Recipes: 5 Hearty & Healthy Soups

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From Moroccan Spiced Chicken Soup to Roasted Sweet Potato, Parsnip & Apple Soup to this Easy Tomato Soup with Parmesan Dumplings, warm up with these delicious recipes.

 

Photo: Bite Me More

1. Moroccan Spiced Chicken Soup

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 large celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (28oz/796ml) can crushed tomatoes
3 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
7 cups chicken broth
1 cup dried green lentils
1 cup uncooked angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1) In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery and carrots, cooking until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

2) Stir in crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken broth and lentils. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, simmering uncovered until lentils are tender, about 30-35 minutes.

3) Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in shredded chicken and parsley, cooking until heated through.

Serves 6

 

cauliflower
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2. Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into uniform pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ tsp kosher salt
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
5 cups chicken broth

Sour cream, to garnish
Green onions, chopped, to garnish

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower, olive oil and salt together. Place cauliflower in a shallow roasting pan and roast 18-20 minutes until tender, stirring halfway.

2) Meanwhile, heat butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in carrots, celery and salt, cooking another 3-4 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic, apple cider vinegar, curry powder, cumin and cayenne and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add roasted cauliflower and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft enough to puree. Remove from heat and puree soup in two batches, using a handheld or countertop blender. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream and chopped green onions.

Serves 4-6

 

chicken-soup
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3. Traditional Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

Ingredients
Homemade Chicken Soup
1 (4 lb) whole chicken, well rinsed
8 chicken wings, split, tips removed
5 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
5 large celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1 large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 large bunch of fresh dill
10 black peppercorns
1 tbsp kosher salt

Matzo Balls
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp kosher salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 cup matzo meal

Directions
1) For the soup, place the whole chicken and chicken wings in a very large soup pot. Fill with enough cold water to cover the chicken and fill the pot to 3/4 full. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam that accumulates on the top. Reduce heat to a simmer and add carrots, celery, parsnips, onion, garlic, parsley, dill, peppercorns and salt. Return to a boil, reduce heat and cover, simmering gently for 2 hours. Remove lid and continue to simmer for 1 hour.

2) Strain the soup into another pot through a very fine sieve or a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Shred the meat from the chicken breast and put it in the strained soup or save for another time. Discard the remaining chicken and solids.

3) Salt the soup to taste. Cool soup and skim off any fat that has risen to the surface (the easiest way is to refrigerate the soup overnight and then discard solidified fat from the surface). Serve hot with shredded chicken, matzo balls and/or cooked egg noodles.

4) For the matzo balls, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Whisk in matzo meal just until combined. Cover mixture lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour until slightly firm.

5) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove matzo ball mixture from refrigerator. Gently roll a heaping tablespoon of the matzo mixture into balls too much pressure when rolling the balls will make them too hard. Add to boiling water, cover and reduce heat to low, simmering until doubled in size, 25-30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to prepared soup.

Yield: 20-24 matzo balls Serves 10-12

 

sweet-potato
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4. Roasted Sweet Potato, Parsnip & Apple Soup

Ingredients
6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup parsnips, peeled and cubed
¼ cup chopped shallots
2 small garlic gloves, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cumin

7 cups vegetable broth
1½ cups apple cider

2 tbsp butter
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Granny Smith apple, chopped for garnish
Italian flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes, parsnips, shallots, garlic, olive oil, ½ tsp salt and cumin together. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and roast 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

2) In a large soup pot, bring vegetable broth and apple cider to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato mixture and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and using a handheld or countertop blender, puree until smooth. Return to soup pot over medium heat and stir in butter, ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Garnish each soup bowl with diced apple and parsley.

Serves 6

 

tomato
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5. Easy Tomato Soup with Parmesan Dumplings

Ingredients
Tomato Soup
2 tbsp butter
1 large white onion, chopped
1 tbsp shallots, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
2 small celery stalks, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
3 sun-dried tomatoes, not oil-packed, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Parmesan Dumplings
1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp chopped fresh basil
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp vegetable oil

Thinly sliced fresh basil, for garnish

Directions
1) For the soup, in a large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion, shallot and garlic, cooking 4-5 minutes until tender. Add carrots, celery, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes to soften vegetables. Add chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and either puree directly in soup pot using a handheld blender or place half of the tomato soup mixture in a countertop blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining tomato soup. Return all of the soup to the saucepan. Reheat when ready to serve.

2) For the Parmesan dumplings, combine flour, Parmesan, basil, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg and vegetable oil. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture with a wooden spoon until combined. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Using ½ tsp measuring spoon, drop slightly rounded dough into boiling water. Cook 4 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Serve with soup. Garnish soup with sliced basil
Yield: 25 dumplings

Serves 6

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me and Bite Me Too, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes and forkin’ fun at BiteMeMore.com.

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