Delicious White Chicken Chilli

Every spring has a cold day here or there. So this spring, put this white chicken chili on the list! Warm spices, tender chicken, white beans of your choice, corn, topped with cilantro (my fav), green onions (my other fav), and sharp cheddar cheese (an everyday essential, of course).

It's so easy to put together, especially if you cheat and buy a rotisserie chicken for the meat.

White Chicken Chilli (Katie Newell, healthnutfoodie.com)

From Feeding Our Families

Ingredients (Serves six, leftovers are fantastic):

For the chilli:

3     cups cooked shredded chicken, about 1 pound

3     cups prepared white beans, or two 15-ounce cans

1½  cups frozen corn kernels

4     ounce can diced green chilies (mild)

1     large yellow onion, or 2 small

4     cloves garlic

2     tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1     quart chicken broth

½    cup sour cream, or more to taste

3     green onions

¼    cup flat-leaf parsley  

 

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese for topping 

For the seasonings:
1    tbsp ground cumin
1    tsp ground coriander
1    tsp dried oregano
1    tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne

Instructions (1 hour, 20 minutes, 20 minutes active):

Prepare your ingredients:  Dice 1 large or 2 small yellow onions.  Mince 4 cloves garlic.  Thinly slice 3 green onions.  Coarsely chop ¼ cup flat leaf parsley. If necessary, drain and rinse white beans. 

In a small bowl or ramekin, combine all ingredients listed under “for the seasonings”. 

Prepare your white chicken chili:  Heat a 4-quart or larger stockpot over medium heat for about 5 minutes. While pot heats, use a hand held blender or mini food processor to puree 1½ cups beans with 1 cup of the chicken broth (this will help thicken the soup). When pot is hot, add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and heat an additional 30 seconds, until oil shimmers. Add diced onion and garlic and saute for about 6 minutes. Add combined seasonings and stir continuously for 2 minutes, being mindful not to let the spices burn. Add remaining chicken broth, shredded chicken, whole beans, pureed beans, frozen corn, and green chilies to pot. Increase heat to bring just to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about an hour.  Remove from heat. Stir in green onions, parsley, and ½ cup or so of sour cream. 

Getting it in the table: Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese. Serve with your favorite whole grain crackers, fruit, or cut up veggies and dip. Enjoy!

Notes: This is a very flavorful soup, but has very little heat. This makes it super kid-friendly. Our entire family looks forward to this simple dinner. Vegetarians, omit the chicken and use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. This dish is naturally nut-free and gluten-free. If you choose to double the recipe to freeze for a future dinner, freeze the second batch of soup before you stir in the sour cream (to prevent the cream from curdling when reheated). If you forget and add the sour cream, reheat the soup at just over medium low, no higher.

Hearty Lentil-Orzo Soup

I'm not much of a vegan eater...in fact, I'm not at all. (I still have yet to enjoy tofu!) But, lentils are delicious, and when cooked correctly with the right ingredients, you don't even miss the meat.

This Lentil-Orzo soup is so healthy, hearty and full of flavor. Top it off with a dash of red pepper flakes and this soup comes alive. The original Better Homes & Gardens recipe called for barley, but I prefer the texture of orzo, a rice-shaped pasta. I've used fresh rosemary instead of dry, and the result was fantastic. (Common rule is 1 tsp of dry herb = 1 tbsp of fresh herb). Also, if you're looking to save money, one bag of lentils can make about 4 pots of this soup, or 4 meals!

Lentil-Orzo Soup
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
6 cups water (or 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock)
1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
3/4 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup orzo
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes (omit if using stock)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
dash of red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions
1. Cook onion, celery and garlic in hot butter in pot. Cook until tender, but don't burn the garlic!
2. Add water (or stock), undrained tomatoes (break them up in the pot if needed), lentils, orzo, bouillon cubes (omit if using stock), rosemary, oregano, and pepper. Bring to boiling and reduce heat.
3. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Add carrots and simmer for 15 minutes or more until carrots are tender.
5. Salt to taste, and add a dash of red pepper flakes, to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

A spin on an Australian favorite, this is another soup I could eat bowl after bowl. And, it's nice knowing it's so healthy. This is my hubby's favorite, as he would eat pumpkin soup all the time growing up. Serve it with a salad, or just with rolls and butter. Again, with most soups, adding enough salt at the end is key to bringing out all the warmth and beautiful flavors!

One tip: if I buy an extremely large butternut squash, I usually up the other veggies by about half. For instance, I will add in one medium or large onion instead of one small onion.

Butternut Squash Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed (Yukon gold)
1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 (32 fluid ounce) container vegetable or chicken stock (I prefer the Swanson's brand)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

   1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
   2. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Winter Minestrone (Adapted from Giada)

Not too rich, but loaded with healthy ingredients. You know you've got a good soup when you find yourself indulging in multiple bowls. This soup does it for me...I could eat the whole pot by myself! Between the hearty vegetables, fresh rosemary and parmesan rind, this soup is a 10 for me!

I've found when making soups from scratch, salt is KEY. I usually add salt at the end, and you'd be surprised how much you need to add to get it just right...just keep adding some, tasting along the way, until it's perfect. You'll know when it's right, it's like climbing to the top of a mountain and standing on the peak.

Winter Minestrone Soup (Adapted from Food Networks' Giada)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ bag spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 potato, peeled, cubed (I use any potatoes, skin on or off)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1 box (32 oz.) low-sodium beef broth
1 piece Parmesan cheese rind
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the spinach leaves and potato; saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture.
4. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
5. Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)