Dump-and-Go Soup Weather!

January 28, 2020

Dump-and-go recipes may sound unsophisticated, but many are super tasty and are fast becoming a go-to alternative for busy couples and families who want quick, flavorful nutrition. And even if you’re not crunched for time, these one-pot soup recipes are so easy to make, you’ll find plenty of ways to make good use of the minutes you’re not cooking in the kitchen!

Chicken and Veggie Lovers’ Recipes

This low-stress recipe was born out of Recipe Rebel blogger Ashley’s need to make dinner before leaving the house for work – and dropping a toddler at daycare. She came up with a collection of slow cooker dump-and-go recipes that you can just throw in a slow cooker set on low! Her creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Stew is loaded with veggies, including little new potatoes – she uses Chilean Splash – but you’ll need a little prep time to cut up the celery, onion, carrots and mince the garlic. You can also make this one on the stove-top, just cook it till the stew thickens from corn starch.

Kristine’s Kitchen Blog posted this Maple Chicken Stew which is lighter and sweeter, flavored by soy sauce, apple cider vinegar and pure maple syrup. It also has plenty of veggies, including parsnips and turnips (don’t see those in recipes everyday, do you?!) potatoes, onion and carrots. Kristine also came up with a homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe that comforts and heals – the perfect antidote for cold and flu season!

Blogger Katya at Little Broken says the secret to her Sicilian Chicken Soup is the bone-in/skin-on thighs. She prefers organic, pasture-raised or grass-fed chicken, and uses ditalini pasta – typical for rustic Italian soups. Combined with onions, garlic, celery, yellow pepper, diced tomatoes and carrots, Katya usually makes this on a stove top so she can discard the bones and skin of the chicken, but says it can totally work in the slow cooker.

Cream cheese not only adds a flavorful kick to this meatless Tomatoes and Tortellini soup, it also adds a little body. Yummly combines ingredients with vegetable broth and fresh spinach for a vegan soup packed with protein, and oh yeah, a little bit of fiber and fat! You could add a pound of browned hot Italian sausage to this recipe for a little different taste sensation, but then it wouldn’t be vegetarian!

Where’s the Beef?

Blogger Sharla at The Chaos and the Clutter says dump recipes are the easiest and fastest way to stock your freezer full of meals. She’s been making them for years and most of her recipes can be made in the slow cooker. For Sharla’s Slow-Cooker Chili, she uses browned ground beef and chopped onions, garlic, diced tomatoes and paste, plus two kinds of beans, and a few other herbs and spices (cumin, chili powder, paprika and pepper). Her secret ingredient is maple syrup and Sharla says you can count on this meal being ready in about five hours.

No Time Taco Soup is another highly rated recipe on Yummly, combining one pound of ground beef (browned), taco seasoning, plus a can of corn, kidney beans, stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce with plenty of sharp cheddar cheese for garnish. Or extra sharp if you can take the tang!

We mentioned chicken noodle soup, which no doubt you’ve tasted before, but what about beef noodle soup? One of the test kitchen-approved recipes from Taste of Home, this beef noodle soup recipe tastes like it simmered all day, but really only takes 20 or so minutes to prep and cook on your stove top. 

Also from Sharla at the Recipe Rebel, this Sweet and Sour Smokies combo – which she suggests is a great accompaniment to Super Bowl watching coming up this weekend (go Chiefs!). The sweet is derived from ¼ cup of apricot jam and pineapple tidbits with juice. The sour comes from ¼ cup of vinegar. In addition to the sliced smokies, she includes a red and green pepper, garlic, soy sauce and chicken broth. The corn starch thickens this just enough to pour over rice.

Her Lasagna Soup is another tasty option, tomato-based and made with Italian sausage, ground beef, lots of Italian herbs and cheeses.

Southshore Home Chefs Unite!

We’ve talked to dozens of home chefs in the master-planned community of Southshore who know how to whip up a mouth-watering meal. For any home chef who knows their way around a kitchen, we suggest taking a tour of the brand new homes from Century Communities, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers. Not only do residents here enjoy Life at the Lake, the variety of ranch and two-story designs — priced between the $400s and the $700s — are close to everything you need – but away from it all!