favorite soup recipes (low cost, too)

Okay, I’m cheap. I keep my house a little cooler than shirt-sleeve comfortable and if I sit very long, my feet get cold and realize I’m craving something hot. Here are a couple of recipes that I make in large quantities and never seem to get tired of. They’re ideal for January because they’re filling, satisfying and not high priced or high calorie.

Number 1 all time favorite soup,

Chicken Gumbo: Note the word “gumbo” means “okra” in one of the African languages. Don’t omit the okra. It not only thickens the soup, it is highly nutritious and adds a flavor dimension necessary for this recipe. It will make your tummy purr!
In a large stock pot:
Saute three large onions in a little oil until golden
Add two diced poblano or bell peppers. (I like the poblano because they’re a little more flavorful, a little hotter and  deeper green.)
Add 4-5 sliced celery stalks. (leaves are okay too)
Add 2 pounds bite-sized chicken chunks.
Toss in half a dozen chicken bullion cubes or the equivalent bullion in another form
Add two cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis.
Add some(about 1/2 pound) chopped polish or breakfast sausage OR a teaspoon of fennel seed.
Add a generous teaspoon of minced garlic or equivalent garlic powder (not garlic salt)
Add about 6 cups hot water (it’s fine to substitute chicken stock for the bullion and water, I just never have enough on hand.)
Add 1 cup raw white rice
Add one package (12-16 oz) of sliced okra. 
Bring to boil, turn down heat to simmer covered for 20 minutes or longer.

After I’ve served this a couple of times, I take the left overs and bottle them in pint jars in my pressure canner. Then they’re ready to go for a hot, filling, delicious lunch or supper. I do the same with the following recipe:

Chili soup: This is a BIG recipe. You’ll need to freeze or pressure can the left overs unless you have lots of people helping to eat it.
soak 1 pound black beans or pinto beans or kidney beans or black eyed peas for a few hours if you think of it in time. If not, bring dry beans to boil in a pot of water, let stand for half an hour, dump out and refill with fresh water. OR if you don’t have time for that either, do what I usually do:
Place 1 pound dry beans in a 12 quart pressure cooker and cover with about three quarts/liters of water
Add two teaspoons of salt.
Add about 2 pounds well browned (cooked) and drained ground beef (sometimes I have beef chunks, roast or stew meat that is a little freezer-weary. I throw that in frozen and add some beef paste (‘Better than Bullion’ is the name) to amp up the flavor in placed of the browned ground beef.
Add two generous handfuls of chopped onions (about two large)
Add two cans of corn with liquid
Add four 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
Add two cans of tomato paste
Add two cans of chopped tomatoes and green chilies OR a quart of home bottled tomatoes, squished up(with liquid) If you don’t have the tomatoes and chilies, chop up fresh chilies, peppers or add a teaspoon or two of hot pepper flakes.
Add 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
Add 2 tablespoons chili powder
Add 1 tablespoon cumin
Add 2 teaspoon black pepper
Add 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke

Cover and cook at 15 pounds of pressure for an hour. (longer if you’re using old beans or large beans) Even LONGER for large and old beans! If not using a pressure cooker, this will take about three hours on medium heat. Be sure to cover your pot!
Cool pressure cooker under cool water, open and taste beans. Stir and return to heat and 15 pounds of pressure if they’re still tough. If the chili is thick, stir in some water before returning to heat. check again in half an hour.
I like this chili best if I have it with equal parts of plain tomato soup with a little cottage cheese on the side. But it’s great alone, over baked potatoes, served with corn chips or in burritos with lettuce and sour cream.

Fast Chicken-noodle soup (works with turkey or ground beef)

Brown two large, chopped onions in a little vegetable oil.
Add one12 oz can of chicken with broth (or about a pound of chopped chicken or other meat)
Add three chopped celery stalks
One or two shredded carrots or a couple of handfuls of shredded cabbage, (packaged slaw) or both.
One chopped green pepper
Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder or minced garlic
Add 6 bullion cubes and 6 cups water OR 6 cups chicken broth. (48 oz)
Bring to boil and add half a package of garden (tricolor) pasta, any shape.
Lower heat to medium and cook until pasta is done, about 10-15 minutes.
This works just as well with turkey or ground beef but you must first cook and drain the ground beef unless it’s very lean. Browning improves the flavor. This is very low calorie and tasty!