Temperatures are dropping to the negatives, and perhaps spirits too, but can we all just agree that there is something so comforting about digging into a delicious and flavorful bowl of soup? Here are 3 soups we are loving this winter, all pretty easy to whip up and can be adapted according to your taste. Bon app!
Tuscan White Beans with Spinach, Mushrooms & Pesto
This dish is sort of a cross between a soup and a dish and it is so simple and so flavorful you’ll want to add it to your weekly lunch or dinner repertoire–we literally pulled it together in about 20 minutes with key essentials coming from our pantry. We used this recipe and adapted it slightly with ingredients we had on hand (i.e. a different type of mushroom, added more onions and garlic etc.). We also recommend a nice drizzle of olive oil at the end and some yummy crusty bread for dipping. Hearty, nourishing, and super quick for weekday lunches or dinners.
What You’ll Need
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (chopped)
- 8 ounces mushrooms (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 3 cups cooked cannellini beans, (or 2 cans beans)
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
- sea salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or Grana Padano cheese)
What You’ll Do
- Heat the olive oil in the pot over medium heat, and then add the onions. Sauté until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic, and sauté until the mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces by half, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the broth and beans. Cover and bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes.
- Add the pesto and stir, then fold in the spinach. Cook, stirring, until the spinach wilts, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of the cheese, drizzle over some good olive oil, and eat with crusty bread!
Hearty Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice
It’s creamy, it’s hearty, it’s nourishing. If you have a slow-cooker you can just pop all of these ingredients in and cook on low, but if you don’t, no worries, just cook on low in pot with a lid on the stove or in the oven. We grabbed our recipe from here.
What You’ll Need
- 500g boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
What You’ll Do
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into slow cooker.
- Stir in chicken stock, wild rice, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for around 6 hours, but check the chicken at around 3-4 hours to ensure it isn’t drying out. Add mushrooms during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and half and half, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir chicken and milk mixture into the slow cooker. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Split Pea & Ham
We went for a long wet walk in the forest, boots squelching on the softened trail and or signs of spring peeking through the melting snow. We were chilled to the bone and came home to the savory smells of this soup, which had been cooking in the slow cooker all morning. If you don’t have a slow-cooker, no worries! Just slow cook on the stove top, covered at a low temperature.
What You’ll Need
- 1 lb. split peas (about 2 c.)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ham bone
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
What You’ll Do
- In a slow cooker combine split peas, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, ginger, and red pepper flakes. . Pour broth over and add ham bone. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 6 to 8, until peas are completely soft.
- Remove ham bone from slow cooker and shred any remaining meat. Add meat back to slow cooker and serve.
- Drizzle with a yummy olive oil and add some crusty bread for dipping.