Quick & Easy Cream of Tomato Soup

One of my family's favorite soups is Tomato Soup.  Finding a gluten free condensed or canned soup has been next to impossible.  So, I decided to make my own.  I searched around the internet and found a few recipes that were ok, some that were not so good.  I wanted to make this an easy soup, just like if it were Campbell's Tomato Soup.  I think after a lot of failed experiments, I finally have one that works perfectly.  And what's even better, dipping in our favorite grilled cheese sandwiches.

Quick & Easy Cream of Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

In a large saucepot, combine the tomato paste and tomato sauce.

In a large measuring cup (I use a 4 cup measuring cup) combine the water, heavy cream, milk and sugar.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Add garlic salt to tomato mixture.  Slowly stir in milk mixture until well combined.  Heat over low heat until heated through.  Do not over cook.

Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup
Courtesy of my Mom

Ingredients:
8 cups water
1 lb dried split peas
2 lb smoked ham cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)
2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)

Directions:

In large Dutch oven, heat water and peas to boiling; boil 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Stir in ham, onions, salt and pepper.  Heat until boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 hour.  Skim fat if necessary.

Stir in carrots and celery.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Taco Soup

This soup is amazing!  The ingredient list had me wondering, but the editor's note under the recipe in the book stated that this was the most popular recipe in the entire Best of the Best collection.  After tasting it, I can see why!

Taco Soup
Adapted from Best of the Best - The Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 envelope (1/4 cup) Old El Paso Taco seasoning
1 (16oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (16oz) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (16oz) can golden hominy, undrained
1 (14.75oz) can cream-style corn
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 Envelope (3 Tbsp) dry Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
Sour cream, optional
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, optional
Tortilla chips, optional

Directions:

In Dutch oven, brown ground beef and onion, drain.  Add taco seasoning and mix well. 

Add, without draining, all the cans of beans, hominy, corn and tomatoes.

Stir in ranch dressing mix.  Simmer over low heat until heated through and bubbly.

Serve topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

*The original recipe says to serve the soup over tortilla chips.  We really didn't care for doing that, so we left it out the second time we ate it.  It's much better to have the chips on the side for dipping.

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

Ingredients:

5 slices of bacon, diced small
3 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp cumin
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth (or water)
5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced
1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste
Green onions for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium high heat until crisp.
2. Add carrot, onion, cumin and garlic to the pot.  Stir fry until the onion is translucent.  Add broth to pot.  Add the potatoes, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add chicken, bring back to a simmer and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Combine flour and milk (mix well), add to the pot and stir until the chowder starts to thicken.
4. Remove from heat, add the cheeses.  Stir until cheeses are melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.


I always serve this with my Cornbread Muffins.  Since that recipe only uses a half a can of corn, I throw the other half of the corn right into the chowder.