Roll Right Into The Kitchen

Wagon Wheel Beef Soup

As you sit by a blazing fire, blanket wrapped around you with a bowl of canned soup in your hand, do you ever crave something homeade? You know, a soup freshly prepared by mom or dad, or maybe (if you are allowed) by yourself. This recipe for Wagon Wheel Beef Soup is not only appealing to the eyes, but to your taste buds too. With onions and oregano, this soup is sure to tickle your taste buds! ***This recipe is adapted from MyRecipes.com***

Ingredients:

~2 1/4 cups ( 6 ounces ) uncooked wagon wheel pasta

~Cooking spray

~3/4 pound ground round

~1 cup chopped onion ( about 1 medium )

~3 cups low-fat spaghetti sauce

~1/2 teaspoon gound oregano

~2 ( 14-ounces ) cans less-sodium beef broth

~1 ( 15-ounce ) can no-salt-added kidney beans, undrained

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta with package directions in mind, excluding fat and salt

2. Drain

3. Coat the inside of a dutch oven (or a heavy pot) with cooking spray, then place over medium-high heat until the pan is hot

4. Add the meat and the onions, then cook over medium heat until the meat is brown and stir it until it crumbles

5. Drain

6. Add cooked pasta and the leftover ingredients

7. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 10 mintutes

8. Add salt and pepper as need and enjoy!

Tortilla Meatball Soup

Here's another recipe that will whet your taste buds. The Tortilla Meatball soup has an international taste (Mexico) because of the combination of ingredients, but also a homey taste with the comfort food of meatballs. If these tastes don't transport you all the way to Mexico, I don't know what will! ***This recipe is from AverieCooks.com.***

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 cup sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion)

• 1 large jalapeno pepper (about 4 to 5 inches long), diced very small (the seeds are where the heat is concentrated; included or discard them based on preference)

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

• 32 ounces (4 cups) low-sodium chicken broth

• two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes and juice (I used petite diced, no-salt-added)

• one 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (use storebought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken in a skillet)

• 1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen straight from the freezer, fresh may be substituted)

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 2 teaspoons cumin

• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (regular paprika may be substituted)

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional and to taste

• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced

• diced avocado for serving, optional for serving

• shredded cheese, optional for serving

• sour cream, optional for serving

Preparation:

1. Tortilla Strips - Preheat oven to 375F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or foil to save cleanup time, loosely scatter the tortilla strips, evenly drizzle with olive oil, evenly sprinkle with kosher salt, toss with hands to coat evenly, and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until crisp and lightly golden brown; set aside. While strips bake, begin making the soup.

2. Soup - To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.

3. Add the onion, jalapeno, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.

4. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir intermittently.

5. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, black beans, chicken, corn, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, smoked paprika, optional cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 to 7 minutes. If at any point the overall liquid level looks low or you prefer your soup to have more broth, add 1 to 2 cups of water; you'll adjust the salt and seasoning levels at the end.

6. Add the cilantro and boil 1 minute.

7. Taste soup and add salt to taste. This will vary based on how salty the chicken broth, tomatoes, black beans, and rotisserie chicken are, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, etc.).

8. Ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips to taste, optionally garnish with avocado, cheese and/or sour cream; serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Extra tortilla strips will keep in airtight at room temp for up to 5 days.

Hope you enjoy the soups and they were easy enough to make! Happy winter!

This is the recipe citation for the Wagon Wheel Soup-

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/wagon-wheel-beef-soup-0

This is the recipe citation for the Tortilla Meatball Soup-

http://www.averiecooks.com/2015/09/easy-30-minute-homemade-chicken-tortilla-soup.html

Picture:

"Simon C. Holland." Simon C Holland. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.