Three Great Winter Soup Recipes

Nothing Beats a Nice Homemade Soup on a Cold Winter Day

With winter fast approaching, what is a better cold day meal than a big pot of soup? In my opinion, pretty much nothing fills you up and makes you feel warm and cozy like a big, hearty meal like these. Contrary to popular opinion, it's not nearly as difficult or time consuming to make enough soup for dinner for an average sized family, plus plenty of leftovers for great lunches.

In addition to being delicious and satisfying, soup, unlike many comfort foods, is a fairly healthy option. Made with lean beef, vegetables, and seasonings, soup can be delicious without a lot of added fat. As an added benefit, you control the amount of sodium (which is very high in canned soups) and there are no preservatives.

Lets take a look at three of my favorite winter soups, and learn how to make them.

Beef Stew

This beef stew is a hearty, thick version that is surprisingly quick and easy.

Ingredients

1 pound stew meat, trimmed of at and cubed

2 medium onions, chopped.

6 medium potatoes, pealed and cubed.

1 pound carrots, pealed and sliced into rounds

1/4 cup corn starch or white flour

2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

8 cups water

Procedure

1. In a large covered soup pot or Dutch oven, combine stew meat, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil and sauté over medium to high heat until meat is browned and onions are wilted, stirring often, about 10 minutes.

2. Add water and carrots. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

3. Add potatoes and return to a boil. Reduce temperature and simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are fully cooked and soft.

4. Combine cornstarch and approximately one cup of warm water in a small watertight container (such as a Tupperware or Gladware container). Shake to mix until a creamy liquid is formed.

5. Bring stew to a boil, and slowly pour in the combined cornstarch and water mix. Stir until completely mixed. This will thicken your stew to a more hearty consistency.

Served with a salad and a nice loaf of Italian bread, this meal is sure to satisfy the whole family.