~Potato Soup~

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, sliced into small bite sized pieces

1/2 regular package uncooked bacon, finely diced

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 bunch celery, diced

8 cups milk

4 cups water

4 chicken bouillon cubes (use a cup of the hot potato water to dissolve, then use the cup of hot water in place of one of the above cups of water)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup salted butter

3/4 cup flour

1/4 bunch freshly chopped parsley

1 cup whipping cream

***For garnish:***

Shredded cheese

fried bacon bits

chopped green onions

Directions:

In large pot, boil potatoes in water 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In sauté pan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon fat and place on paper towel over plate to drain more. Add onion and celery to bacon pan over medium-high heat until celery is tender, about 5 minutes. To the large potato pan, add milk, water, bullion, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture is very hot, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Do not let mixture boil. In small, heavy saucepan melt butter. Add flour and mix well. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture bubbles, stirring 2 to 3 minutes to make a roux. While constantly stirring soup, add roux slowly until soup is thick and creamy, about 4 minutes. Stir in parsley, reserved potatoes, and cream. Garnish with cheese, bacon bits, onions or all three. Serve hot!

Lasagna Soup

I found a recipe on Pinterest the other day and it looked good but included some things I knew my family wouldn't care for like onions and green peppers, and excluded things that I thought would be really tasty like minced garlic and ricotta cheese. :) So here is my twist on this tasty recipe! 

Lasagna Soup

1 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 large cans of tomato sauce (mine were 29 oz. each)

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup Ricotta cheese

1 tsp.Italian seasoning

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

1/2 lb. lasagna noodles, broken into pieces 

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

For garnish: 

Mozarella cheese

garlic or Italian croutons

Preheat a large pot or dutch oven to med-high and brown your ground beef, salt, pepper, and minced garlic together. Drain excess grease and return to pot. 

Add your diced tomatoes, both cans of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, chicken broth, and your lasagna noodles to the pot and mix it all together. 

Cover and simmer on med-low for approximately 1 hour. 

Add your Ricotta cheese and mix together well. 

Cover and resume simmering for another 1/2 hour or until your noodles are as tender as you prefer them. 

Add your cheddar cheese and mix together until melted throughout and remove from heat. 

Ladle soup out into bowls and top with mozzarella cheese and croutons to your liking. 

That's it! Easy as that! :)