By Michelle Rick
Soup is the perfect antidote to chilly, rainy days, and we’re currently experiencing plenty of them here in San Bruno. While nothing beats a pot of hot, just-cooked soup, everyone’s tastes are different so today I’m sharing three great recipes that are on my “repeat” list.
To prepare, you’ll want to bust out your trusty dutch oven or stockpot and get your favorite chef’s knife out. When there are veggies, there’s chopping to do!
Growing up, I never ate homemade soups, so when I started, it was kind of a whole new world to me. Involving your kids where safe is a great way to show them how it’s done! They can help you line up the ingredients and taste test.
If you want a healthy serving of protein: Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup
If you want to customize a classic: Minestrone Soup
If you want something simple: Vegetable Farro Soup
The first, Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup by blogger Downshiftology, is a fun twist on a classic “healthy” dish. Lots of Italian seasoning and fire-roasted diced tomatoes give this soup a rich flavor profile.
With a pound of lean protein (your choice – you can use low-fat ground beef or my preference, turkey), it’ll make sure everyone stays full until the next meal.
The next one is an Italian classic, Minestrone Soup. The recipe I typically reference when making this one is by Cookie and Kate. I recently found out from watching the Blue Zones documentary on Netflix (definitely recommend) that Minestrone Soup is simply the Italian version of vegetable soup. This one also packs a good amount of protein with the inclusion of beans.
The last one is surprisingly simple, but it doesn’t compromise on flavor at all. I became interested in this one because I like farro but was short on ideas of how to actually incorporate more of it into my diet. Jessica Gavin’s Vegetable Farro Soup does just that. I love farro for its chewy texture and slightly nutty taste. Like the minestrone, this farro soup incorporates beans for extra protein in place of meat.
Another great thing about these soups is how customizable they are. If you don’t have fennel, for example, you can skip it, or you can use whatever kind of beans/meat/veggies you personally prefer. You can also make the soup as spicy or mild as you’d like. And for the minestrone, you can use your kids’ favorite pasta shapes!
My absolute favorite way to store soups is by using one-cup cubes by Souper Cubes because:
- It makes the best use of your freezer space
- They’re easy to store for freezing, easy to pop out, and easy to clean
- It keeps you from getting tired of eating the same thing over and over (variety is the spice of life!). If you have a few different types of soup in the freezer, everyone can have something different at the same meal
- It makes portion control a breeze
Souper Cubes are great for freezing individual portions of so many kid-friendly foods, like chili and mac and cheese. You can also reduce food waste by freezing leftover portions of ingredients like tomato paste, broth/stock, and milk.
By making multiple soups at the same time, you get to actually use all that mirepoix that you’ve purchased and chopped up. If you really want to spoil yourself and your family, grab a loaf of country bread from the new Backhaus location in Burlingame and enjoy a slice with your soup.