Hearty holiday soup suggestions

By Susan McClanahan

Our family enjoys treating the neighbor children when they come by our house on Halloween evening. Over the years, we have had fun watching all the children change, grow up and leave, and then see new children arrive. We even have a few longtime neighbors who now are bringing their children back to the neighborhood to show them off to us, which we love.

I always make some type of soup for our Halloween supper, and we just eat along as we answer the door and visit with the neighbors and the children.

Today I decided to pass along a few soup recipes to you, as I am thinking about which soup I will be fixing for Halloween evening.

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Soup

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cans (10.75 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional toppings:

• Sour cream
• Diced tomatoes
• Green onions
• Cilantro
• Lettuce
• Diced avocado
• Tortilla strips

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Add chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, salsa, corn, black beans, water, cumin and cilantro. Pour over the top of chicken.

Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Place back into the slow cooker and add shredded cheese. Continue cooking until cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Chicken Bacon and Wild Rice Soup

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cooked and shredded
• 1 1/2 pounds bacon, cooked and crumbled, grease reserved
• 1 cup rinsed wild rice
• 1/2 cup green onions (or add sauteed garlic/onion)
• 3 cans (10.75 ounces each) cream of chicken soup
• 5 cans water or chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons bacon grease
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 cups half and half
• 3 cups milk
• Additional water, milk or broth for thinning

Prep the chicken and bacon. Whisk the cream of chicken soup and water together in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the green onions and wild rice and cook, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to soak in pan, covered, for up to 1 hour (this is optional -- just makes the consistency of the rice a little softer). There should still be a little bit of liquid in the pan at this point.

In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the bacon grease and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Add the flour and salt and pepper and stir until a thick paste forms. Cook for 1 minute. Add the half and half and milk. Whisk until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes.

Add the creamy mixture to the rice pan. Add the chicken and bacon and continue to cook over very low heat for at least 8 hours. You also can transfer the soup to a slow cooker and just keep it on low. Adjust the consistency to your preferences by adding more milk or water and whisking until smooth.

This soup will be very thick. To achieve the consistency you want, it's important to thin it out gradually with water, milk or broth, especially the leftovers, as they thicken even more. To achieve the best flavor, you really need to let it cook for at least 8 hours. I know it's a long time, but trust me, I sampled it at 1 hour and 8 hours and it tasted much better after the wait.

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Tortellini Soup

A store-bought rotisserie chicken may be used for the cooked chicken. Adjust the Italian seasoning in this recipe to suit your personal taste. I think 1 tablespoon is a bit too much in this recipe.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 can (15 ounces) white beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, or adjust to personal taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 9 ounce refrigerated tortellini
• 2 cups spinach

In a large pot over medium heat, heat up the butter. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, white beans, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Add the chicken, tortellini and spinach. Let simmer for 10 minutes to thicken up and for the tortellini to cook.

Slow Cooker Beefy Nacho Soup

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed nacho cheese soup (cheddar soup also will work)
• 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Optional toppings:

• Crushed tortilla chips

In a medium-size skillet, cook the ground beef, onion and garlic until beef is no longer pink and the onion is clear. Drain the grease and add to slow cooker.

Add soup, taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and green chilies and milk. Stir. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours. Stir in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and allow to melt. Can be kept on warm for an additional 4 hours. Top with crushed tortilla chips and additional cheese if desired.

Five-Bean Vegetarian Chili

• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Add red peppers and onions to a large pot and saute over medium-high heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic and saute another minute until fragrant. Add broth, tomato sauce and all beans. Bring to a boil.

Add cumin, paprika, salt and garlic powder. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 15 to 20 minutes longer, stirring throughout. Serve hot with sliced green onions, cheese, sour cream or other toppings as desired.

Spinach Chicken Orzo Soup

• 1 tablespoon diced shallot
• 10 ounces fresh spinach (stems off and rough chopped)
• 1 can (15 ounces) of tomatoes with basil and orgeno
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 6 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 8 ounces orzo pasta
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 2 quarts water
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute the shallots for 3 minutes. Add the carrots and mushrooms and continue to saute until mushrooms are light brown. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, water and chicken and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add spinach and orzo and cook until orzo is done. Season with salt and pepper.

This makes about 8 servings.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.