Soup for a mini crowd

I had 11 people here at my house for a few days over Christmas and you know what that means-- long lists of stuff to do before they arrive! Clean the bathrooms, change bedding, hide the piles of papers, tidy up the forgotten corners of the house, drive all over town shopping for the last minute items and cook. I’m a big menu planner, even during a regular week, so coming up with meal ideas is never a problem for me. When you have a big crowd, though, the catch is to balance the big sit down dinners with easier and quicker lunches.

I recall in my early days of hosting Thanksgiving, making the mistake of cooking every last thing in the oven. You know,  hot appetizers, huge turkey, potato casserole, green bean casserole, squash halves and delicate last minute rolls….. all in the oven at the same time, competing for space. These days I’m famous for doing the potatoes in the crock pot in the garage and vegetables on the stovetop. I have even put my bird in my big roaster and plugged that in the garage also….and I ask you, why not?

Today I share two excellent recipes for soup – do them ahead and you’ll look like the queen of the clean kitchen.

Tortellini and Vegetable Soup (adapted from The Slow RoastedItalian)

Here’s what you need:

2 T olive oil

2 celery – diced

¼ lb baby carrots, diced

½ white onion, diced

1 red bell pepper (I used an orange one)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T fresh basil, chopped

½ t red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

2 X  14.5 ounce cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes (super-secret ingredient! These add so much flavor)

4 C water

2 C vegetable broth

15 ounces cheese tortellini ( I actually think much less would be better)

Here’s what you do:

Sautee the celery, onions and carrots for a few minutes unit soft, but not brown. Add the pepper, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and those awesome cans of fire roasted tomatoes. Also the water and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

Return to a boil and add the tortellini – cook according to package directions. 

(printable recipe) 

Carrot and Ginger Soup (from CitronLimette.com)

Here’s what you need:

2 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

½ celery stalk, diced

¼ peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger root

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 C vegetable broth

1 ½ lb carrots, peeled, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Here’s what you do:

Sautee onion, celery and ginger in large pot until soft but not brown. Add the carrots and broth and simmer until the veggies are very tender, about 20-30 minutes.  Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor or blender. Season to taste. 

(printable recipe)