I love the idea of Cream of Broccoli Soup, however, the reality is often not so great. For some reason, soggy broccoli floating in a sea of melted processed cheese is not my idea of a comforting soup.

So here is my version of a great broccoli soup; it’s based on an Emeril Lagasse recipe and if you like broccoli I am guessing you’ll love this soup too. It’s heavy on the broccoli and light on the cheese (at least relatively speaking). I used a mild cheddar cheese because that is what I had in the fridge, but I think a sharp cheddar would be delicious too!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped leeks (or chopped onions)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (I used white pepper)
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 cups chicken broth
• about 5 cups broccoli, roughly chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk (heavy cream or half & half would work too)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cornstarch and stir until the cornstarch dissolves and mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the broccoli and celery and reduce heat to low; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add milk. Puree with an immersion blender (or if you have a blender or food processor that can handle hot soup, you could use that). Add the cheese and stir until melted. Serve immediately; garnish with additional shredded cheese if desired.

soups gluten-free broccoli cheese soup, gluten-free cream of broccoli

I haven’t posted in a while. It’s been busy at my house. If you have high school age kids, you probably know it’s AP testing time across the country, actually around the globe. Essentially, it’s the most stressful time of year if you are a high school student; a year’s worth of advance placement coursework is tested for your shot at obtaining college credit for your “advanced” coursework completed in high school.

Well, if you home school, this means you get to help your kid study incessantly, coordinate with some local school to let you test (not as easy at it sounds), and drive them across town and wait hours for the test to be over…and if you are really lucky you have a very active four year old in tow. So just trying to get food on the table is a major feat, let alone blogging about it : )

We love soup at my house. And today’s recipe is another family-friendly and heart-healthy recipe that we prepared for our Kids Cook Monday. We managed to make a nice Rice & Turkey Meatball Soup the evening of Hailey’s AP Psychology exam.

It’s got lean turkey meatballs, lots of veggies, and leftover rice, making it a great weeknight dinner. Fast, flavorful, and good for you, too. What more could you ask for?

Well, it’s gluten-free and dairy-free too!

I can’t promise your kids will love it, but mine sure did. My youngest daughter (typically a soup hater) loved the idea of meatballs in her soup, took one bit and exclaimed “Yum, yum, yummy. This soup is really delicious.”

Rice & Turkey Meatball Soup

Although I used dried Italian seasoning, some fresh chopped herbs would be great.

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups cooked rice (we used leftover white, but wild or brown would be great too)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 or 375 convection. Grease a rimmed baking sheet and roll ground turkey into tablespoon sized balls. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly and no pink remains in the center.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until tender; about 5 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and bay leaves and cook for about 1 minutes, or until fragrant.
3. Add meatballs, broth, tomatoes, rice and peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until heated thoroughly, about five minutes. Remove bay leaves and season with salt and pepper if desired before serving. Ladle into bowl and serve.

Kids Cook Monday, soups turkey meatball soup

I think soups are a convenient one-pot meal and make weeknight cooking a breeze. They are also a great way to use up leftovers and get your family to eat their veggies without any complaining.

Growing up, we didn’t eat a lot of soup; unless of course we were sick and then it came from a can. The one soup I remember having on occasion was Taco Soup, and it was always with ground beef.

Although there are many versions of taco or tortilla soup, we prefer the ones with chicken. The recipe I am posting today is based on a soup from Robin Miller’s book, Robin Rescues Dinner, and is one of my family’s favorite soups.

We make our soups fairly mild, with the kids in mind; however, one of the benefits of cooking from scratch is the complete control of ingredients. You can spice this up by adding diced peppers, red pepper flakes, or some hot sauce.

I like to add a dollop of sour cream and a handful of shredded cheese before serving, but this soup really has plenty of flavor without it. So if you are dairy-free, don’t fret, it’ll be good without the garnishes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

The tortilla chips have to be crumbled, so this is a perfect way to use up those crumbs at the bottom of a bag.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• about 4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 1 (4 ounce) can minced green chiles
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 tablespoons lime juice, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste
• tortilla chips, crushed
• sour cream and grated cheese, optional for garnish

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add scallions, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until soft; about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken and oregano and cook for about a minute, or until oregano is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, broth, corn, chiles, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Remove bay leaves and discard. Add lime juice and cilantro and stir to blend (or you can add the lime juice and cilantro to the individual bowls, if you have kids who are cilantro/lime haters) Season with salt and pepper if desired. Ladle into soup bowls and top with tortilla chips. Add a dollop of sour cream and some grated cheese if desired.

soups gluten free tortilla soup

We are really enjoying The Kids Cook campaign. Although my kids are not strangers to the kitchen, having them prepare most of a meal on their own is a relatively new concept at my house. Lucky for me it’s been a huge hit!

This week I thought we’d combine Meatless Monday & Kids Cook all together for one great meatless meal that is so simple, even the kids can make it.

Today’s recipe is a simple, but delicious, tomato soup. And unlike so many tomato soups, this one doesn’t require heavy cream, making it dairy-free as well as healthier. I used diced tomatoes and opted to puree, but you could leave it chunky (or use crushed tomatoes). I think adding more veggies or maybe even some pasta would be fun.

We ate our soup for dinner with some grilled cheese sandwiches, but this soup would also be great with a green salad. It’s easy, healthy, and a great choice for quick meal.

On a side note, after several blender/food processor leaks and explosions, I finally made the small investment and purchased an immersion blender. I don’t have one of those fancy schmancy ones; I think it cost me under $30. It really is convenient to puree soups right in the pot and cleanup is so much simpler.

Although, not entirely necessary, if you make a lot of soups I would suggest an handheld immersion blender. I blended it myself, so no pics of this step.

A lovely, pureed soup, minus burns and stains on the ceiling, to quote Martha, “It’s a good thing.”

Hailey stirring the veggies.

Our soup actually required 3 carrots, one was stolen!

Adding cans of tomatoes.

All done simmering, don't forget to remove the bay leaf.

All purreed & ready to eat.

Tomato Soup

Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf. And if you are going to puree this, make sure an adult helps.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium, peeled onion)
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can white beans (we use cannellini)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced or crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• salt and pepper to taste
• sour cream or Greek yogurt for garnish, optional

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Be sure to stir often, so you don’t burn the garlic.
2. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, parsley, and red pepper flakes if using. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. The soup can be served now, or pureed using an immersion blender. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream if desired.

Cooking With Kids, Kids Cook Monday, Main Dishes, Meatless Monday, soups

The humble potato, so unpretentious and yet so versatile. And typically inexpensive too!

Well, today I am posting a cooking tip that I think gives us even one more reason to love potatoes. Did you know potatoes can be used to thicken soups?

If you need to thicken a soup, you can simply add a peeled and finely diced russet potato into the pot. It’ll need to simmer long enough for the potato to break down, around 15-20 minutes. Puree the soup and you’ll have a thick, smooth soup without the extra calories and fat of cream, or the need to replace “flour” with some gluten-free thickener.

Although this isn’t a smooth, pureed soup, Baked Potato Soup gets it’s great, thick texture from the potatoes falling apart and releasing their starches.

Next time you need to thicken a soup, don’t forget about our humble friend the potato; it’s a smart choice, both calorie and flavor wise.

Kitchen Tips, soups gluten-free soup thickener, potato to thicken soups