Macaroni and Peas

Image Credit: Dori O'Connell

For me, fall is all about soup. I love sitting down to a steaming bowl of soup when it’s cold out. It warms me up like nothing else. Homemade soup doesn’t have to be as time consuming or complex as you might think. Here are some tips for getting a delicious homemade soup on the table in just a few minutes.

Ingredients

A good stock or broth makes all the difference in your finished soup. Don’t be ashamed to buy canned broth or stock. Check out a few different brands to see which ones you like best. Try to stick to the low sodium varieties. You can always add salt…you can’t take it out of the broth.

Next, you’ll want great veggies. I usually start with celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. Many soups also have corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and beans. To save time, feel free to use frozen and canned veggies.

Some soups have meat - chicken, beef, even meatballs. Whatever you choose to use, keep the pieces really small and cook them thoroughly before adding them to the soup. It saves time to buy pre-cooked meats, but they can be more expensive.

You can also add herbs, spices, seasoning packets, pasta, or rice. If you use pasta, make sure the pieces are small so they’ll cook up faster and be easier to eat. I love using packets of seasonings made just for soup. It takes all the guesswork out of seasoning your soup.

Preparation is Key

Dice all your fresh veggies so they’re about the same size. Smaller pieces will cook faster. Microwave your frozen veggies and drain them before adding them to the soup. Drain and rinse any canned veggies you’re using.

If you’re adding potatoes, dice them up and boil them first. I generally do this on a weekend day so I can throw everything together quickly after work.

Putting It All Together

Saute fresh veggies with cooking spray. You want to do this on the night you’re going to cook the soup. You can do almost all the other steps ahead of time, but the flavor you get from this step is priceless.

Add the stock, other veggies, and meats. Because everything’s precooked, you just need to heat everything up. To speed the process up, cover the pot and turn it up to medium high.

About ten minutes before you want to serve the soup, add the pasta or rice (if you’re using it). If you add them too soon, they’ll be mushy and overcooked by the time the soup gets to the table.

Serving Tips

Spoon the soup into bowls and add any toppings you want. Cheese, crusty bread, croutons, and sour cream are all yummy (depending on the soup).

Let me know how your soup turns out!