Chicken Parmesan Soup

This is a Pampered Chef recipe and it is delicious!

Ingredients:
1/4 of a 16-oz loaf French bread
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp Garlic & Herb Rub, divided
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 cups marinara sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion (about 1 3/4 cups/425 mL), undrained

2 1/2 cups (625 mL) diced cooked chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves
1 oz (30 g) fresh Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup (175 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:
1. Cut bread into 3/4-in. (2-cm) cubes. (You
should have about 2 cups/500 mL.)

2. Toss bread cubes, oil and 1 tbsp (15 mL)
of the rub in Deep Covered Baker.

3. Microwave bread cubes, uncovered,
on HIGH 3–4 minutes or until they
begin to brown, stirring every minute.
Spread croutons over a piece of
Parchment Paper to cool.

4. Stir stock, remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL)
rub, marinara sauce, tomatoes,
chicken and garlic pressed with Garlic
Press into baker.

5. Microwave, covered, on HIGH
11–13 minutes or until soup is hot.

6. Grate Parmesan using a fine grater.

7. Carefully remove baker from
microwave and stir in Parmesan.

8. Top soup with half of the mozzarella
and sprinkle with half of the croutons.
Top with remaining mozzarella.

9. Let stand, covered, 2–3 minutes or
until cheese is melted. Serve soup
with remaining croutons.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: (about 1¼ cups/300 mL): Calories 330, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Sodium 980 mg, Carbohydrate 23 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 28 g

Cook's Tip: Garlic Oil can be
substituted for the olive oil, if desired.

Croutons can be stored at room
temperature in an airtight container or
resealable plastic bag for 3 to 5 days.
Make extra and save them for your
salad!

Taco Soup

This is an all time favorite and is yummy in hot or cold weather. My oldest son loved the winter because apparently I would make more soups then, he never told me that he enjoyed them year around. So after that I tried to make them more often. This is served well with your favorite chips or crackers, our favorite is Fritos!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans
• 1 can (11 to 15 ounces) whole kernel corn ,drained
• 1 can (10 to 15 ounces) Rotel tomatoes (or tomatoes with green chile peppers)
• 1 pkg. (about 1 ounce) taco seasoning mix - (store bought or homemade see recipe on blog)
• 1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry) (or homemade see recipe on blog)
• 2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth

In our family, we doubled the recipe as it is wonderful warmed up the next day and  it freezes well.

Preparation:

Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in a large pan; drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients to meat in a large stockpot and simmer for an hour or so. The longer you can simmer the better. If I have time, I allow mine to simmer for 3-4 hours, however, if we are in a rush then 30 minutes will do as well. This works great in a crockpot on low as well.