Beef and Vegetable Soup
Brown some lean hamburger meat, onion and garlic in a large pot. Once the meat is completely cooked drain any excess fat add any frozen/canned vegetables you like. I usually add chopped canned tomatoes, green beans, white beans, broccoli or stewed canned tomatoes chopped into bite size pieces.  Just throw the meal together and add a bit of some seasonings, I like mine on the spicy side so I’m always adding a little crushed red pepper. Play with varying spices to see which ones you really like the best.

Chicken and Rice Soup
Bring some chicken broth to a boil and add quinoa or brown rice, cook according to package instructions. When the rice or quinoa is almost done add a drained some canned carrots or any another veggies you’d like plus some pre-cooked chicken.  I use either leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken (skin removed) from the grocery store.

Bean Soup
Heat some chicken stock and water. Then dump a can of diced tomatoes and any combination of canned beans to the soup I like white beans and black beans—be sure to drain and rinse the beans first. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.  I like spicy so my favorite spice is crushed red pepper or crushed chipotle – YUM! Sometimes I put them in the Vitamix and puree them.

I keep both chicken and beef broth either in the can or the large box in my kitchen closet. I also keep dry lentils and split peas around since both of them cook rather quickly (especially compared to dry beans or barley). With either one of them, I start by sauteing an onion and some garlic in olive oil in a large soup pot, then add water and some broth to the dry lentils or peas along with some chicken or beef broth and bring it to a boil. If you have some smoked turkey (my grocery sells these and they taste awesome) I keep a few in my freezer for the very occasion. They add a bit of flavor.  Let the soup cook until everything is tender.  If you have a crock pot, this is the perfect excuse to pull it out. You just put all the ingredients in and forget about it for a few hours.

All of these soups can be frozen or made in advance and let in the fridge for you to come home and serve a quick healthy meal. Do you have any quick soup recipes that you’d like to share, let me a comment below.

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