Tag frugal meals

Minestrone Soup

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***This is a really yummy soup to have when the weather starts getting cooler. I’ve made several different versions through the years to perfect it to our liking. I believe I hit the jackpot. Be sure to read the end notes for tweaking to your tastes.

Homemade Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil, ghee, coconut oil (or good ole bacon grease :-D)
1 small to medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, undrained
16 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 medium zucchini, diced
2oz. (2 handfuls) fresh baby spinach
14.5 oz. can cannellini beans (white kidney) drained and rinsed
14.5 oz. can of red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 whole Bay leaves
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. Better than Bouillon vegetable base (*this helps the flavor)
5 cups chicken or beef broth (or water)
1 cup uncooked ditalini, small shell, or elbow pasta

Directions:
Heat oil in a skillet and sauté onion, celery, and garlic 10 minutes. Transfer to a sprayed 6 qt. slow cooker. Add everything else except spinach and the pasta (save for later). Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. Add spinach and your pasta of choice to crock pot and finish cooking 30 more minutes or until pasta is done. This could also be done in an Instant Pot for 10 minutes. I would do a QR (quick release) first then stir the pasta and spinach in with the other ingredients. Close lid and cook for 5 minutes then do a NR (natural release) for 5 minutes. Adding already cooked pasta at the end of cooking works too.

**Note: You can sub the herbs with Italian seasoning. The Bouillon vegetable base amps up the flavor in this. Try not to leave it out if you can help it. Next time I think I’ll try a couple Tablespoons of Pesto stirred in as well as an 8oz. can of tomato sauce. Adding another protein like Italian sausage, smoked sausage, cubed beef, or leftover roasted chicken would be good too.

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Deviled Eggs {2 ways}

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Southern Style Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
12 hard-boiled eggs
1 Tbsp. Yellow or Dijon Mustard
3-4 Tbsp. Mayo
2 Tbsp. sweet or dill pickled relish (or do a mix of 1/2 dill and 1/2 sweet relish)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
paprika for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Peel and cut 12 hard-boiled eggs in half. Lay them on a dish, plate, or any pan. Plop out yolks into a medium size bowl. Mash them up into fine crumbs. Add in all the other ingredients except paprika. Mix well then fill each egg half with the filling. Sprinkle paprika on top of each egg and transfer them to an egg dish. Cover with plastic wrap to chill before serving.

***The recipe can be halved to do only 6 boiled eggs.

Curried Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs (see note below)
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp. Mayo
1 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1/4 tsp. curry powder (use more if you like)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
paprika for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Peel and cut 6 hard-boiled eggs in half. Use a plate to lay these on. Plop out yolks into a small bowl. Mash until fine. Add in other ingredients (You can switch sweet relish for dill pickle relish if you desire). Mix well and fill each egg half with filling. Sprinkle paprika on each egg and transfer to an egg dish to chill and serve. If you are making these the day before be sure to cover them with plastic wrap or store them in a covered container.

Note: These aren’t my best looking eggs. I was in a hurry so I just piled it on instead of filling them neater. At least I know they were very tasty because they were all gone in no time 😉

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Chicken Salad (for sandwiches)

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Classic Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked and shredded chicken (or 2 cans of chunk chicken breasts)
1/4 medium yellow or white onion finely chopped (or use 1/4 tsp. onion powder)
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs chopped
2/3-3/4 cup of Mayo
2 Tbsp. Sweet Pickle Relish
salt and white pepper to taste (or use 1 tsp. curry powder)

Directions:
If you are using canned chicken, drain and break up the chunks in a medium sized bowl. Finely chop up onion and celery. Add in the bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Stir together and pour into another container with a lid. Let chill for a few hours if using this to make sandwiches or use right away if you want to eat it with lettuce as a salad. I love eating it on top of crackers too. Another version we like:

Chicken Salad (w/fruit and nuts)

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked and shredded chicken (or 2 cans of chunk chicken breasts)
1 cup of red or green grapes cut in half (or diced apples)
1/4 cup onion finely chopped (or use 1/4 tsp. onion powder)
1/2 cup of celery finely chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or nut of choice but it can be omitted)
3/4-1 cup of Mayo (or your choice of a creamy replacement like plain Greek yogurt)
salt and white pepper to taste (or use 1 tsp. curry powder)

Directions:
If you are using canned chicken, drain and break up the chunks in a medium sized bowl. Cut grapes in half, and add to bowl. Chop onion and celery. Add in the bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Stir together and pour into another container with a lid. Let chill for a few hours if using this to make sandwiches or use right away if you want to eat it with lettuce as a salad. I love eating it on croissants.

Note: If you choose to use the Greek Yogurt, be aware that your salad may be more watery upon sitting in the fridge overnight.

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DIY Cream of Mushroom

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Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter or ghee
3/4 cup of gluten free, wheat or white flour
6 cups of warm milk (of your choosing but be sure it’s unsweetened)
2-3 Tbsp. Chicken Better than Bouillon base
2 tsp. sea salt (or to your preferred taste)
1/2 tsp. black or white pepper
4 oz. fresh mushrooms sliced and sauteed

Directions:
In a large saucepan melt butter or ghee over low heat. Add flour and stir until smooth. Cook flour mixture until it begins to bubble but don’t let it brown (This how you make a roux.). Gradually pour and stir in milk. Keep stirring until the sauce has thickened. Stir in Better Than Bouillon base, salt, and pepper. You could leave out the salt and pepper if you prefer. Turn off heat. Dice up your sauteed mushrooms into smaller pieces and add to the mixture. Stir and allow to cool down before storing for later use.

Note: This makes 4 cans of those (10- 3/4oz.) soups. Measure out 1 1/2 cups to place into jars, containers, or even Ziplock bags (if you want to try freezing for later). Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

When making you can also replace some of the milk with water to make lower in calories. For regular Cream of Chicken Soup just omit adding in the mushrooms. You can put in a small amount of small diced chicken pieces instead of that’s what you like. If you want more soup varieties check out this version.

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