Knock-Off Pasta Fagioli Soup

Today is a snow day which means Rachael's making soup for lunch! This is the second time I've made this soup and I've determined it's a keeper. This may be my new "go-to" soup for cold weather replacing my Mac & Cheese Soup from a few years ago...

Knock-Off Pasta Fagioli Soup
Adapted from Six Sisters' Tomato Macaroni Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot (or a small handful of baby carrots), diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken/beef stock
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups small pasta shapes (mini wheels, elbow, etc.)

1. In a large dutch oven, saute onion, celery, garlic, and carrots with the ground beef until cooked.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients, except for the pasta and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add in the pasta and cook according to the package instructions.
4. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Rainy days pretty much ensure that I will crave soup and will give me a thumbs up from Hubby which is much appreciated since he's not quite as big of a soup lover. A discussion with my college BFFs lead to the construction of this recipe...

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

2.5 lbs Russet potatoes, washed and cubed

2 stalks of celery

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic

EVOO

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/4 ts Cumin

1 tsp Thyme

4 Tbsp Butter

1 can evaporated milk

Salt and Pepper, to taste

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

2 or 3 green onions, sliced (for garnish)

6 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled (for garnish)

Sour cream (for garnish)

Shredded cheddar cheese (for garnish)

1. In the food processor, mince the celery, onion, and garlic together.
2. In a soup pot, saute together the celery, onion, and garlic in a little EVOO.
3. Add in potatoes and spices then cover with water.
4. Bring pot up to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and evaporated milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Top with crumbled bacon, sour cream, green onion, and/or more cheese =)

Now the rating on this is a bit deceiving. I was a huge fan; however, Hubby was not. I will admit this was about 10xs better the second (third, etc.) day than right after making it even though I was skeptical about that with the cheese and milk situation. I ate about 3 bowls a day until it was gone and will definitely make it again and freeze it for lunches for myself this winter. I would say that the bacon really helps this out a lot...and I would not be sad at all to add more bacon, or even to attempt making the bacon in a skillet and use some of the drippings in the place of the olive oil to give the actual soup a bit of a boost.

As with most things in life, bacon makes it better =)

Chicken Italiano

This was my attempt to satisfy cravings for Italian food without going way over my daily point allotment on pasta. It was a recipe combined from a few ideas on the WeightWatchers message boards. The result was rather bland and kinda sad. I think it was the thick layer of spinach on the bottom that really scared Hubby away...this could definitely be improved, perhaps some diced tomatoes included in the spinach mixture...I'm not sure, but this still needs some work before it reaches it's full potential.

Chicken Italiano

Serves 2

Estimated Point Value - 7 pts

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
4 oz fat-free cream cheese
Olive Oil Cooking spray
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 chicken breast halves
2 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese
Dash of dried oregano
4 slices tomato
1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix spinach and cream cheese together and put into the bottom of a small baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Dredge chicken in bread crumbs and cook for a few minutes each side in a large skillet also sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Place chicken breast halves on top of the spinach mixture.
5. Top with the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with oregano.
6. Put two slices of tomato on top of each chicken breast and top with Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.