Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Jennifer S.

This is very close to the one that Olive Garden serves.

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half and half
1 14 ounces can of chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheeses optional
1 pound potato gnocchi you can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets, or in the frozen food section.


Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the flour and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.
Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
Into the roux, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning;, simmer until soup is heated through.

You can add more chicken if you like. While you could use leftover cooked chicken breasts, I really think using the rotisserie chicken that are found in many grocery stores is the best way to get the optimal flavor of this soup. If you want to make the soup lower in calories, you can use milk instead of half and half. Half and Half does taste better though, and it also reheats better than milk does.

Slow-Simmered Chicken Rice Soup

Jennifer S.

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1/2 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves , crushed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 stalk celery , coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion , chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 1 pound), cut into cubes
sour cream (optional)
Chopped green onion (optional)

Stir the wild rice, white rice and oil in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.

Stir the broth, thyme, red pepper, celery, onion and chicken in the cooker. Reduce the heat to LOW. Cover and cook for 7 to 8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with the sour cream and green onions, if desired.

Time-Saving: This recipe may also be cooked on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

Time-Saving: Speed preparation by substituting 3 cans (4.5 ounces each) Chicken Breast in Water, drained, for the skinless, boneless chicken breast halves.

The Whole Enchilada Chicken Soup

Jennifer S.

* 3 cups chicken broth
* 1 1/4 cups finely chopped celery
* 1/2 cup diced sweet yellow onion
* 3 cups green enchilada sauce
* One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
* 10 oz. canned cooked and shredded chicken breast, drained
* 1 cup frozen white (or yellow) corn
* Optional: dash hot sauce, or more to taste
* Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips

Add all except for hot sauce, cheese and tortilla chips to crock pot.
Simmer on low for 3-5 hrs or high for 1-2 hr.
Before serving stir in a dash or two of hot sauce or NOT it's your soup!
Top with cheese and tortilla chips.

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Marcy F.

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 T butter
2 (10.75 oz.) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1 onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
salt/pepper
2 (10 oz.) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, cut in pieces

Cut each chicken breast into 4-6 pieces. Place chicken, butter, soup, broth, onion, celery, salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours. About 90 minutes before serving, put cut biscuit dough in cooker and cook until no longer raw in center. Serves 6

Zesty Minestrone

Jennifer S.

1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (19 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed
2 cans (14 oz. each) vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1-1/2 cups small shell macaroni, uncooked
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots; cook 2 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Spoon into crock pot. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, water and seasoning; stir. Cover with lid.
Cook on LOW 6 hours (or on HIGH 3 hours).
Stir in macaroni; cook 10 to 15 min. or until macaroni is tender.
Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.

Bolognase Sauce

Summer S.

Serves 8
A very dense, meaty ragu sauce from the region of Bologna, Italy.

2 medium onions
4 celery ribs
2 medium carrots
5 cloves garlic
1 lb mushrooms
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup butter
1/8 lb bacon (I don’t use, but highly recommended for bacon lovers)
1 lb ground veal or beef (or turkey)
1 lb ground pork (or chicken sausage)
1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
1 (28 oz) can of tomato puree
1 cup whole milk (I make with skim and it’s still pretty good)
1 cup water
1 cup red or white wine. Optional: you can add more water
1 t fresh (1 T dried) thyme
1 t fresh (1 T dried) basil
2- 3 bay leaves
Salt & pepper to taste
Pasta of choice
8 oz Parmigiana, Asiago, or Romano cheese, garnish



Directions
Place onion, celery, carrot, garlic and mushrooms in food processor or blender. Drizzle in 1/8 cup of olive oil. Puree into a coarse paste. In a large pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the pureed veggies and season generously with salt. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and cook until all the water has evaporated and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes. Be patient, this is where the big flavors develop.
Add bacon and cook for 5 minutes (if using, if not, omit step). Add ground meats and BROWN them (brown food just tastes better). Use a wire whisk to break up meat to ensure a velvety finished texture. Don’t rush this step. Cook another 15- 20 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, milk, wine, water, bay, basil and thyme. Gently simmer, uncovered*, until sauce is thickened, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir with wire whisk every 15- 20 mins. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.
30 minutes before you want to eat, cook your pasta (rigatoni is my FAV, but others eat spaghetti, penne, or fat homemade noodles). When your pasta is done, take 1 cup of pasta water and add it into the sauce. Toss ¼ of the sauce with pasta and then top with your desired amount. Top generously with cheese and enjoy!

Believe it or not, some people actually use this as their red sauce for lasagna. Whew, too much work.

*A splatter screen really comes in handy at this point. Once the liquid starts to reduce, the bolognase will begin to bubble and splatter everywhere unless you have something covering the pot. You don’t want to place the lid on the pot because then the liquid won’t be able to evaporate. Since a splatter screen is made out of a fine mesh, the liquid can still evaporate, but the erupting sauce won’t splatter all over the stove, kitchen walls, and most important of all, you!

Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, before chilling, covered. Frozen, it keeps for 1 month.

Ravioli Stew

Michelle H.

1 tbsp. Olive oil
3 medium carrots, chopped (or 15 or so baby carrots)
2 medium ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
28 oz. Jar spaghetti sauce
1 can (14 ½ oz.) chicken broth
1 c. water
1 pkg. (12-20 oz.) fresh or frozen ravioli, cooked and drained (I used the 20 oz. size)

In 6 qt. Sauce pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook carrots, celery and onion, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until golden. Stir in spaghetti sauce, broth, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered 15 minutes. Just before serving stir in hot ravioli and season if desired with salt and pepper. Garnish, if desired, with fresh basil. Make 6 generous servings.

Chicken Spaghetti

Michelle H.

2-3 chicken breasts
½ tbsp. chicken bouillon
2 celery ribs
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ lb. Velveeta
½ can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
8 oz. Spaghetti noodles

Cook chicken in a 2 ½ qt pan filled 2/3-3/4 full of water. Add bouillon. While chicken is cooking, chop vegetables. After cooking for 15 minutes, take chicken out of pan. Add spaghetti to broth. When spaghetti has cooked, add chopped chicken and vegetables, soup, and cheese. Cook 10 minutes and pour into a casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes at 350°.