Soups

Soups are her biggest strength in the kitchen

Cheryl Thorn Linneman of Hillsboro won the soup category with her recipe for Turkey Tortilla Soup, a hearty, zesty one-pot meal that takes advantage of the season’s bounty: leftover turkey. It is low in fat and sodium, making it a heart-healthy option.

“I made this just last week and took it to my brother,” she said. “He said it was pretty good.”

Linneman said the recipe had been in her archive for a while and just needed an update.

“I had it in my recipe box, and I had put a sticker on it with a smiley face,” she said. “That means I had made it and I liked it, that it was good. I added celery, ramped up the garlic, added green pepper to it, just in general tried to make it healthier.”

Linneman, who is retired, enjoys her time in the kitchen, although she admits she doesn’t have great success in every genre of cooking.

“My desserts are always failures. I don’t even try any more,” she laughed. “I mostly do a lot of soups, stew, chili, that sort of thing. I make chicken and dumplings, and a minestrone that isn’t a far cry from this soup, actually. Especially with winter coming on, I am mostly interested in making hearty soups that are healthy.”

She said this soup freezes well and is a good way to use up not only leftover turkey but vegetables as well.

“It’s a great idea for Thanksgiving leftovers,” she said.

“People are always looking for things to do with those, and what’s better than soup?”

Turkey Tortilla Soup   

Cheryl Thorn Linneman, Hillsboro

FINALIST

Vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped fine                       

2 cups frozen corn   

3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced fine            

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with green chiles (Home cook’s tip: Just a sprinkle of sugar added to the diced tomatoes brings a little sweetness to the dish)     

40 ounces low-sodium chicken broth               

2 cans black beans, rinsed well and drained 

3/4 cup chopped celery                            

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/2 cup chopped green pepper 

3-4 cups cooked turkey, diced OR 2 packages (16 ounces) ground turkey, thawed and cooked according to package instructions 

In a large Dutch oven or large enamel pot, saute onion, garlic, celery and green pepper in vegetable oil over medium high heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes or longer. At the table, top with plain (unsalted) broken tortilla chips and other garnishes such as shredded Mexican cheese, green onions, sour cream or cilantro. Makes 8 cups or more, low fat and low sodium. 

More SOUP recipes

Sausage and Potato Soup

Debbie Greff, Hillsboro

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

5 slices of bacon, cut into small strips

1 pound of ground Italian sausage

6 cups of chicken broth

6 russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and diced

1 cup of chopped kale

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

Saute onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in the butter. Add in bacon and sausage and cook until browned, breaking up the sausage while cooking. Add the potatoes and kale, and pour in the chicken broth. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the heavy cream, and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes. 10 servings.

Bean Soup

Barb Luhrsen, Barnhart

1 pound bag great northern white beans

1 teaspoon pepper

3 ribs of celery, chopped with leaves on

1 large onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 heaping tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1 ham bone (preferably from Honey Baked Ham Co. store)

Soak beans in a large bowl in water overnight. The next morning, drain beans and sort out the bad ones.

In a large crockpot, add the beans. Then, add all the other ingredients. Fill the crockpot with water and stir. Cover crockpot and cook on high all day or about 8 hours. After about 5 hours, check it. If it is cooking too fast, turn the temperature to low and cook for about 3 more hours. Take out bone, pull off ham and add it to the soup. Makes about 8 servings.

Cauliflower Soup

Claudia Foran, House Springs

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

1 carrot, shredded

1/4 cup celery, chopped

2 1/2 cups water

2 cubes chicken bouillon

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

1 cup cheese, shredded

1/2 -1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)

In a saucepan, combine cauliflower, carrot, celery, water, and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Do not drain. In another saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Slowly add milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in the cheese until melted. Add hot sauce if desired. Stir into cauliflower mixture.

Scottish mince and tatties

Margie Rose, Herculaneum

2 pounds hamburger

5 yellow gold potatoes, cut into wedges

5 carrots, peeled

1 large onion, chopped

1 bag (10 ounces) frozen peas

1 medium rutabaga, peeled  

1 can golden mushroom soup, undiluted

1 can tomatoes, undrained (drain if using for pie)

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Bloody Mary mix to taste

2 9-inch pie crusts (Only for pie)

For soup: Combine all ingredients in stock pot and cook until fork tender. 

For Scottish pie:  Place one crust in bottom of 9-inch pie dish. Combine all ingredients and pour into crust. Place second pie crust on top; flute edges and cut slits in center.  Brush top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 - 45 minutes.

Cheeseburger and Fries Soup

Melissa Mantl, Festus

1 pound ground meat

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, diced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, divided

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups frozen crinkle-cut fries, thawed

1/4 cup flour

8 ounces processed cheese (like Velveeta), cut into cubes

1/2 brick (4-ounces) cream cheese

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, brown ground meat; drain excess fat. Return to heat; add 3 tablespoons butter to the pan. Add onion, celery, basil, parsley, and garlic; heat until celery is tender, about 3 minutes. Keep on simmer. In electric blender, pulse the thawed fries. Slowly add broth, maintaining a pulsating action. Set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt remaining butter. Whisk in flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until mixture resembles a roux. Add roux to the meat mixture in pot; mix well. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and milk and mix well until texture is smooth; add to meat mix. Slowly add blended fries, then stir in cheese. Continue to stir until cheese in completely melted; remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste and fold in sour cream. Sprinkle with smoked paprika when ready to serve. Serve warm.

Potato Soup

Casey Haas, Cedar Hill

A coworker brought this soup to a work luncheon 20 years ago, and it was a huge hit. For the past 20 years, I’ve made it for our annual Halloween party. It’s become a tradition that family and friends look forward to. It’s also requested and highly anticipated at our annual fall family bonfire. Among all the other food and treats at these events, this soup is always the first to go. Young and old look forward to it. No one would ever guess just how simple it is to make.

4 large baking potatoes

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

6 cups milk

1 cup sour cream

Green onion, bacon and Cheddar cheese for garnish

Bake potatoes at 350 for 60 minutes. Cool, peel and cube potatoes. 

Melt butter, stir in flour until smooth. Add salt, pepper and cornstarch. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir at boil for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Whisk in sour cream. Add potatoes and warm through. Serve with desired garnishes and crusty, buttery French bread.

Nana’s Taco soup

Shonda Jenkins, Hillsboro

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 regular-sized cans of Ro-Tel (keep the juice)

8 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 cans of corn, drained

2 cans of  black beans, drained and rinsed

2 blocks of cream cheese, softened

Salt and pepper to taste (I use pink sea salt and a triple pepper medley in my grinders)

Optional toppings: grated Cheddar, avocado, cilantro, tortilla strips.

Add the ground beef and bell pepper to a large soup pot and brown over medium-high heat. Drain.

Mix in the softened cream cheese and melt it thoroughly into the meat. Then add in the rest of the ingredients, except for optional toppings, and stir.

Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

Season the soup with more salt and pepper if needed and serve with toppings as desired. Makes 8 servings.

Chicken Gumbo

Ethel Lewis, De Soto

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cooked chicken

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 ounces fresh or frozen okra

1 bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup rice, uncooked.

In large pot, combine all ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, or until rice and vegetables are soft.

Grandpa’s Secret-Ingredient Chili

Rosemary Graham, Hillsboro

2 pounds ground beef

1 green pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (40-ounce) can chili beans, or 3 (15-ounce) cans

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

2 fresh tomatoes, diced or 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 (1.25-ounce) package mild chili seasoning

2 teaspoons chili powder

3 cups water

In a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat, combine beef, green pepper, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring often, until beef is browned. Drain; add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally.