Warm Your Soul With These Family and Kid Approved Soup Recipes

Are you looking for something to warm your soul this bitter old man winter?

I am hands down the Soup Queen during the winter months! I have compiled a list of healthy, versatile, practical and amazing soup recipes that my family love! All kid approved minus the amazing beer chili! These recipes are all also husband approved (who used to say that he wasn’t a “soup guy”) whatever that means! 

Our kitchen faces the woods and north side of the house and rarely gets any sunlight, always the coldest room in the house, so …  I love to get my kitchen toasty warm trying new recipes, warming my families hearts and little toes while making memories! These recipes are great for cooking quickly, simmering all day, cooking the day before, freezing or meal prepping for the week!

The best part, they not only warm your home they make your entire home smell amazing! Some are old favorites and some new. I have included alternative ingredients that I have used also, always tasting great and saving you a cold store run!

I’ll include a favorite saying that goes with these recipes also, “real cooks don’t measure”  Sure, you may measure the first time making these but I promise you won’t the second, third… they are that easy!  I always encourage customizing to your liking! Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Soup

This soup instantly became an award winner in our home!  This one I always have to double the batch and take a container to my father in law and freeze a container to take to my grandmother when we visit!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef 
• 2 tbsp. chopped garlic or garlic powder
• 1 cup finely cup chopped onion (more or less or none up to you)
• 2 cups cut carrots – I make them large round cuts, my son loves to pick the carrots out and eat them 1st (mom win)
• 2 medium stalks diced celery
• 2 bay leaves ( remember to take them out when done! Sorry Grandma)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 box chicken broth
• 1 container heavy cream or 3 cups of milk w/tbsp flour (I like to use equivalent amounts of broth with milk or cream). If using milk, add a little flour to thicken.
• 5 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Brown the ground beef. Drain and set aside.
• In the same saucepan add 1 tbsp. butter and add onion, carrots, parsley flakes, basil and celery. Saute until tender.
• In large stock pot or crock pot add broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or crock pot 1-2 hours until potatoes are tender.
• Wait until the end to add all dairy! Stir in the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and serve! So easy! So Good! I always serve with fresh warm bread!

Amazing Enchilada Soup – (made for the first time last week, my new favorite!)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced white onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup flour
• 1 box
• 1 can of corn
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 can red enchilada sauce
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 large 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 3 tbsp. cumin – great to have on hand for tacos too!
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• optional toppings: chopped jalapeno, tortilla chips/strips, diced/sliced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and/or Pico de Gallo
  You could also include a cup of rice (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until cooked and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
• Whisk in the flour and cook for an additional minute.
• Pour in half of the chicken stock, and stir until completely combined and no lumps remain.
• Add in the rest of the chicken stock, and stir quickly to combine.
• Add in the chicken (I cook 4 chicken breasts seasoned in oven cool and shred before) enchilada sauce, black beans, tomatoes, salt and cumin, and stir until combined.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the soup does not burn to the bottom of the pan.
• Slowly stir in the cheese until combined. Season with salt, to taste.
• Serve your soup warm with toppings of choice – we used avocado, sour cream and a few crushed tortilla chips

Magg’s Beer Chili (yes beer!! )

I’ve made a ton of chili recipes in my day! A lot! And I thought I had the most amazing recipe until I had my beautiful cousin Magg’s chili! This has now been my go to chili for 2 years!

This chili has BEER. Cooking with beer makes all things better. In fact, beer makes your meat even more tender and your flavors all blend together. I’ve used whatever we’ve had on hand! That’s what I love about chili, it is extremely versatile. And beer is good, beer chili is even better!

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 3 bell peppers I love to get colorful with this one green, yellow and red!
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium white onion, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small can chipotles in adobo sauce! (Very important ingredient.) I have never heard of them before this recipe and now I can’t live without them always have a few cans in pantry! I seed and chop 2 chipotle peppers finely and use half the can of adobo sauce! They are spicy but less spicy if you remove seeds, and I find that chili is not as spicy the next day!
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 can beer (whatever you have on hand, I usually use Busch light)
• 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans
• Serve your soup warm with toppings of choice – we used avocado, sour cream and a few crushed tortilla chips

INSTRUCTIONS

• In large skillet over medium high heat, brown ground beef with chopped onion and bell pepper until meat is slightly browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic, stir, and cook for a couple more minutes. Add mixture to large slow cooker or stock pot and simmer until done!
• Add the rest of the tomato ingredients, adobo sauce and peppers, add beans last
• Add beer bring to simmer and enjoy
• Garnish with freshly grated sharp cheddar, sour cream, and sliced green onions, tortilla chips!

Papa’s Cabbage Tomato Soup

My father’s go-to recipe that he has been making me since I was a child. This is now my go-to soup for the soul and it is literally one that you can have in seconds! This recipe is so versatile and I am including a “quick” version, but this can be made with homemade tomato soup, fresh tomatoes, and I’ve seen people add potatoes, carrots, honey, etc…

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cabbage (I suggest to cook until soft in the tomato soup)
• 2 pounds stew meat, cook in skillet w/EVOO, garlic and minced onion. I cut store stew meat into smaller pieces or buy steak and cut cubed and cook. Meat will tenderize more when added to your soup and simmer.
• 3 tbsp caraway seed
• 1 large can Campbell’s tomato soup follow as instructed, I use milk.

INSTRUCTIONS

• In Large stock pot add Large can of Campbell’s tomato soup with equal amount of milk, bring to simmer, do not boil you will burn the soup at the bottom if the ban.
• Add caraway seed – very important ingredient
• Chop cabbage and add to simmering tomato soup until tender usually about 30 minutes

Cook meat beforehand, drain and add to soup mixture, simmer 1 hour or all day! I always double all ingredients to make a giant batch! Serve with crusty warm bread!

15 Bean and Ham

Last but not least! This is my kiddies favorite soup and family approved! I make a large ham every Christmas and always freeze half for this soup!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups cooked ham
• 1 bag of “15 beans”
• 2 box chicken broth – I cook the beans in the broth the beans really suck up the broth. I suggest two boxes (any kind).
• 2 chicken boullion cubes
• 1 large onion
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 3 tbsp garlic
• 3 tbsp basil
• Bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Bring 2 boxes of broth to a boil, turn to simmering and add bag of beans. Follow cooking instructions for beans on the back of bag.
• In skillet cook garlic, onion and celery with EVOO until tender, about 5 minutes. When beans are cooked add garlic, celery, onion mixture and ham.
• Add spices
• Throw in 2 boullion cubes for extra flavor
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Simmer all together for an hour. The juice from the ham and all the flavors combine into the beans for amazing flavor! Again serve with your favorite bread!

I hope that your family enjoys these recipes as much as mine do! Please feel free to let me know how you and your family enjoyed them! And most of all, I hope they warm your heart and soul this winter!

From My Kitchen to Yours! – Alexis