The first time I made homemade soup from scratch it literally changed my life. Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration, but I never buy processed soup anymore. Basically because it sucks bigtime. I always thought it must be hard to do. Imagine my amazement at how easy it all was.
My soup making talents have grown as I’ve experimented over the years. I’ll share some of my tips and tricks on this post to help you skip that learning curve and get straight to the good stuff.
Before we get to the actual soup making part we need to make a good broth. You CAN use a pre made broth, but all you’re getting is salty water really. There’s no depth to the flavour. Booo! I used to make it in the slow cooker but now with the Instant Pot, what took 12-24 hours now takes two. Hello more time to binge watch Netflix! Here’s the link to my bone broth recipe.
A few tips for you. I save the bones and carcasses of a few chickens in a ziplock freezer bag. Once I have enough I make the broth. I also save all my veggie cuttings in a bag in the freezer. I throw them in with the bones to enhance the broths’ flavour.
I also put the finished broth in the fridge overnight. This allows the fat to rise to the top. I then skim it off.
If I’m not making soup right away I freeze it in two cup servings in containers. Then I remove them and put them in a big ziplock. Then it’s an easy grab to cook rice or add to sauces etc for more flavour.
INGREDIENTS:
8 cups Bone broth (chicken and veggie)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, sliced
2-3 medium carrots, sliced
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (or more)
Egg noodles (how much YOU want)
Pepper to taste
herbs/spices*
* I use the spice blend below as it’s my favourite. However it’s not easy to find. You can substitute the following:
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (or dried)
3 sprigs fresh thyme (or dried)
1 sage leaf
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place bone broth in your soup pot. Set heat at a simmer (med/low). Add herbs if using.
Heat a fry pan to medium/high heat. Place sliced mushrooms in dry, no oil or spray. Sauté until partially browned. Add to the broth.
Oil the same pan and drop heat to medium. Add onions and celery. Sauté until onions are mostly translucent. Add sliced carrots. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes more. Add to the broth. Cook at a simmer (med/low) for 45 minutes.
Add cooked chicken and egg noodles. Cook for between 15-30 minutes or until noodles are al dente.**
* if you are using a spice blend or packet instead of fresh herbs you add it with the chicken and noodles.
Remove fresh herb sprigs and bay leaf is using. Season with pepper. Salt if needed.
Now THAT’S soup!