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Thursday, January 6, 2011

My Top 10 Favorite Soups for National Soup Month

A collection of some of my favorite Deep South Dish soup recipes for National Soup Month.

Grab a hot bowl of one if my favorite soups, because January is National Soup Month y'all!

No doubt it's a good month to celebrate soup in many parts of our country, though in this part of The Deep South, Mama Nature can't seem to set her mind on either hot or cold. But, we've had plenty of those wet and dreary days in between flip flops (literally) of summer weather and freezing weather, and that is perfect weather for soup no matter the temperature.

So, in honor of National Soup Month, you'll be seeing a few new soups featured here at Deep South Dish this month, but in the meantime I thought I would share a round-up of some of my most favorite soups. Be sure to pop by and check out my updated round up of soups for National Soup Month too - enjoy y'all!






Hamburger Soup has been my favorite, well, for about as long as I can remember really. Something akin to the cafeteria soup we loved in school - back when cafeteria food was actually homemade - it's a basic beef broth and tomato base with ground beef, seasoned with a mirepoix and then really, whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand. Loaded with flavor, this soup tastes like you literally simmered it all day long. You might want to double it - this one goes fast.



A good old fashioned soup, whenever I make this Southern Vegetable Beef Soup I can't help but think of my Grandma Mac and how when she'd cook up a batch, she'd sort of sigh and say "you just can't find a good soup bone anymore." Here I feature bite sized strips of beef sirloin tip steak, sauteed with a basic mirepoix, and a beef and tomato base, with a mixture of veggies, some potatoes and corn. It's definitely a mainstay of the south.




I wanted to develop a Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipe for my site, but I found many existing recipes to be a little more heavy on the cream, half and half and sour cream than I felt they needed to be. While many recipes used the elements of the loaded baked potato toppers either in the soup or as a garnish, they often used mashed potatoes for the potato portion. I was determined to use actual baked potatoes. With those elements, the soup turned out exactly the way that I had hoped it would.



Imagine macaroni and cheese in a soup form and you'll have a pretty good idea how amazing this Mac and Cheese Soup is. It's like a big ole bowl of super creamy macaroni and cheese comfort. Even if you aren't a big fan of bleu cheese, consider trying the crumble topping because it was a fantastic enhancement for this soup.




Probably hands down, one of the easiest soup ever, 7 Can Soup is an absolute favorite. Simple as can be - just dump a bunch of cans into a pot! Diced tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, canned green chilies, chili beans, kidney beans, pinto beans and a can of corn are my favorites, but you can vary those to your own tastes. Let it simmer a bit and then garnish it with some goodies. Easy as can be, but don't let that fool you. It is delicious!




Of course, where would a soup round-up be without good ole Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup? It's my favorite under-the-weather soup. Not only do the steam and warmth of the soup help with nasal congestion, but the chicken itself and all of the seasonings typically used - garlic, onion, & ginger to name a few - are known to have certain anti-inflammatory properties that appear to offer some real respiratory benefits. Course, it's still a great soup, even when you're feeling fantastic!




This Leek and Cabbage Soup with Smoked Sausage is definitely one of my favorites and I've received many compliments on it. Several readers have put this soup in their regular rotation for mealtime and that's the biggest compliment I could ask for. This soup starts with a basic mirepoix, but the addition of leeks and cabbage pair up incredibly with smoked or andouille sausage - just make sure that you thoroughly clean those leeks!




The stars of this next soup are the corn and tomatoes which just belong together if you ask me... though the sausage makes this absolute soup-perfection. I loved how the flavors came together in this Spicy Cajun Sausage and Corn Soup. If you're feeling a bit adventurous, toss in a can of Ro-tel tomatoes for some extra heat.




This Creamy Cheesy Potato Soup is another "cheater" soup that uses some convenience products, along with some fresh veggies, chicken stock, potatoes and fresh cheddar cheese. It's another site favorite that I've gotten loads of compliments on. Garnished with a crumble of smoky bacon, I think you'll love it too!




And last, but not least, Greens and Black-eyed Pea Soup is the newest addition to my featured soups. Starting with a base of The Trinity, and using canned collard or turnip greens and canned black-eyed peas, I made this for New Years Day and was extremely pleased with how it turned out. A delicious and easy way to get some greens in your diet - I think you'll love this one too.



Enjoy!

For more great soups pop over to my Soup Recipe Page!

Posted by on January 6, 2011

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