My sister in law sent me a pin of this recipe that she made and loved recently and I couldn’t get it out of my mind, it looked like my kind of soup. Of course, I don’t usually have the ingredients I need to make recipes when I’m ready to make them – let’s just say that I’m a natural and determined improviser when I’m hungry or in the mood to cook.

This Beef and Tomato Vegetable Soup is the perfect example of using whatever ingredients you have on hand to make something delicious and good for you too.

Cooking with Swiss Chard

I have been swooning over all the pretty Swiss chard I’ve been seeing in the grocery store and decided to add it to this soup. Swiss chard reminds me of my grandpa, he introduced it to me from his garden – he grew a ton of it every summer. I love how versatile it is, I tend to treat it like I do spinach or kale by adding it to soups like this or simply sautéing it as a side dish.

To prepare swiss card, simply fold longways and cut away the leafy part away from the stem. From there you can roll up the large chard leaves and slice into ribbons. Chop the stems separately. (Check out this post for a visual graphic on how to prepare swiss chard!)

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This post was last published in November, 2015. It is still one of my favorite soups that can be made with lean ground beef and all the veggies in your fridge (specifically zucchini, green beans and carrots). Although we are still experiencing 90+ degree weather in Florida, I crave this light, yet hearty, soup all the time. It’s perfect for light lunches and dinners – it’s nice to make ahead so that you have something to quickly reheat when you are short on time.

Click here to PIN this Italian Vegetable Beef Soup recipe!

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Are you all turkey’ed out or what? I know I am. I had a few good leftover turkey recipes swirling in my head over the weekend (my daughter wanted me to make a turkey pasta salad, mmm), but honestly, I just didn’t get around to any creative leftover creations. We had a lot of turkey paninis and just straight up Thanksgiving plate reruns. It’s all good.

Moving on from turkey…I’m bringing up this Italian Vegetable Beef recipe from the archives. I originally posted this recipe back in December of 2009. Crazy how long ago that was! I remember I made this soup to take to my daughter’s preschool teacher who had just had surgery. When she got back to school, she told me her and her daughters loved the soup so much and wanted more. Yea, a compliment like that pretty much always makes my day. 🙂 Since then, I have made this soup quite a few times. It’s a great change from my typical chicken based soups, the lean beef (or bison) makes it a little extra hearty but still easy on the calories.

I’m sure most of you will agree that a bowl of good homemade soup is total comfort.  Soup has a way of warming up the body while nourishing it with so many health benefits at the same time.  I’m more of a broth base soup person, so I’m not really referring to the heavier creamy soups…not that those are bad, but they just don’t make me feel the same as a soup filled with lots of herbs and vegetables in broth.

Whenever I find that I have lots of vegetables in the veggie drawer that need to be used up, I usually make soup.  This particular day I had a nice variety of veggies….zucchini, squash, carrots and green beans. 

Add some dried herbs, lean ground beef and chicken broth and you’ve got Italian Vegetable Beef Soup.

Healthy Italian Vegetable Soup

1. In large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add zucchini, squash, carrots, garlic and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes until vegetables start to soften.
2. Add seasonings, tomatoes and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
3. Add green beans and cooked ground beef.
4. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes.
5. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta if you like.

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Italian Vegetable Beef Soup

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

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Break out the vegetables for this light and savory Italian Vegetable Beef Soup recipe. It’s loaded with great vegetables like zucchini, squash and carrots. Healthy (and easy) comfort food!

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Ingredients

• 2 tb olive oil
• 2 zucchinis, quarter chopped
• 2 squash, quarter chopped
• 2–3 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1–2 cups green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• good pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 32oz can of Italian diced tomatoes, with juices
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 – 1.25  lb lean ground beef or bison, cooked and crumbled
• Parmesan cheese, optional

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Instructions

1. In large stock pot, heat 2 tb olive oil and add zucchini, squash, carrots, garlic and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes until starting to soften. Add seasonings, tomatoes and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Add green beans and cooked ground beef. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta if you like.

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Notes

Note:  amounts of vegetables can be varied.  Use what you have on hand.

Healthy Soup Recipes

Soup is one of my go to meals when I’m trying to trim some pounds or just generally feel healthier. Some soups I tend to make often are  Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Kale Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, Italian Tomato and Lentil Soup and Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup. I’m ready to try this Beef Taco Quinoa Soup and Fall Vegetable Quinoa Soup!

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes on Pinterest.

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Taco night returned last night. Yay! My son mentioned over the weekend that we should make chicken tacos at home this week, just like Chipotles. Sounds great to me son! I love that my kids are starting to embrace Mexican food more than a simple cheese quesadilla – it makes me happy to see them grabbing for fixings to add to their tacos on their plates.

For this week’s taco night I wanted to add a simple side that I’ve made a couple times before using my beloved rice cooker. There are a few small appliances I have picked up over the years that have become lifesavers in the kitchen for me – this rice cooker being one of them (which is why I’m giving one away today!). I have to admit, when I first got my rice cooker, I was a little intimidated by it. I haven’t always cooked a ton of rice, and the water to rice ratio always threw me off for some reason, it just never turned out right. I am happy to report I’ve finally gotten over the intimidation and use my rice cooker almost weekly.

The best thing about this recipe for Mexican Rice that I’m sharing with you today is that I made it all in the rice cooker – at the same time. It is the easiest dish to put together ever! Pair it up with the chicken I cooked in the slow cooker for the tacos and I almost feel guilty about all the compliments I got at dinner last night – it was seriously one of the easiest dinners I’ve made in a while. All I had to really do when it came to dinner time is shred up the chicken and warm up the tortillas. Good stuff.

You can play with this rice a bit. I’ve added pinto beans to the mix before, but this time I tried corn. I always start with the rice and water at the bottom, then put the extras right up on top – without stirring. Once the cooker does it’s magic I fluff it up real good with a fork, drizzle some olive oil over it and season it well with salt and pepper. It’s a perfect side dish for taco night! Enjoy!

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I don’t make meatloaf – of any kind – very often, for no other reason other than it just doesn’t come to mind when I think of what to make for dinner. That’s probably because I didn’t really grow up eating meatloaf, so it doesn’t really fall into the everyday comfort food category for me. Does it for you?

There are two meatloaf recipes that I have made over the years when I have made meatloaf and they have become my go-to meatloaf recipes. They are both very different from each other and it just depends on whether or not I want a more traditional recipe like this copycat Boston Market Meatloaf recipe, or a lighter but oh so delicious one like Barefoot Contessa’s Turkey Meatloaf (I love this one!!).

Anytime I do make meatloaf, my meat loving husband is a happy man. And after making these Mini Cheddar-BBQ Turkey Meatloaf Muffins apparently now I know that my children are both fans as well. I guess I know whats going into the dinner rotation more frequently (along with this Mini Honey Mustard Meatloaf recipe we love).

I was inspired to make this mini versions of meatloaf from my friend Liz, who writes the blog The Lemon Bowl (I’ve been finding myself stalking her blog for dinner ideas quite frequently, along with Melanie’s blog, Nutritious Eats). It’s nice to get ideas from other busy moms that like to eat food you like to eat, and have to still feed young children food that they will like as well – I’m always inspired by both ladies!

These turkey meatloaf muffins came together super easily and quickly, using ingredients I always have on hand.

Side Dish Recipes For Mini Turkey Meatloaf Dinner

Oven roasted potatoes like these Roasted Red Potatoes with Smoked Paprika or Dill Potato Wedges are always great side dishes for this meatloaf recipe.

Other veggie side dishes for this dinner:

Corn, Tomato and Basil Saute

Roasted Green Beans with Almonds

Honey Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

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Last week, my son and I were feeling a little under the weather. After talking with friends and other people around school, it didn’t sound like we were the only ones either. ‘Tis the season…

When I’m not feeling my best, I tend to either eat really junky or really well. I usually regret when I go the junky route (and feel worse!) so I forced myself to pull out what I had in my fridge and pantry last week and pull together this Feel Good soup. This soup warmed up my bones and made my belly happy. I ate 3 big bowls of it in one day and immediately started to feel better. I wish I could tell you my kids enjoyed this along with me, but they are not in a soup loving phase right now – working on that. But, my husband helped himself to some and went back for seconds.

I served the soup with a heaping scoop of my favorite rice blend that I pick up at Costco – good stuff. Also, the soup base that I love to use when making soups is Better Than Bouillon Organic Reduced Sodium Chicken Base that I find at Costco as well, find a review with more soup recipe from Kayln of Kalyn’s Kitchen here.

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I try to listen to my body when it comes to cravings. I have heard often enough that when your body is craving certain foods, it could mean that maybe it needs or is lacking a certain nutrient that is found in the food you are craving.

Or that could all be baloney and you’re really just hungry, obsessed with food, stubborn or all of the above. I choose all of the above (most of the time).

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The post Turkey Chili with Bush’s Pinto Beans and Mushrooms appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

If you every took a peek inside my freezer, you would most likely find at least 3 or 4 different kinds of frozen fish or seafood at any given time. Salmon, mahi, red snapper, cod, shrimp…they all come in extremely useful when putting together quick healthy dinners, and I always stock up on them – especially when they are on sale or I visit Costco.

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The post One Pot Meal: Mahi Mahi with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Corn appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I don’t know about you but it’s feeling a little like Christmas this weekend. It snuck up on me, but it’s definitely here. And we are excited!!!

Hello college football weekend!

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The post Feeling Dippy? Hot Black Bean Fiesta Dip (plus a few more dips to snack on while watching college football this weekend) appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Just look at that glorious bowl of pasta. Does it make you hungry? It sure makes me hungry that’s for sure. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever met a bowl of pasta that doesn’t instantly make my stomach growl. It is truly one of my comfort foods, and loaded with fresh roasted veggies like this one makes it even better.

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The post Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Roasted Peppers and Eggplant appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

We’ve talked about how much zucchini is coming into this house these days. I understand that’s not happening to everyone just yet, but soon right? So please bear with me as I share, yet another, recipe featuring zucchini…and here’s a spoiler, there’s another zucchini favorite recipe to come later this week too. 😉

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