It’s the perfect soup weather and this is one avenue of cooking I’ve never explored. I really love thick soups (meaty or vegetarian) that are spicy without being hot. Any suggestions? (I have decent basic cooking skills [and I’m an excellent driver on the sidewalk].)
Well it’s not thick, but I guess you could add some starch and bulk it up.
Start with a vegetable broth, either canned, cubed or homemade. In it you boil brocolli and carrots. While it’s boiling, cut some italian sausage in pieces and brown it with some garlic and olive oil and cook some elbow macaroni.
When the brocolli and carrots have started getting soft, throw in the sausage, macaronii, and a can of corn. Add to this some more garlic, oregeno, parsely, basil and a bay leaf. Simmer for about 15 minutes or so, just to get everything heated up and the spices blended. Take out the bay leaf before serving.
This is kind of a pain, and definately something to make on a Sunday afternoon and eat through the week (you can probably freeze it, too, although frozen beans get a little tough). But it is oh-so-worth-it.
Cook some black beans (preferably in a pressure cooker) with about a half an chopped onion and a few cloves of garlic. Throw in a can of chopped tomatoes while your at it. Also add about three bay leaves to the pot (don’t forget to fish them out when the soup is done!)
When the beans are getting done, saute (in olive oil) the other half of the onion, a few more cloves of garlic and maybe a carrot, a bell pepper, a squash and a chopped hot pepper. Puree some of the beans in a blender (makes it more soupy than stewy) and throw them back in with the rest of the beans. Add the vegetables to the beans as well.
Throw in a chug of good quality orange juice, a hit of olive oil, and a shot or two of sherry. This may sound wierd, but it will give the soup a deep complex flavor. You can add a dash of tobasco sauce here if you like. Season with salt, pepper, coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. Cook for an hour or two longer than you think it needs cooking- the veggies should retain their shape, but it show have that long-simmered quality.
There is this one that I make every Christmas, double or triple the portion, and serve to guests at my traditional open house:
http://www.butterball.com/en/main_canvas.jsp?includePage=recipe.jsp?recipeId=100615&cat=2;12
And for a quick, really easy, but great soup called Ming Dynasy -
Take one can of Progresso Split Pea soup (the kind you do not dilute with water).
One can of Progresso Tomato soup (also the kind you don’t dilute).
Pour both cans into saucepan…heat to hot, then add curry powder (couple teaspoons or more) until the soup is slightly golden in color.
Takes all of about 5 minutes to make, tastes really great, and guests will think you spent hours making it.
My husband makes great soups. Most of these are a meal in themselves. His borscht is one of my favorites.
Sharing with you my family’s personal version of the Italia classic, pasta e fagioli (known 'round these parts as pasta fazool):
In a big pot, boil a pound of chilimac (ditalini) noodles according to package directions, but only drain off enough water to leave 1/2 inch ABOVE the pasta in the pot. Throw in a can of Great Northern beans (not drained), a large can of tomato paste, a small can of petite diced tomatoes, a large handful of chopped parsley, and 3-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped. Heat through, stirring constantly until tomato paste is evenly distributed throughout. This comes out pretty thick for soup, so feel free to make it “liquidier” by adding water, or, if meat’s not an issue, beef broth.
Serve with loads of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top, and with Italian bread for mopping up the extra broth/sauce. Leave off the cheese (and make it without beef broth) and it’s completely vegan; add a side salad and it’s a complete dinner.
When reheating, add water or broth to the pot, as the pasta tends to soak up the liquid.
Pod’s Pressure Cooker Lentil Soup
1 Tbsp olive oil.
1 small or 1/2 of a large onion
2 cloves garlic, minced.
4 c Pacific Foods Mushroom Broth (or other good quality broth.)
1 1/2 c uncooked brown lentils, picked over and rinsed.
1 tsp ground cumin.
1 bay leaf.
1 12 oz bag of washed fresh spinach (optional).
In the pressure cooker, sweat the onion and garlic in oil until the onions are translucent. Add the remaining ingredients except the spinach. Bring up to pressure and cook 10 minutes. Relase presure using the quick release method (consult your cooker’s users manual.) Return to low heat and stir in spinach until it’s wilted.
It’s insane how simple and fast this is, and it’s so good it makes my eyes roll back in my head.
My recipie is nearly identical, except I use some beef broth, and some chunks of fresh orange instead of the juice.
This is exactly what you want to be cooking on a cold winter day.
This is a recipe from Real Simple magazine:
Liar’s Soup
1/2 clove garlic (I use more!)
1 24-ounce jar Rao’s marinara sauce (must be Rao’s)
1 16-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth (Pacific Organic)
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons mild olive oil
Dump the first 4 ingredients into a food processor or blender. Smush until the white beans are completely blended into the liquid. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse. Refrigerate if you plan on serving it cold. Heat it if you plan on serving it hot. (Do not boil.) When ready to serve, sprinkle with the olive oil and stir lightly. Garnish with dill and red pepper flakes if desired. Makes 4 servings.
As the recipe says, you MUST use Rao’s. I’ve tried many other marinara sauces and none are anywhere near Rao’s. (Others are fine for pasta but not for this particular soup recipe.) Rao’s is unfortunately rather expensive ($7.00+ per jar) but if you get it on sale, or realize that the soup will make several servings, it works out. I use chicken broth usually instead of vegetable (I don’t think brand matters here) and about 3-4 cloves of garlic. I also leave the beans slightly chunky; I don’t puree completely like the recipe says. This soup takes less than 5 minutes’ prep and is FANTASTIC. Especially if you like garlic. I also use just a blender, not a food processor, and it comes out fine. Try it with some crusty bread. Heaven.
Qadgop’s bean soup.
Take 16 oz. of mixed beans. Soak overnight, or boil 2 minutes in enough water to cover 2 inches deep, then set covered for 2 hours. Pour off water.
Mix beans with 12 cups of your choice of broth: chicken, vegetable, etc. (low salt varieties are best). Throw a can or two of beef consomme in if you’re inclined. Dump an onion or two in (chopped), and about 6-8 cloves of garlic, crushed. Take a 1 lb. smoked sausage: Kielbasa is good, so is turkey kielbasa, or other smoked varieties. Remove skin, chop up meat, add. Feed skins to dog. Take 2-4 chicken breasts, chop up, add. Add about 1-2 tbsp of vegemite, 1 tbsp liquid smoke flavor, some red pepper seeds to taste, 1-2 tsp black pepper, some cayenne (maybe a tsp or two), a tsp or so of MSG if you’re so inclined (and I am), then if you’re really bold, dump a can of white or yellow hominy into it. Add a bay leaf (one of the fresh ones, not those dried out odorless things most stores sell), a couple shakes of paprika, and what the hell, some Old Bay spice if you’ve got it. Simmer for about 5 or 6 hours, stirring when you feel like it.
Serve over rice, noodles, pasta, or by itself. Add hot sauce to taste in each individual serving.
I don’t know the recipe exactly, but my mom’s boyfriend makes some AWESOME soup. All I know is that it has a spicy, peppery beef broth, green beans, whole onions, zucchini, and fist-sized chunks of beef 
This is one of those “Put it on a slow cooker all day” type deals. If done right, the beef chunks practically dissolve on your tongue. It is very nice for cold winter nights, the soup is very flavorful and FILLING. I could eat a gallon of the stuff.
My Mom made this family favorite out of stuff she just wanted to get out of the fridge, or just get rid of. Our family makes more good food on accident than some can trying.
She had a large can of V-8 juice left over from the holidays, half a head of cabbage, and a few Italian Sausage Links. She seasoned to taste (salt & pepper mostly), and it makes a nice, put-some-heat-in-your-belly soup. Great with a side of good French bread.
Basically, cut up the sausage and cabbage. Start the V-8 and sausage to heating over a low-to-medium heat. After about an hour, toss in the cabbage. Cover and let slow cook for about 2-3 hours.
Variants include using the Spicy V-8, using stew meat, or adding potatoes. The sausage gives it a bit of a bite, something it loses when using just stew meat. The potatoes gives it a bit more of a “stick-to-the-ribs” quality, without overdoing it.
A near-perfect “cold, wintery” soup.
Oh, I forgot to add: it’s greatest virtue is its absolute simplicity.
An excellent vegetable cream soup, and tastes great reheated, too…
Chop four slices of bacon into 1/2" strips, saute and strain fat off. Set aside.
In a large soup pot, mix two large cans chopped tomatoes, 3-4 cloves of garlic (more if you like), 1 diced yellow pepper, 1 diced green pepper, 1 diced red pepper, 1 minced (I like red) small onion; 2 lb. cubed (about 1/2-1" - cooks a bit faster) potatoes (I like yukon gold) and red pepper flakes, to taste. Add about 2 C chicken broth (I usually use up one of those cardboard cartons). Simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Add more chicken broth, if needed, and two (drained) cans of corn. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked to your liking. Take out some of the liquid and pour in a few tablespoons of cream to heat it up; then mix back into soup. Add the cooked bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste, and voila, yummy soup. 
This is a favorite at my parents’ house – it really does tast just like the soup you get at The Olive Garden.
I just made this over the weekend and my guests were begging for the recipe:
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken – cook and shred
1 15 oz can whole tomatoes
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 small onion – chopped fine
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
1 cup water (or more if you want it more “brothy”)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 10 oz pkg frozen corn
1 tablespoon dried chopped cilantro
In Crock-Pot, combine the shredded chicken, whole tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, and garlic. Add the water, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in the corn and cilantro. Cover and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours or on High 3 to 4 hours. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, guacamole, sliced jalapenos, etc.
This will take the afternoon, but it’s worth it.
Step One: Dumplings.
3/4 pound of ground pork, combined with 1 tbl of powdered ginger, 1 tbl of cayenne pepper or chili paste, 1 tbl molasses or brown sugar, 1 tbl ketchup, 2 tbl minced garlic, 1/2 cup finely chopped green onion, 1 egg. After mixing, form into about 25 - 30 balls (say, about 3/4 inch in diameter) around canned whole or diced water chestnuts and cook by steaming for 4 minutes.
Step Two: Dumplings.
Method One: The easy way. Buy prepared won-ton or egg roll wrappers.
Method two: The hard way. 3 cups bread flour, 2 eggs, 3 tbl oil, 1 cup hot (but not boiled) milk, enough cold (as in, iced and strained) water to make a workable dough, enough flour added while rolling on a flat surface to create a sheet of pasta no more than 1/32nd inch thick.
Step three: Fold dough around pork/chestnut balls. Fold over once, then take loose ends and marry them on one side. Dumplings should look like a fat envelope. Put in refrigerator until I TELL YOU TO TAKE THEM OUT, DAMN IT!!! (Sorry).
Step Three: Soup preparation.
Finely mince two small or one large onion (or enough to make 2 cups), and a bunch of green onion (reserve) and three celery stalks. Shred from their stems two to three bunches (about 1/4 to 3/4 pound) of kale (or any other fresh green leaf, but kale is best). Julienne 4-5 large carrot sticks (enough for three cups or a little more). Chop 2-3 cups of chicken, depending on how much you love chicken.
Step Four: Making the Soup.
Heat 4 tbl of olive or peanut oil over high heat in a very large pot. When oil is hot, add 2 tbl ground or powdered ginger, 2 tbl minced or powdered garlic, 2 tbl black pepper, 1 tbl cayenne pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon for 1/2 minute and add vegetables (including kale) and chicken. After 2-3 minutes at high heat, stirring constantly, add the carrots, celery, onion and kale. Stir for a minute, add ! tbl salt and 3 tbl soy sauce. Stir for 2 minutes and add 2 qt. unsalted (preferably home-made) chicken or vegetable stock. After 10 minutes, add up to 1 qt. water. Stir and after 10 minutes add salt (or soy sauce) as needed, pepper (trust me , more is better) and water until it is almost salty (and a little too peppery) enough. As the soup is boiling, add 3/4 cup of frozen peas. Let the soup boil for five minutes, then add the dumplings, cover the pot, turn the heat down to low, and wait five minutes. Then add 1-2 pounds of frozen (if you’re smart, they’re thawed already) cocktail shrimp, cover, wait ten minutes, and serve.
I missed a very important ingredient: one gallon of water, added slowly after the chicken stock. Sorry.
You can’t get more thick than Dutch Pea Soup, aka “snert”. Looks like green mud with bits of stuff floating in it and you could imagine it being Oscar from Sesame Street’s favourite food. It’s delicious, though. Especially after ice skating.
I don’t have a recipe. I start off with two large chickens and make them holy with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Once they’re done I let them cool, debone and dice them, and add them back to the broth. When I pick the chickens up at the store I make a swing through the produce section and grab anything that looks interesting - leeks, onions, carrots, potatoes, turnip - as well as a bag of lentils, wild rice, and frozen corn. I throw everything in the pot (this time I got smart - I just borrowed gramma’s great big blue canning pot. Why mess with the little ones when I’m just going to end up transferring them to something larger, anyhow?) with enough water just to cover and cook it til it’s done, adding more salt/spice/broth at the very end.
That’s it. It’s easy, but it’s an all-day thing. The end result will feed you for months.