By Kathleen Purvis, The Charlotte Observer
Just because it’s soup season doesn’t mean you have to get out your big stockpot and set aside a whole afternoon. But you don’t have to just resort to opening a can, either.
With the help of a few products and fast tricks, you can have a bowl of soup about as fast as you can order a pizza.
With the help of a few good cookbooks on fast cooking, I came up with a list of five easy soups that all take less than 30 minutes, start to finish.
And how about cutting a little fat, too? Cooking Light’s new cookbook “Amazing Recipe Makeovers” (Oxmoor House, 2016) has a handy trick for replacing heavy cream in creamy soups by making a replacement from nonfat milk and overcooked instant brown rice. It takes about 25 minutes, but you can do it in advance and keep a batch around for chowders this winter.
Consider your soup season off to a fast start.
Keep these handy
Any of these will help you make soup fast enough for a weeknight.
Wonton skins: Find them in the produce section of most supermarkets. Cut them into thin strips, drop them into simmering broth and you’ll have instant noodles.
Almost-instant meatballs: Get Italian sausage or brats, cut open the casings and quickly roll the meat into balls for fast meatballs, already seasoned and ready to go.
Tiny pasta: Orzo or acini de pepe cook in 10 minutes or less. Bonus: They don’t soak up so much broth that you end up with stew.
Canned beans: Add one can’s worth to the soup and puree the second to use as a fast thickener.
Flavor boosters: Since you don’t have long-simmered flavor, you sometimes need something to add a little depth. Try a little balsamic vinegar, Asian fish sauce or toasted sesame oil. Start small, with 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon, and see if you like it before adding a little more.
Fast bases: Frozen hash browns and frozen corn can both be turned into a fast chowder.
Fast vegetables: When a soup would work with cabbage, stir in shredded coleslaw mix.
Quick beef pho
From “Dinner A.S.A.P.,” from the editors of Cooking Light (Oxmoor House, 2016). You can save a step making the broth with a frozen pho brown, such as Nona Lim, which is available at Healthy Home Market or Whole Foods.
6 cups beef stock
2 star anise
1 1⁄2-inch piece of fresh ginger, cut in 4 slices
12 ounces flank steak or tri-tip stack
8 ounces medium rice noodles
11⁄2 cups bean sprouts
5 green onions, sliced
1⁄2 cup fresh basil or cilantro
2 red fresh chiles, thinly sliced
Lime wedges
Combine the beef stock, star anise and ginger in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. (If using a frozen pho stock, you can skip this step.)
While the stock is simmering, place the steak in the freezer so it’s easier to slice thinly. Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with hot tap water.
Cut the steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Remove the ginger and star anise from the broth with a slotted spoon. Add the rice noodles and return to a simmer. Add the beef and remove from the heat.
Ladle into bowls and top with bean sprouts, green onions, basil and/or cilantro, jalapeno and a lime wedge.
Yield: 6 servings.
Light broccoli-cheese soup
From “Amazing Recipe Makeovers,” from the editors of Cooking Light. The brown rice cream can be done in advance. To really save time, get about 3 cups broccoli florets from a salad bar.
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 cup nonfat milk
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
11/4 pounds broccoli florets, coarsely chopped (or about 3 cups from a salad bar)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11/4 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Make the brown rice cream: Combine 2 cups stock and rice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 25 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Place rice mixture and milk in a blender. Remove the center piece from the lid and cover with a dish towel. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil to pan. Add onion and saute about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and salt. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until broccoli is just tender. Add the brown rice mixture. Simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place 2 cups of the soup in a blender and process until smooth. (Remove the vent from the lid and cover with a dish towel.) Return to the pan. Add pepper and 1 cup of cheese, stirring until the cheese melts. Serve topped with a little more cheese. Yield: 6 servings.
Greek lemon soup with chicken
From “Dinner Made Simple,” by the editors of Real Simple (Oxmoor House, 2016).
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup orzo
6 large egg yolks (save whites for another use)
1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (leftover or from a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring to the broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the orzo and cook 8 to 9 minutes, until tender.
Beat the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot broth. Whisk the egg mixture into the soup and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and lemon juice and heat until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Yield: 4 servings.
Spinach and tomato tortellini soup
Adapted from “Damn Delicious,” by Chungah Rhee (Oxmoor House, 2016).
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated tortellini, any flavor
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cup baby spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, until onions start to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes and their juice, oregano and 1 cup water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and add the tortellini. Reduce heat and simmer until tortellini are cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook just until it begins to wilt, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with cheese.
Yield: 4 servings.
Asian noodle soup with shrimp
From realsimple.com.
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 red or green fresh chile pepper, seeded and sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 small head of Napa cabbage, chopped
About 10 wonton wrappers, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup snow peas, halves
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced
Bring the chicken broth, jalapeno and soy sauce to a boil in a large pot.
Stir in the Napa cabbage, wonton strips and shrimp. Simmer until the shrimp are pink and noodles are tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the snow peas and rice vinegar. Serve topped with basil.
Yield: About 4 servings.
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