Cheesy Meatball Soup

My kids love those frozen meatballs you get in a huge bag from Costco so I am always looking for new recipes to make with them (you can only do Grape Jelly and Chili sauce so many times.)

I decided to try making a soup with them one day and this is what I came up with.  Surprisingly, it was really good!

INGREDIENTS
**Disclosure:  I threw this together, measurements are estimates...use your best judgment**
4-5 red potatoes cut up into bite sized pieces (I didn't bother peeling them but you obviously could)
3 tbls butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup green pepper, diced
1 can sliced carrots, drained
1 cup chopped broccoli
6 cups broth or water with bouillon (I did beef, but chicken would be fine)
20 or so meatballs (however many you'd like)
2 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 jar of processed cheese or 1/2 of the large package of Velveeta cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil potatoes for about 10 minutes until softened a little bit. Drain and set aside

2. In large pot, sautee onion and peppers (you can add celery, too) in the butter until onions are transleucent

3. Add potatoes, carrots, beans, broccoli (and any other veggies you'd like, i.e. corn, beans, etc.) , broth,, meatballs and bring to boil.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

4. Add Tabasco sauce and cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted.

ENJOY!

Spicy Chicken Soup

Kind of like taco soup, but a little creamier, and with chicken.  Serve with cheese and chips.  Ingredients list looks long, but it isn't as complicated as it looks.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 quarts water
2 cans chicken, or 3 cups shredded chicken
5 cubes chicken bouillon
1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans, undrained
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
 
DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Add chicken, water, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, onion powder and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes
 
2. Stir in salsa, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato soup, chili powder, corn, chili beans, and sour cream. Simmer 30 minutes.

FOR THE CROCKPOT:  Throw it all in and cook on high 4-5 hours

Bacon Potato Chowder

Homemade soup without wasting time on roux....so wonderful!  And you can jazz it up however you like, but it's great just the way it is, too.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (about 4-5 medium sized potatoes)
* 1 cup water (use chicken broth, if you have it, or through in a bouillon cube)
* 8 bacon strips
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
* 1 3/4 cups milk
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* Dash pepper
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (or not...I don't bother)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a covered 3-qt. saucepan, cook potatoes in water until tender.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. In the same skillet, saute onion and celery in drippings until tender; drain.

3. Add to undrained potatoes. Stir in soup, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until heated through (do not boil).

4. Crumble bacon; set aside 1/4 cup. Add remaining bacon to soup along with parsley. Sprinkle with reserved bacon.

OPTIONS: I added green peppers and corn to the onion/celery saute, but you could also add carrots, or even broccoli. Also, add a handful of cheese and mix it in at the end. YUMMMMMMMMY!

Serve with some cheese rolls from Walmart to make it true White Trash....that's what I do! :) And a Walmart Bakery Red Velvet Cake for dessert. Seriously.

At least I bought that dressed up in dress pants, dangly earrings, stiletto heels, and a super cute Kathy zebra purse. I may be White Trash, but I do have SOME class.

LOVE it...

Taco Soup

This was one of our favorites as kids. The Ultimate White Trash Soup made with with ground beef and canned food! Doesn't get much better than that!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 can tomato sauce
1 can stewed or diced tomatoes, not drained
1 can whole kernel corn, not drained
1 can kidney beans, drained (bean juice just isn't very good)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can olives
1 small can chilies

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large soup pot, brown beef with onion. Drain fat.

2. Add remaining ingredients and cook until hot.

Top with cheese and serve with tortilla chips!

Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup

I served this with my Chicken Flautas and it was a yummy meal! Obviously, I can't take credit, this is Chili's recipe, but it is really good, and pretty easy.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded or diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup masa harina
3 cups water, divided
1 cup enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook chicken breasts in oil until well browned on all sides.

2. Remove and set aside.

3. Cook onion and garlic in remaining oil until onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth.

4. In a bowl, whisk together masa harina and 2 cups water until well blended. Pour into pot with remaining 1 cup water, enchilada sauce, Cheddar, salt, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil.

5. Shred cooked chicken and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until thickened.