Spaghetti Bean Soup

While most of the country is enjoying April showers and May flowers, the upper Midwest has been hit by snow almost every day over the past few weeks.  So, while it may officially be spring, it still feels very much like winter here.  I normally really enjoy the snow, no matter what time of the year it falls, but even I’m starting to get spring fever.  *sigh* I realize that complaining won’t make the whiteness go away any faster, so I made this a perfect excuse for me whip up a big pot of soup and get nice and snuggly in my little apartment.

Note: This is unusual meal for me because of the fact that there’s meat in it.  It wasn’t in my original plan, but as I was gathering ingredients to put in the soup, it occurred to me that some ground turkey would be a wonderful addition.  I feel that the meat adds an important flavor to the soup.  If you don’t want to add meat, you could try some Veggie Crumbles (from Morningstar Farms, or some other brand), but I doubt it would have the same great flavor that a meaty version would have.

Spaghetti Bean Soup

1 pound of ground beef or turkey

2 large onions

2 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes

1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce

2 cans of great northern bean

3-4 cups of water

Uncooked spaghetti noodles

Salt and seasonings

1. Dice the onions and put them in a large pot with the raw meat.  

2. Cook on medium heat until the meat is well done and the onions are translucent.  

3. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans.  Then, add about three to four cups of water.

4. To make this a bona fide soup rather than a watery chili, I took about four small handfuls of spaghetti noodles, broke them into one inch long pieces and added them to the soup.  I brought the soup up to a rolling boil and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes.  The little noodles remind me of the ones in a Lipton soup packet. So fun!

5. Finally, season with some oregano or whatever other herb or spices you prefer.  

I don’t mean to brag but, this is one of the best soups I have ever had in my life.  And I’ve eaten a lot of different soups in my years.  I feel that the hardest part about making this soup was coming up with a name for it.  Hamburger Noodle Soup?  Tomato Bean Soup?  But don’t worry, in the end, I feel like I came with a winner.  Now that I’ve done all the strenuous mental labor, you guys get to do the fun part: making soup!  You’re welcome!

Carrot and Lentil Soup

I have always looked forward to grocery shopping, even when I was a kid.  It’s like a treasure hunt; combing the aisles, you never know what you might find!  Now that I’m older, I enjoy it even more because I decide what gets to come home with me and what stays at the store (yes, I’m talking about you, Malt-o-Meal).  The other day while I was in the produce section, something caught my eye: a bag of steamed lentils.  Honestly, at that moment, lentils kind of intimidated me, they didn’t sound overly yummy and I’d imagined they would be tricky to deal with.  I decided to buy the lentils anyway, just to be adventurous and to try something new.  

Over the next few days, I looked around online to find ideas on what to do with these lentils, but nothing really tickled my fancy.  I found many recipes for Spicy Lentils and Curry Lentils, but I wanted to save experimenting with curry for another time.  Then, I remembered that my dad used to put lentils in soup.  Bingo, that’s what I would do!  So I gathered up what I had in my kitchen and made one the most easy and tasty soups ever.

Note: Since my lentils were steamed, I didn’t need to cook them before putting them in the soup.  If you buy dried lentils, you will need to cook them first, but it’s pretty easy.  Here’s a quick article on how to cook lentils.  Dried lentils are more pocketbook friendly than their pre-steamed friends.  Also, if you are watching your sodium intake, you’re controlling how salty the water you cook the lentils in is.

Another thing that should be noted, is that there are many types of lentils.  Some stand up well to cooking, while others become soft and mushy while being cooked.  Since this is a soup, it doesn’t matter if the lentils stay firm or become soft, unless you have a preference.  Because it doesn’t matter, this is a great time to experiment!

Carrot and Lentil Soup

5-6 medium carrots

1 large onion

2-3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

14.5 ounce can of veggie broth

14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes

Roughly 4 cup of cooked lentils

1 cup of milk, or to your liking

1 cup of water, or to your liking

Salt and seasonings to your liking (I used Rosemary and a gourmet seasoning packet)

Shredded cheese (optional)

1.  Peel and chop your onion and carrots.  Add them into a large pot with the olive oil and sauté until the carrots are soft and the onions are translucent.

2. Turn the stove’s heat to medium and add the diced tomatoes, veggie broth and lentils.  Then, add milk, water, and seasoning to taste.  

3. Bring the pot up to a rolling boil, then let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.  

4. Serve.  Garnish with shredded cheese on top if desired.

(Not to point out the obvious, but by using a non-dairy milk and cheese will keep this soup vegan friendly.)

Up close and personal...yummy!

There you have it and it’s so simple!  This soup isn’t the most photogenic dish I’ve ever made, but it makes up for it with how good it tastes. And when I had leftovers the next day, the soup was even tastier, so make yourself a double batch and save some for later.  Enjoy!