Anchor Jennifer Tomazic - Chicken Enchilada Soup

My grandpa always said “soup tastes better the second day!” It makes my heart smile when I think of that. 😊 He’s so right because the flavors marry overnight and it is so good! Here’s the first soup I make every year when the weather turns cold:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1-2 tsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 15.2 oz can corn
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• Cheddar cheese
• Chopped cilantro
• Avocado
• Sour cream
• Tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. WHAT THE RECIPE SAYS TO DO: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, 3-4 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and chipotle adobo sauce, and bring to a boil. Add cilantro and remove from heat. Pour into crock pot. 1a. OR, WHAT I DO: don’t worry about doing all this on the stove. I just throw it all in the slow cooker with the ingredients below and it tastes great!
2. Add the drained beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, and stir. Put the chicken breasts on top; cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
3. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Add chicken back into the soup. Serve in bowls and top with cheese, cilantro, avocado, sour cream or crushed tortilla chips!

Traffic Anchor Trisha Pittman - Chicken Corn Chowder Soup

This is my family’s favorite, I made it up as I went along one night…

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 rotisserie chicken
• Bag of baby carrots
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of creamed corn
• Wide egg noodles
• 1 container of heavy cream
• Fresh dill
• Chicken stock
• 1 can of Parmesan “shake” cheese
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Warning – I don’t measure a thing! I guess and make recipes “to taste.”

1. Boil wide egg noodles until al dente and steam carrots until tender.
2. In the meantime, pull apart rotisserie chicken into pieces and add to a stockpot with the cans of corn and creamed corn, heavy cream, chicken stock, fresh dill, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.
3. Once the noodles and carrots are ready, add them to the stockpot, stir all together and let sit on low heat to combine the flavors.
4. Ladle into a bowl and let sit for a few minutes before serving … it will be HOT! It’s a hardy chowder for a cold day. Enjoy!

Traffic Anchor Trisha Pittman - Vegetable Curry Soup

Because of my dietary restrictions, I make two separate dinners each night. It’s not fair to my family that I can’t digest most things. So, I let them enjoy what they like. This is one of my favorite soups. Give it a try if you’re looking for something spicy, vegan and gluten free.

INGREDIENTS:

• Small yellow onion
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Avocado oil
• Curry powder
• 2 cans of chickpeas
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• Pea-protein broth
• Fresh lime

DIRECTIONS:

Ok, here we go! Again, I don’t do measurements – I eyeball and make things “to taste.”

1. Sauté the chopped onion, fresh garlic, and fresh grated ginger in some avocado oil (less is more with the oil.)
2. Once the onions are soft, throw in the curry powder, chickpeas and coconut milk.
3. Mash about half the chickpeas with a hand-held potato masher (or whatever you have in the kitchen).
4. Add pea-protein broth until soup is desired consistency.
5. Once all combined and heated through, ladle into a bowl and season with fresh lime, salt, pepper, and add more heat (hot sauce) or more sweet (maple syrup) to taste, until the flavor is just right!

Anchor Peggy Finnegan - Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup

This mushroom and wild rice soup is sooooooo good and a favorite in my family. I add shredded rotisserie chicken to it for protein and skip the fried leeks for ease. (Although they are delicious!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup Marsala wine (divided)
• 1/2 gallon chicken stock (divided)
• About 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• Crisp leeks: 1 medium leek, 3 cups vegetable oil, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté over high heat until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Gradually add flour to make a light roux and let cook for 5 minutes. Push roux and vegetables to one side of the pan and add 1 cup of the Marsala. Over medium heat, let Marsala reduce to about one-fourth of original volume. This will take about 5 minutes.
3. Add half the stock and the thyme. Season with salt. Add cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain and discard vegetables. Add mushrooms, rice and remaining Marsala wine. Return to a slow simmer.
4. Add remaining stock as needed to adjust consistency. Soup should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Top each serving with a portion of crisp leeks.
5. Crisp leeks: Clean leek, removing green top and root portion of bottom with a knife. Cut leek into 2- to 3-inch sections. Cut each section in half lengthwise. With flat part of leek facing down, cut leek lengthwise into thin julienne strips. Wash in cold water and shake off excess moisture. Heat vegetable oil in saucepan to 350 degrees F. Combine flour and seasonings until well mixed. Dredge leeks in flour mixture and shake off excess flour. Fry leeks in hot oil 2 to 4 minutes until crisp.

Meteorologist Jessica Faith - Vegan Vegetable Soup

Ingredients include vegetable broth, kale, black-eyed peas, carrots, lima beans, green beans, corn, celery, potatoes and peas. I used pepper, Tony’s Chachere’s Creole seasoning (I use it on everything!) and salt. I cooked it in a slow cooker for a few hours.

Reporter Gabriella DeLuca - Greens & Beans Soup

I make a couple variations of this — we love it! I do not have exact measurements, but no matter how you put it together, I promise it will come out delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans of cannellini beans (you could also sub chickpeas, or one can of each)
• 1 white onion, chopped
• Campari tomatoes, chopped (no exact number, I just use a big carton from the grocery store)
• Big bag of kale, discard the ribs
• Lots of baby spinach
• 2-3 cartons of chicken broth
• Turkey sausage (if you want)
• Basil
• Parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, chop the onions and tomatoes. Sauté them in a big pot with olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. When they start to cook down, add the beans and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also add lots of salt-free Mrs. Dash, which is something my Nonna adds to everything, so that means I do it too!
3. After a few minutes, add the kale and baby spinach. Let it all simmer for a while.
4. In a separate pan, I brown the turkey sausage and add some seasoning.
5. When the sausage is browned, I add it to the pot of soup, along with chopped basil and parsley.
6. I let it cook for about 30 minutes altogether, and add whatever seasonings I like. Sometimes hot pepper flakes, more Mrs. Dash, maybe a bouillon cube.

It’s so comforting on a cold day. Enjoy! :)

Reporter Amy Hudak - Hearty and Healthy Hamburger Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 oz sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 10 oz Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 (14 oz) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 quart beef broth + additional if needed
• 1 ½ tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. sea salt (plus more to taste)
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 8 oz fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (can also use frozen green beans)
• 2 cups packed kale, chopped and tough stems removed

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic cloves. Sauté until ground beef is no longer pink.
2. Next, add everything to the slow cooker except for green beans and kale.
3. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
4. With about one hour of cooking time left, add the green beans and kale. If you prefer your soup to be thinner, feel free to add additional broth. Cook until the green beans are tender.
5. Taste and season as needed before serving.

Photojournalist Georgiann Roman - Easy Kale & Lentil Soup

This is souper-easy and addicting! (Doesn’t seem like it would be — trust me, it is!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 32. oz chicken broth (homemade or veggie)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 16 oz of lentils (I prefer red, but green are fine)
• 2-3 carrots diced/sliced
• 1 bag of chopped kale
• 1 tsp Penzey’s Mitchell Street Steak Seasoning
• 1 tsp Penzey’s Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil broth, lentils and carrots for approximately 15 minutes.
2. Then add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for about an hour.
3. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with crackers, or not!

Reporter Liz Kilmer - Creamy Tortellini, Spinach & Chicken Soup

This is the only soup I’ve made!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 medium yellow onion, diced
2. 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3. 1 tbsp dried basil
4. 2 cloves of garlic, minced
5. 2 tbsp tomato paste
6. 3 tbsp olive oil
7. 4 cups chicken broth
8. 2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
9. 1 to 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
10. 1 tsp salt
11. 1/2 tsp pepper
12. 4 cups frozen cheese tortellini (or you can use fresh)
13. 3 cups packed spinach (you can add more than this if you want)
14. 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
15. 1 cup heavy cream or 1 cup half and half

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, add the onions, flour, basil, garlic, tomato paste and drizzle with olive oil. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds or so. (The mixture will be pasty and look weird but don’t worry it will all be OK in the end.) Add the mixture to the slow cooker*.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, chicken, salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours (or until chicken is very tender).
4. Remove the lid and use a fork to remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Add tortellini and spinach, Parmesan cheese and warmed cream (cream should be warmed because it may cause curdling if added cold).
5. On a cutting board, shred or cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken back into the slow cooker. Put the lid back on and cook on HIGH for about 10 more minutes, or until the tortellini are cooked through. Ladle into serving bowls and enjoy!