Easy Sunday Afternoon Soup

Today is the last day of our borderline fall weather before it gets all hot again this week. I’m so over the heat. I thought I’d take advantage of the sub 80 temps and clean out the fridge all at the same time with soup! Nothing says fall like a big pot of soup simmering on the stove all afternoon.

I improvised one of my favorite soup recipes (this one). Instead of sausage, I used chicken – I did have to beef up the salt and spices to make up for the flavoring the sausage usually gives. A bell pepper and a zucchini were added, but mushrooms were omitted. I did not use lentils, I think next time I might use some navy beans for texture.

I’m pretty happy with how things turned out! I use this recipe’s spice mixture of cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, a bay leaf, and rosemary in pretty much any soup I make. This mix adds a ton of flavor to even a simple recipe of chicken and vegetables. So, keep this spice mix in mind for the the next time you want to throw together an easy soup.

So, here’s hoping fall returns to these parts soon! I may need to just freeze the leftovers and wait until the weather cools down again to eat the rest…

Sunday Afternoon Chicken Soup

• Olive oil
• One package of skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 – 1 onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• Bay leaf
• Sprig of fresh rosemary (or dried is fine, too)
• A couple dashes of cayenne pepper, to taste
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 cups low sodium chicken stock (you can use regular if you want, but I like to be able to control the saltiness level more. Plus, I like the salty flavor better when I add the salt myself.)
• 3-4 small potatoes, cut into small chunks
• Bell pepper, cut into small pieces
• Zucchini, halved and sliced
• Handful of kale, chopped – as much or as little as you want

1. Heat some olive oil in a large pot and cook chicken
2. Add onion and garlic, cook until a bit softened
3. Add carrots, spices, bay leaf, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mix and heat for a couple minutes.
4. Add the can of tomatoes, chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil.
5. Bring temperature to low and keep soup at a low boil until the potatoes and carrots are soft.
6. Simmer until 20-30 minutes before you want to eat.
7. Add bell pepper and zucchini.
8. Taste test for seasoning – you may need to add more salt, pepper, or other spices to taste.
9. 5 minutes before serving, add kale
10. Serve with fresh baked bread, if you have it.

Did my kids eat it? Not happily. But by the end of the meal, they told me it was delicious. I’ll definitely be adding this one to my repertoire.

Have you improvised any go-to recipes lately and had good results? I’m always on the hunt for easy, healthy recipes to add to the regular rotation around here.