Simple Soup

This week, the theme for the URS is speed cooking. We were away for our anniversary all day yesterday, so I didn't cook last night and I didn't seem to have a recipe lined up to post today. When I saw the theme, I didn't think I had anything that I could post. Then my sister reminded me of one of the "fall-back" meals that she, my mom and I tend to rely on when we're in a pinch... homemade soup.

The thing(s) I love about homemade soup is that it's quick, delicious and does not require an extensive amount of ingredients. I can always make a pot of soup with ingredients I have on hand. We almost always have homemade soup in the freezer because when I make a batch, I tend to freeze the leftovers in meal sized portions. This becomes so handy on those we're-in-a-hurry-what's-for-dinner nights.

To make a simple soup using the ingredients you have in your home, you can follow these easy steps:

1. Add broth (store bought or homemade) or bullion cubes.

2. Add veggies - some of my favourites are diced tomatoes, chopped carrots and onions, peas, corn, celery, potatoes, mushrooms, green beans ... the list goes on.

3. Add meat and/or beans for protein. If I have cooked chicken on hand, sometimes I throw that in. Or brown up some ground beef or sausage. I also love to add kidney beans, black beans and/or lentils to soup!

4. Spice it up. A little marjoram is good with beef or beans, thyme is good with chicken and basil is good in a tomato based soup. I also usally throw in some minced garlic.

Add all of these ingredients to the crockpot before you head out for the day, or toss them in a large stockpot to simmer. After a short while you will have yourself a delicious pot of homemade, healthy soup. Freeze the unused portions for a rainy day so you will have yourself a fuss-free meal. The thing I love about soup is that you can cook it for a short time (usually 30-40 minutes) or you can leave it to simmer on the stove all day and then have your dinner ready for you when you're ready for it.

Here are some other soup recipes that I love:

Vegetable Barley and Lentil

Roasted Vegetable SoupCorn and Chicken Chowder

Head over to Life As Mom for more speedy cooking ideas!