Big Pot of Delicious Chili (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

Are you calling me out on my non-soup chili recipe??   Let's call a spade a spade - you make it in the same pot as you make your soups, with practically all the same ingredients, and you eat it with a spoon.  Chili is a soup.

(Even if it wasn't, I'd still give you this recipe because it's so easy and so darn good!)

This series: I've made a lot of soup in the past few years.  I've come to know what my family will eat and what they won't.  Why don't you put my experience to work for you?!  Hope you find something tasty!  (I think you will!)

10 Days of Family Friendly Soups (or a chili!) :: Day 10  

(last day - happy face or sad face? I'm not sure which...)

Over three years ago, we took a family vacation meeting up with two other families for a weekend of fun.  One of the other moms made this chili while we were there and I have remained loyal to it ever since.  Whenever we eat it the kids still ask, "Is this Mrs. Smiths chili?"  I always tell people, if you don't already have a chili recipe that you love, make this your go-to chili.  No other chili recipe needed... at least not for my family!   This is a favorite and I think you'll like it also.  (bonus points - it super easy to make!)   

Big Pot of Delicious Chili

Ingredients

(Note: this recipe makes a big pot of chili, suitable for a large family dinner and then some.  It can easily be cut in half for a smaller dinner!)

1 lb. ground beef, cooked (or 1/3 c. bulgur wheat for meat-free option)

olive oil

1 1/2 large onions, finely diced

2 cloves garlic

1 large green pepper, finely diced

2 cans (28 ounce each) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 ounce) tomato sauce

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

1 c. frozen corn

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. paprika

 1 tsp. black pepper

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Saute onions and garlic.  Add green peppers and continue to saute.

Add remaining ingredients.  Stir thoroughly to combine.

Simmer for as long as you want...  1 hour-ish.

(If using the bulgur wheat instead of beef, stir every so often to bring it back up from the bottom of the pot.)

Notes

This chili freezes well.  Just thaw, reheat, and eat.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips or corn bread.  

The first time I made the chili without meat and used the bulgur wheat instead, no one noticed.  Kids and husband ate it up.  (well, my husband noticed, but he played along...)  Now, I rarely make it with meat to keep it a "budget" meal.

Eating with Diabetes??  Here's your carb info:

meat variety, 1 c = approx. 28 carbs

bulgur wheat variety, 1 c = approx. 32 carbs

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When the 10 Days Series is over, all soup (and chili!) recipes will be available on 

The Soup Savvy Page at the top.  So please feel free to Pin them now, or come back and visit the soup page another time!  You won't miss out on anything! 

Beef Barley Slow Cooker Soup (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

This series: I've made a lot of soup in the past few years.  I've come to know what my family will eat and what they won't.  Why don't you put my experience to work for you?!  Hope you find something tasty!  (I think you will!)

10 Days of Family Friendly Soups :: Day 9

This recipe was adapted from this soup here.  I made some changes to the recipe to get some extra veggies in there and to stretch the beef.  And I used my slow cooker.  (bonus!)

Beef Barley Slow Cooker Soup

Ingredients

2 lbs beef chuck roast, cubed

3 carrots, peeled and sliced into thick coins

1 onion, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and diced

5 - 6 c. beef broth or stock 

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 c. red wine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. white sugar

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried parsley

1 small zucchini, sliced into thick rounds and then halved

1/2 c. mixed frozen vegetables

1/2 c. pearl barley

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Put the first 16 ingredients (up to and including the parsley) into a slow cooker. 

Cook on LOW for 6 - 8 hours.

Add zucchini, barley, and frozen vegetables.  Cook for another 1 -2 hours or until beef is cooked through.

Notes

Serve this soup with hearty bread or fresh dinner rolls.
Here's the dinner roll recipe I use.

This soup freezes well.  If it's too thick after defrosting, add water or stock to achieve desired consistency.

Of further note... in the photos, the one immediately below (with the sliced bread) is of the soup the day it was made.  The other photos (with the dinner rolls) are of the soup after it was defrosted two months later.  You can see that the veggies and some meat start to break down in the frozen-defrosted soup - it's just aesthetics - it taste just as great :)

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* Note: when the 10 Days Series is over, all soup recipes will be available on 

The Soup Savvy Page at the top.  So please feel free to Pin them now, or come back and visit the soup page another time!  You won't miss out on anything! 

Super Simple Black Bean Soup (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

This series: I've made a lot of soup in the past few years.  I've come to know what my family will eat and what they won't.  Why don't you put my experience to work for you?!  Hope you find something tasty!  (I think you will!)

10 Days of Family Friendly Soups :: Day 8

Super Simple Black Bean Soup

(from Family Fun Magazine)

- I love this soup because it's soooo simple, so quick to make, and really, really good-

Ingredients

(this recipe is doubled, suitable for a large family dinner)

2 c. salsa (Choose mild, medium, or hot to suit your family's taste.  I use mild, or sometimes 1 c. of mild and 1 c. of medium.)

4 (15.5 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

4 c. chicken broth or stock

2 t. lime juice (and some zest if you have it!)

4 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Heat the salsa in soup pot over medium heat, stirring often, for ab out 5 minutes.  

Stir in the broth and beans.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat.  

Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.  

Use an immersion blender or counter-top blended to puree some or all of the soup, whichever you prefer.  

Stir in lime juice and cilantro and reheat.   

Notes

Top soup with sour cream, fresh chives, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Serve with corn bread or tortilla chips.  

This recipe makes about 8 1-cup servings. 

This soup freezes well.  Just thaw, reheat, and eat!

While Family Fun Magazine called this a "hearty" black bean soup, it's a little misleading.  It is not the thick and creamy soup that is usually implied by "hearty."  But it is filling and deeee-licious!  It's one of my children's favorite dinners :)

Eating with diabetes?  Carbohydrate info: 1 cup = 40 carbs

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* Note: when the 10 Days Series is over, all soup recipes will be available on 

The Soup Savvy Page at the top.  So please feel free to Pin them now, or come back and visit the soup page another time!  You won't miss out on anything! 

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

This series: I've made a lot of soup in the past few years.  I've come to know what my family will eat and what they won't.  Why don't you put my experience to work for you?!  Hope you find something tasty!  (I think you will!)

10 Days of Family Friendly Soups :: Day 7

I make a lot of soups.  There are some shortcuts I never take, for example, I never buy pre-chopped veggies.  And there are some ingredient short cuts I do take... In this soup, I use a pre-packaged wild rice mix.  It's a convenience I take advantage of to get an otherwise "home-made" soup on the table.  This is a very basic, but very tasty chicken and rice soup... definitely perfect for cold days or days when you have a cold :)

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

(this recipe makes a large double batch of soup, suitable for a large family dinner plus leftovers!)

7 c. water

7 c. chicken broth

4 c. shredded cooked chicken

6 stalks celery, chopped

6 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 cubes chicken bouillon

2 bay leaves

2 c. frozen mixed vegetables (optional)

1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain Wild Rice

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large pot, combine water and chicken broth.

Add chicken, celery, carrots, onion, bay leaves,and bouillon.  Reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

Add rice and rice seasoning packet.

Continue to simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Add frozen vegetables is desired.  Reheat.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

This soup freezes well.  Just thaw, reheat, and eat!

*   *   *   *   *   *

* Note: when the 10 Days Series is over, all soup recipes will be available on 

The Soup Savvy Page at the top.  So please feel free to Pin them now, or come back and visit the soup page another time!  You won't miss out on anything! 

Cheeseburger Soup (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

Happy Saturday!   My 10 Days of Soups are continuing right on through the weekend :)  But I'm taking it easy today (and hoping to publish my Happiness.  Lately. for January later this afternoon) so I'm leaving you with a delicious link from Alyssa at The Recipe Critic.

 - Cheeseburger Soup - 

This soups is super duper tasty and definitely family friendly because cheeseburgers...   Obviously.

Sorry I don't have any pictures for you.  I hope you'll still check it out and treat your family!   

Notes

When I made this I used cheddar cheese instead of Velveeta.  It was delicious!

I haven't tried freezing this soup, but I'm sure it would freeze well.

Enjoy!

Winter Veggie Bisque (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

This series: I've made a lot of soup in the past few years.  I've come to know what my family will eat and what they won't.  Why don't you put my experience to work for you?!  Hope you find something tasty!  (I think you will!)

10 Days of Family Friendly Soups :: Day 5

I have tried probably about half a dozen or more butternet squash soups.  I don't make the other ones anymore.  This is the best squash soup recipe I have found.  And I've sort of been writing about it ever since I started blogging over two years ago...  (Man, I either need some new material or just embrace the fact that good food is worth revisiting!)  

Winter Veggie Bisque
(a Family Circle Recipe)

Ingredients

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced

3 carrots, peeled, trimmed, and thinly sliced
2 T. unsalted butter
24 oz. fresh butternut squash, cubed
3 c. vegetable broth
2 T. sugar
1 t. ground ginger
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. cayenne
1/2 c. heavy cream - or - half and half - or - whole milk (whatever you have!)


Instructions

In a pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add chopped onion, apple, and carrots.  Cook until soft, approximately 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly.
Stir in squash, broth, sugar, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne.  
Bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until squash is very tender.
Puree entire soup.  (I prefer a hand-held immersion blender to a traditional counter-top blender)
Once blended, stir in cream and reheat.


Notes

I typically use a little less cayenne than called for, just so it's not too spicy for my kiddos.

I serve this soup with large twice-baked croutons.  (the sea salt and pepper variety are my favorite because they add the perfect savory kick to this sweet soup.)

My children don't agree, but I also think that crumbled feta in this soup tastes amazing!  I was encouraged by a friend to try it even though I couldn't imagine the two tastes together.  She was right - It really is good :) (Hi, Nicole!)

This is a great soup for babies that  have started on baby food!  (really family friendly!)

We all really like this soup and eat it so frequently over the winter, that when I make it, I make four batches - two in  each of two pots.  For our family of 7, I can get three meals out of this.

This soup freezes well.  Just thaw, reheat, and eat!

Eating with diabetes??  Carbohydrate info:  1 cup = 20 carbs.

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* Note: when the 10 Days Series is over, all soup recipes will be available on 

The Soup Savvy Page at the top.  So please feel free to Pin them now, or come back and visit the soup page another time!  You won't miss out on anything! 

Pasta and Mini Meatball Soup (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

This series: I've made a lot of soup in the past few years.  I've come to know what my family will eat and what they won't.  Why don't you put my experience to work for you?!  Hope you find something tasty!  (I think you will!)

10 Days of Family Friendly Soups :: Day 4

For today's soup, I'm going to send you directly to the source - An Edible Mosaic.  I don't make any changes or adjustments to this recipe - I make it as is and it is delicious!   It's an excellent soup.  My kiddos gobble it up because it's spaghetti and meatballs, and I feel great about it because it's got lean meat and lots of veggies.    You'll love the recipe, and you'll love the photos over at An Edible Mosaic - they're much lovelier and tastier-looking than mine, as you shall see :)     

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Ring and Meatball Soup

(from An Edible Mosaic)

Notes

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and a side of garlic bread or cheesy break sticks.

The little homemade meatballs cook right inside the soup, so it's a nice time saver not having to bake them before adding!

This soup freezes well.  However, freeze before adding the pasta rings.  Once the soup is thawed and reheating, add pre-cooked, al dente pasta.

When serving as leftovers, or if the soup is too thick, add broth, water, tomato sauce, or tomato/vegetable juice to thin to desired consistency.

*   *   *   *   *   *

* Note: when the 10 Days Series is over, all soup recipes will be available on 

The Soup Savvy Page at the top.  So please feel free to Pin them now, or come back and visit the soup page another time!  You won't miss out on anything! 

Cauliflower Cheddar Ale Soup (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

This series: I've made a lot of soup in the past few years.  I've come to know what my family will eat and what they won't.  Why don't you put my experience to work for you?!  Hope you find something tasty!  (I think you will!)

10 Days of Family Friendly Soups :: Day 3

This soup started out as a fairly bland cauliflower soup recipe from a website that is no longer up and running.   So... since the website is dead, and I made some significant changes to it - like adding beer - I feel ok claiming it as my own :)  

Cauliflower Cheddar Ale Soup

Ingredients

3 T. unsalted butter

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1/4 c. flour

2 cups milk (any variety; I use skim)

1 1/2 c. water

2 c. vegetable broth

2 heads cauliflower, chopped (plus more to roast and add as a garnish)

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

16 oz. white cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz. beer

several shakes of adobo seasoning (name brand is fine or get a recipe to make your own here if you prefer - if you make your own, blend it in a mini food processor for a great consistency and blend)

salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large pot, melt butter.

Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the flour.  Stir constantly until until the flour is a light gold, about 3-4 minutes.

While stirring continuously, slowly add the milk, water, and broth.

Add the chopped cauliflower and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree the entire soup.  (I recommend a hand-held immersion blender.)

Once completely blended and creamy, add the mustard and shredded cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted.

Stir in adobo seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste.

Add beer and stir through.

Notes

Serve with roasted cauliflower garnish, additional shredded cheese, and whole wheat croutons.

Also tastes delicious with crumbled bacon (but I've even known to put bacon on random stuff like chocolate pancakes, so....)

This soup freezes well.  It's unlikely that it would need any thinning after defrosting, but if it does, simply add a splash of broth, stock, or milk to thin to desired consistency.  After it's heated through, you may want to give it another go around with the immersion blender... if you have one.

*   *   *   *   *   *

* Note: when the 10 Days Series is over, all soup recipes will be available on 

The Soup Savvy Page at the top.  So please feel free to Pin them now, or come back and visit the soup page another time!  You won't miss out on anything! 

Chicken Pot Pie Soup (10 Days of Family Friendly Soups)

This series: I've made a lot of soup in the past few years.  I've come to know what my family will eat and what they won't.  Why don't you put my experience to work for you?!  Hope you find something tasty!  (I think you will!)

10 Days of Family Friendly Soups :: Day 2

We first had this soup when it was given to us by the lovely Mary through one of my annual frozen meal exchanges.  My children would have licked the soup pot clean had I not restrained them.  I don't usually care for traditional chicken pot pie, and even I loved this soup.  This year, there was no chicken pot pie soup at the exchange, so I made several batches myself.  No one complained :)  

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

(original recipe from Chocolate Moosey - I have made made a very few changes to "beef" it up a little bit)

Ingredients

(the recipe written here is doubled, suitable for a large family dinner)

4 c. shredded cooked chicken

4 T. butter

1 c. chopped onion

2 -3 c. carrots, peeled and sliced into coins

1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

6 c. chicken broth

2 c. heavy cream or whole milk

1 1/2 - 2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced into cubes

1 1/2 c. frozen peas

Instructions

In a large pot, melt the butter.  

Add onion and carrots.  Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft.

Stir in flour, salt, and garlic powder, stirring continuously to form a roux.

Gradually stir in the broth and milk.  

Bring to a boil and add potatoes.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Add the peace and chicken.

Heat through.

Notes

Carla, from Chocolate Moosey, includes a recipe for cheddar biscuits with the soup recipe.  I encourage you to go check it out, as I'm sure homemade biscuits are delicious!

I, however, have not made them yet, and have taken it easy on myself by serving this soup with Bisquick biscuits.  I made their standard biscuit recipe and just added lots of cheddar cheese and chives, and a little bit of garlic.

This soup freezes well.  Just thaw, reheat, and eat!

*   *   *   *   *   *

* Note: when the 10 Days Series is over, all soup recipes will be available on 

The Soup Savvy Page at the top.  So please feel free to Pin them now, or come back and visit the soup page another time!  You won't miss out on anything!