery is tender. Drain bacon grease and return bacon, onions, and celery to pot.

Add milk, water, chicken base, salt and pepper. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot, but do not boil.

In a heavy, large saucepan, melt margarine and add flour. Mix well and allow to bubble, stirring for one minute. While constantly stirring the soup, add the flour-margarine mixture slowly. Continue stirring until thick and creamy. Stir in potatoes, parsley, and cream.

Garnish with shredded Colby cheese, bacon bits, chopped green onions, or all three

Note: This recipe will make a full Dutch oven and will keep well in the refrigerator for several days.

~ Sherri Beyer

Chicken Noodle Soup

Swanson Chicken Broth (amount depends on how much soup I want to make….but at least one big can)
Carrots
Onion
Celery
Garlic
Chicken
Salsa (just a bit…like 3or 4 TBS)
spices…like….cilantro (lots); basil; pepper;
frozen noodles
green beans
peas
I don’t really have specific amounts….it just depends on the size of the batch.

~ Sherry Staub

Turkey Chili

½ sweet onion
1/8 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground turkey
1 can chili beans (I used Hy Vee red chili beans in sauce)
1 can stewed tomoatoes (I used garlic and basil)

Saute onion in olive oil and add salt. Brown turkey and add to onion and salt. Add beans and stewed tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low/medium and cook 10-15 minutes.

Serve with sour cream; add corn chips on top, if desired.

~ Jean Mayes

"It (work) is about the bringing of the Reign of God on earth. It is about completing the work of God in the upbuilding of the world." ~Joan Chittister