Lasagna Soup

From The Recipe Critic  (lots of helpful tips at original site)

Ingredients:

• 8-oz lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef (or sausage)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
  
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cups chicken broth (I prefer Better Than Bouillon brand)
• (1) 15-oz can crushed (or diced) tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (or just use dried basil to taste)
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or Half and Half
• Ricotta cheese for garnish

Instructions:

• Cook lasagna according to package; drain and drizzle with olive oil to keep from sticking together
• Add olive oil to large soup pot and heat over medium-high heat; add onion and cook until it starts to soften; add beef, garlic, and oregano and continue to cook until beef is browned. (I like to add salt and pepper at this point as well.)
• Add tomato paste and stir for about two minutes.
• Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and 1 cup of water; cover and bring to a simmer. Uncover and cook until slightly reduced, about ten minutes.
• Stir in noodles, basil, parmesan, and heavy cream; simmer for two more minutes.
• Serve in bowls garnished with basil, parmesan, and ricotta cheese.

Slow Cooker Creamy Potato Soup

From The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

• 1 (30 oz.) bag frozen hash-brown potatoes (I used cubed)
• 2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth (see Note)
• 1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (more to taste)
• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese (softened)
• Optional Toppings: cheese, bacon, sliced green onions

Instructions:

1. In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, chicken broth, soup, onion, and pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. If your potatoes are still in big chunks you need to cook it longer. They will start falling apart when it's ready.
3. Add the cream cheese and cook 30 minutes or until cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally until combined.
4. Top with cheese, bacon, or sliced green onions if desired.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

From The Girl Who Ate Everything

Egg Noodle Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tablespoon butter, softened

Soup Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 9 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (see note)
• 2 cups uncooked egg noodles (store-bought or homemade recipe above)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• (optional) dash of poultry seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breasts

Instructions:

1. For the noodles: In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes.
3. Separate and allow to air dry before cooking. For best results, let them air dry for a couple of hours but I've been in a rush and only let them dry 30 minutes and they were fine.
4. For the soup: In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion, celery, and carrots in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Pour in chicken broth and stir in noodles, basil, oregano, (optional) poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the chicken and cook until heated through. Serve.

Dumplings

From AllRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

• Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt in medium size bowl. 
• Cut in butter until crumbly.
• Stir in milk to make a soft dough.
• Drop by small spoonfuls into boiling stew.
• Cover and simmer 15 minutes without lifting lid.

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

From Six Sisters Stuff Cookbook

2 cubes chicken or beef bouillon
1 cup water
1 cup diced celery
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 (10-oz) package frozen mixed vegetables (such as broccoli, carrot, cauliflower combo)
1 (10.5-oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (16-oz) block Velveeta cheese, cubed

Place bouillon, water, celery, potatoes, and carrots in large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until bouillon cubes have dissolved. Add frozen veggies and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer 30-40 minutes (add more water if liquid begins to evaporate).
Stir in cream of chicken soup, milk, Velveeta cheese. Stir constantly until cheese is melted. Serve in bread bowls or with warm rolls.

Makes 6 servings.

Easily doubles so you can freeze half for another night. When you finish making it, let the soup cool, pour it into a gallon-sized ziploc and store in freezer. Thaw in fridge and reheat on stovetop til warm.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

From "Keeping Up Cookbook"

2 tbsp butter
1 med onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 (10 3/4-oz) cans condensed tomato soup
2 (14.5-oz) cans whole tomatoes, undrained
1 cup milk
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in butter until soft.  Add cream cheese and tomato soup.  Whisk together until cream cheese is incorporated.  Add whole tomatoes and their juice.  In a blender, working in batches, puree mixture until smooth (or use an immersion blender).  Return to pan.  Add milk and basil.  Gently warm over low heat until heated through (don't allow to boil) and serve.

I served with Havarti Grilled Cheese sandwiches.  Mm-mm!!!  (Don't forget a salad!)

Chicken and Dumplings

From Our Best Bites

Chicken and Dumplings
Recipe by Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups chicken broth (1 1/2 boxes or 3 cans) OR 6 c. water + 6 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 lb. cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (The rotisserie chicken from the grocery store works great! 1 1/2 of them is usually 1 cup)
• 1 cup sliced carrots (3ish large carrots)
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 onion, minced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 handful of chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1 14-oz. can evaporated milk (fat free is fine)
• Dumplings (see delicious recipe here)

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. 
• Saute for a few minutes and then add chicken broth, chicken, bay leaf, and basil. 
• Bring to a boil. 
• Add carrots and celery and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until carrots and celery are tender. 
• When carrots and celery are almost done, add chopped parsley. 
• Add evaporated milk. Increase heat to boiling.
• Add small pieces of dumpling dough (probably not the entire recipe or it will be too much), reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

One other thing--if you know you'll have leftovers, only add dumplings or noodles to what you know you'll eat immediately. The noodles/dumplings will soak up all the liquid in the soup when you store it as leftovers, so you'll have overly-mushy noodles and chicken with no broth if you don't. The other thing you can do is add all of the dumplings or all of the noodles, and then store the dumplings or noodles separately from the rest of the soup. That's easy to do with dumplings, not so much with noodles.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water (or chicken broth)
2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1 (4-oz) can diced green chilies
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

Combine in large saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve with:
sour cream
chopped avocado
sliced olives
grated cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

Favorite Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (16-oz) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (16-oz) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 package taco seasoning

corn chips
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream

In large soup pot, brown ground beef and onion; drain.  Stir in tomatoes, beans, corn, and taco seasoning.  Simmer for 1/2 hour; uncovered.  Serve topped with corn chips, grated cheese, and sour cream.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup hot water
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups half & half
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 (14 3/4-oz) can cream-style corn
1 (4-oz) can diced green chilies, undrained
1/4 tsp Tobasco sauce
1 med tomato, chopped
fresh cilantro

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink.  Dissolve the bouillon in hot water.  Add to pan along with cumin; bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add half & half, cheese, corn, chilies, and Tobasco sauce.  Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted.  Stir in chopped tomato.  Serve immediately.  Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

From "Favorites" Cookbook

(Begin thawing noodles)

4 chicken breasts

Boil chicken in water for 20 minutes and cut up into small pieces.

5 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 quarts water
4 chicken bouillon cubes (or 4 tsp chicken bouillon granules)

Boil veggies, bouillon, and water together for 15 to 20 minutes.  Add cut up chicken.

1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 tsp basil
pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 of (11-oz) package of frozen homemade noodles, thawed

Add cream of chicken soup, basil, pepper and bring to a boil again before adding defrosted noodles and peas.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

(notes: Even better the next day.  If it gets too thick, add a can of cream of chicken soup and/or broth.)

Baked Potato Soup

From "Favorites" Cookbook

3 Tbsp butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp flour
1 (14 1/2-oz) can chicken broth
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper (use less pepper--- more like 1/8 tsp of white and black)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
dash Tobasco sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup half & half

Garnish with:
Grated Cheddar cheese
Sour Cream
crumbled bacon
chopped green onions

Melt butter in a 2-qt saucepan on medium heat.  Add onion and saute for 2 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Gradually add chicken broth.  Add potatoes, salt, white and black pepper, basil, Tobasco sauce, and garlic salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Stir in half & half; heat through.  Serve with garnishes.  Serves 4 but doubles easily.