This soup is a must when sick or simply ‘just because’ you want some delicious soup. There is something so therapeutic and relaxing about making homemade soup!
This recipe can easily be adjusted (see below) to be gluten free, and even can be adjusted to be vegetarian ~ simply substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth.
It is inexpensive & I used what I had on hand and made no special purchases for this recipe. If you don’t have all of the ingredients below, you can easily substitute some of the ingredients with what you have on hand in your own cabinet, fridge & freezer.
Normally I use fresh veggies in my soups whenever possible. I almost always include at least celery, carrots & onion. I didn’t have celery though this time and the soup tasted delicious without it. With the exception of the onion, I used frozen veggies I had on hand instead.
This is a well-seasoned soup with a healthy kick of heat from the cayenne pepper, complimented by the complex notes of the poultry seasoning blend, paprika, extra nutmeg & more.
You will need a medium-large pot (I used a Dutch Oven), cutting board, knife, spoon for tasting, a wooden spoon or spatula for stirring (I like using the spatula because I can easily scrape the sides where spices can easily cling), an antique hand beater (I realize not everyone has one of these {they can be purchased at antique or thrift stores} but I did use mine to very lightly ‘blend’ everything…you can also use a hand or immersion blender…or simply just skip this step), and measuring utensils if you prefer not to ‘eyeball’. I often ‘eyeball’ measurements, but I’ll include approximate measurements below:
INGREDIENTS
1/8-1/4 Cup Salted Butter
1 Large Onion
1/4 Cup Flour (thicken with cornstarch if you prefer a gluten free alternative)
64 oz Chicken Broth
32 oz Water (or use additional chicken broth instead; I only had so much chicken broth on hand & had to use water…and my soup still tasted delicious)
1 Cup 2% Milk, divided (use whatever milk you have)
1 Bag 12 oz Mixed Frozen Vegetables: Green Beans, Corn & Carrot Blend
1 Bag 12 oz Frozen Sweet Corn (normally I wouldn’t use this much corn but it’s what I had on hand…using a second bag of mixed veggies or extra carrot & celery would work nicely as substitutes)
1 Can 15.5 oz Mild Chili Red Beans
Noodles (Use as much or as little as you like. I had about 5 oz of leftover plain, salted rigatoni noodles in my fridge from a previous recipe and I used these. 1/2 cup or so of uncooked rice is also a great substitute as well!)
1/3 Cup Pasta Sauce
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Nutmeg, to taste
Poultry Seasoning, to taste (if you don’t have this, it is a blend of sage, thyme, celery seed, marjoram, black pepper & nutmeg)
Garlic Powder, to taste (fresh garlic would work as well, and I enjoy using fresh in certain recipes, but I personally prefer powder here)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Parsley, for garnish if you are feeling fancy
First, start by warming up your pot on the stove at medium heat – while it’s warming up, chop your onion into bite sized pieces. Add butter to your heated pot and let it brown. Add in your chopped onion. Once your onion is translucent, season mixture with salt, garlic and pepper. Next, add in your flour and stir well. Pour in about 1/4 cup milk and combine.
Next, pour in your chicken broth & water, stir well. Season this ‘layer’ with cayenne pepper, paprika, nutmeg, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes.
Next, add in your noodles (I chopped mine into bite size pieces), vegetables, red chili beans & pasta sauce – stir well. Add in more of your spices, tasting as you go. Do not be shy with your seasonings! Add remaining milk & stir.
Depending on personal preference, you can add a little bit of extra flour (about two tablespoons spoons maybe) but do not add directly to soup or you will have flour bits in your soup! Instead, add broth to a separate, small cup or dish and then mix flour into that broth. Combine well. Add that mixture back into the soup for extra thickening. Stir well, and here is where you can very lightly blend if you’d like.
Taste again & add more spices as needed. Remember, be very generous with your seasonings! Each spice adds its own unique taste, aroma and health benefit!
Finally, place top on your pot & let your soup simmer…the longer the better – the flavors will continue to marinate more over time, be patient😊. Let the aroma take over your home, relax while you wait, or tackle things on your to do list. Taste before you serve, to see if there is any particular seasoning you would like to add more of.
This can be served all by itself, but pairs well with warm bread (see my Skillet Flatbread post here) or also tastes great with good old saltine or oyster crackers.
Eat & EnJOY!
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
~1 Corinthians 10:31
Let Us Not Grow Weary 