Looking for recipe for a hearty soup for Christmas....

[Iott Family]

We are doing things a little different this year and having a big breakfast christmas morning and then snacking on appetizer type foods later in the day. I would like a hearty soup recipe other than chili to throw in the crock to simmer all day so we call dole up a bowl as we get hungry.

Thank you for sharing!
Cari

 

[Melissa_E]

I make an awesome French onion soup for the crockpot. You can have a bunch of bread cut up (I usually get Panera baguette ) and some cheese on the side ready for it.

French Onion Soup:
4-6 onions (I use half red onions and half white onions)
4-5 cans of beef broth (I use swansons, 2 cans low sodium the rest regular or even the "french onion soup" seasoned)
1 cup cooking sherry
1.5 cups red wine
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup minced garlic- then again I love garlic, you can use less
3 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper

Slice up the onions. Melt the butter in a heavy pan and add the sliced onion and garlic. This is best done in batches unless you have a huge pan. So divide the butter up as you need it. While the onion is cooking down, I add the wine, sherry, worchestershire sauce, and some beef broth to make sure there is liquid in the pan. Keep going until all of the onion is cooked. Add it to the crock pot. Cover with the rest of the cans of beef broth and cook.

You can also do a clam chowder, but sometimes kids don't like that.

 

[blackforest]

Potato soup or a navy bean/15 bean soup is good and is great for keeping on "warm" in a crock-pot to snack on. We serve our potato soup with slices of bread in the bottom of the bowl, with the soup on top. And of course corn bread for the bean soup and chopped onions for topping!

 

[MiniGirl]

Turkey Gumbo is our traditional Christmas meal. We fry up our Thanksgiving turkey and freeze the leftovers and use it to make gumbo for Christmas. That and cornbread. YUM!!!

Of course a nice hearty beef vegetable soup is always appreciated, too.

 

[mom2alix]

Potato Soup



2 pkgs cream cheese

6 cups chicken broth

1 large pkg shredded hashbrowns

1 cup ham, cut in small, thin slices

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup bacon bits

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dill weed

½ tsp white pepper



Pour chicken broth into crock pot. Cube cream cheese and add to bouillon mixture. Cook on low for 1 hour, use a whisk to thoroughly combine cream cheese and bouillon. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serves 12.

 

[minkydog]

Vegetable Beef Soup

Stew beef
4 cans beef broth
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
handful of green beans
small can of corn
small can of lima beans
16 0z can diced tomatoes with juice
1 teaspoon brown mustard
bay leaf
1tsp parsley
salt & pepper

Brown the stew beef. Add everything else to the crockpot and cook for hours until the potatoes are done.

Can be cooked on top of the stove. Takes about an hour.

 

[lilyv]

Turkey Gumbo is our traditional Christmas meal. We fry up our Thanksgiving turkey and freeze the leftovers and use it to make gumbo for Christmas. That and cornbread. YUM!!!

Of course a nice hearty beef vegetable soup is always appreciated, too.

MiniGirl, Your Turkey Gumbo sounds delicious. Could you share the recipe? Many thanks, lilyv

 

[wrighter]

How about a good clam chowder?

 

[shellbelle1971]

This is a family favorite:

Caribbean Black Bean Soup
1 lb black beans
2 qts water
4 slices bacon
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1 c chopped celery (include green tops)
1 14 oz can tomatoes in juice (you can sub fresh tomatoes or whatever)
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. thyme
1/4 t. marjoram
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. basil
(If using fresh spices, alter to taste. I like fresh better than dried.)
2 c. diced ham (we use Christmas leftovers in this, and sometimes just put in the bone.)
1/4 c. cooking sherry
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
hot pepper sauce to taste
chopped pimentos (canned is fine)
salt & pepper to taste

Soak then cook the black beans in the water. (If you're using a ham bone add it to the beans while cooking. If chopped ham, add later.) Or you could use canned black beans.

In a large soup pot fry the bacon until is is well done--very crispy--crumble & set aside. Leave the bacon grease in the pot and sautee the onions, garlic, peppers & celery in it. Add the cooked beans with their cooking liquid to the vegetable mixture. (You may need to add more water or chicken stock to make it soupy enough.)

Crush the spices well if dried, or chop if using fresh, and add to beans.

During the last 1/2 hour of cooking, add the ham, sherry, vinegar, hot sauce, pimentos, and salt & pepper.

Serve with any, all, or none of the following garnishes (we usually set out bowls of these and let the kids add their own):
lime or lemon wedges
chopped hard boiled eggs
avocado slices
jicama
fresh cilantro
sour cream
chopped fresh tomatoes
more hot sauce!
the mystery leftovers in the back of the fridge

ETA: Costco's peach-mango salsa is really good on top of this!

 

[MiniGirl]

MiniGirl, Your Turkey Gumbo sounds delicious. Could you share the recipe? Many thanks, lilyv

I's be happy to..... I get a box of the Zatarain's Gumbo Base and follow the directions on the box. I don't mean to sound like a smart aleck, but that really is what I do. I used to make it from scratch, but I really don't recommend it to anyone. This stuff is so delicious and ohhhh so much easier. The hardest part is finding the base, but here is a link. http://shop.zatarains.com/zatarains®-gumbo-base-no-rice-p-1546.html

The gumbo with the rice is fairly easy to find, but I do prefer the one without the rice so much more. As far as our turkey goes.... we fry up one using the creole butter injectable marinade. There are many different brands or you can make your own (Look at allrecipes.com for some good recipes.), but we prefer this brans... www.cajuninjector.com. YUM!!! We inject the turkey the night before, and the secret is to poke as few holes in the bird as possible. Load up the injector and puncture the bird and squirt a little marinade into it. Then pull the needle out a little (But don't take it all the way out of the bird)and then push it back in going in a different direction and squirt a little more marinade and just keep doing that. Then we rub the outside with Tony's or some other cajun seasoning and let it sit over night. The next day it is ready to go. I love frying a turkey. It really isn't greasy like you'd imagine it to be and it frees up my oven space for all the other dishes. After eating, we leave enough turkey for leftovers and the rest goes in the freezer. Now, I like to pick the turkey off the bone before freezing. My SIL, though, doesn't bother. When she's making her gumbo, she just drops the bone and all into the pot and cooks it nice and slow and the meat just falls off the bone. It is really good either way.

Okay.... I've got to stop now. I'm getting really hungry.

 

[lilyv]

I's be happy to..... I get a box of the Zatarain's Gumbo Base....

Thanks so much! We really like Zatarain's products, but I've never tried the gumbo base. I tend to keep their Dirty Rice mix around especially in winter, sometimes we have multiple snowstorms and it's tricky to get out-so I appreciate having something on hand that's easy and filling.

I'll look for the Gumbo base and give it a try!

 

[2cutekidz]

White Chicken Chili - yummy, my favorite. We do this on Christmas Eve.

1 4 oz. can diced jalapeno peppers
1 4 oz. can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayanne pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2-3 cans white beans (great northern I think)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

I put all ingredients (except cheese) in a crock pot and let it cook on low all day. Add the cheese in the end until it's melted. I've also done it with one can of broth and one can of cream of chicken soup to give it a creamier texture. Yummy!

 

[queenmum2]

Wow - these sound so yummy. I love good soups in the winter and those in the crock pot are perfect for me. I have a yummy chicken tortilla soup recipe tucked away, but I'm on the way out the door for last minute Christmas shopping. I'll post when I get back.

Tracie

 

[Kies99]

Here is a FANTASTIC Christmas soup! We've been making it every year for the last 6 years and it's always a favorite! You make the soup with most ingredients and then puree it in a blender. This you can store overnight or for a few days. Then prior to serving you add the remaining and heat it on the stove.

Chestnut Soup

6 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup chopped celery
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tsp dried sage
1 cup chopped onion
1 15 1/2 oz can chestnuts in water (drained & chopped)
3/4 cup potatoes (chopped)
1/2 cup dry Madeira
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Dash of Salt & pepper

In large pot, melt butter. Add celery, carrots, onions and potatoes. Cook covered over low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Stir in chicken and beef broth, parsley, thyme, sage and basil. Reserve 1/2 cup chestnuts for garnish. Add remaining chestnuts to soup. Simmer covered 20 minutes. Cool slightly, puree in blender or food processor.

Before serving, place soup in pot, add Madeira and cream, simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle reserved chestnuts over each serving.

 

[pixiewings71]

mmmmmmmmmmm lots of good choices here.....I can't decide which one to do....

 

[loveabargin]

Lima Bean, Sausage, Hot Pepper Jack Soup:

Soak dry lima beans overnight, boil in water till tender. Add bite-sized pieces of kielbasa sausage to pot when beans are almost done. Add seasoning to taste. Take soup bowl, add a few slices of hot pepper jack cheese and pour hot soup over them. The soup melts the cheese and you eat by scooping to bottom to get the cheese...yum yum! My dad won a contest with this one. It sounds strange, but it's sooo good!