We had a lovely Spring batch of Red Veined Sorrel in our herb garden so I made Sorrel soup!

Sorrel and Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, or for non dairy use coconut oil
1 cup shallot, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock
2 lbs. potatoes, diced-Yellow Finns are great in this soup
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
4 cups half & half, or for non dairy use coconut milk
3 cups fresh sorrel, chopped
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt
white pepper
chives

Method
1. In a Dutch oven melt butter. Add shallots to melted butter and sweat shallots until tender, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and stir well for a minute, pour in wine and reduce by half.
2. When mixture has been reduced pour in chicken stock, add potatoes,thyme and half & half.
3. Bring soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat.
4. Add fresh sorrel, puree the soup. Add nutmeg and season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
5. When ready to serve, garnish with fresh chives.

Source: Farmhouse Organics (7 servings | 1.5 cups per serving)

Smoked Sausage And White Bean Soup

Ingredients
1 lb. dried navy beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. smoked pork sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups chopped onions
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
8 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Loaf of crusty bread, for garnish

Method
1. Soak beans in cold water to cover, overnight (8 to12 hours). Drain beans and rinse well.
2. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and saute for 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned. Remove the sausage from the skillet and reserve. Add the onions and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, an additional minute.
3. Add the browned sausage back to the stockpot. Stir in the beans, bay leaves, and thyme. Add the chicken stock, water, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Skim off any fat, as necessary, if desired. (The cook time may vary depending on the beans, but they should be tender and falling apart when finished.)
4. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, if needed. Using a potato masher or the flat side of a spoon, gently mash the beans against the bottom and sides of the stockpot, leaving some of the beans whole and some mashed. Continue to simmer the soup for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until desired consistency.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve hot, with crusty bread slices.

Prep
• Prep: 15 Minutes
• Inactive: 8 Hours
• Cook: 3 Hours 10 Minutes

Source: FoodNetwork.com, Emeril (16 servings | approx 1 cup per serving)

Ravioli & Vegetable Soup
Fresh or frozen ravioli cook in minutes and turn this light vegetable soup into a main course. Look for whole-wheat or whole-grain ravioli in the refrigerated or frozen section of the supermarket. Tortellini can be used instead of ravioli as well.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion mix, thawed and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1 15-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ cups hot water
1 teaspoon dried basil or marjoram
1 6- to 9-ounce package fresh or frozen cheese (or meat) ravioli, preferably whole-wheat
2 cups diced zucchini, (about 2 medium)
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method
Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pepper-onion mix, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, water and basil (or marjoram); bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper.

Prep
• Active: 25 Minutes
• Total Time: 25 Minutes

Source: EatingWell.com (4 servings)

Pasta Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups lower sodium vegetable or chicken broth
84 grams uncooked small pasta shells, (3/4 cup)
2 teaspoons sugar
1-½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
30 ounces canned white kidney beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Method
1. In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, carrot and celery in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Add the broth, pasta, sugar, Italian seasoning and pepper flakes.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add the beans and tomatoes; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Source: TasteOfHome.com (8 servings | approx 1 cup per serving)

Indian-Spiced Roasted Squash Soup
Ingredients

1 cup chopped yellow onion
8 ounces carrot, chopped
4 cloves galr, peeled
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 ounces acorn squash, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
28 ounces low sodium chicken broth
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons Greek yogurt
6 teaspoons honey

Method
1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Arrange the first 5 ingredients on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with pepper. Toss. Roast at 500° for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, turning once. Cool for 10 minutes. Peel acorn squash; discard skin.
3. Combine vegetable mixture, 2 cups water, curry powder, garam masala, and red pepper in a food processor; pulse to desired consistency. Scrape mixture into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and stir in salt. Combine yogurt and honey, stirring well. Serve with soup.

Notes
Karl did not like this one!
Prep
• Prep: 15 Minutes
• Total Time: 1 Hour 3 Minutes

Source: MyRecipes.com (6 servings | 1 cup soup and 4 teaspoons yogurt mixture per serving)

Easy Crockpot Lentil Chili
Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced , (6-8 cloves depending on your taste)
2 large carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dry mustard
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes, (mine had oregano and garlic in it)
1 pinch salt , or to taste
1 pound dry lentils (I used brown), picked through for stones, rinsed and drained
7 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth

Method
1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Sauté until onions are softened and lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano and mustard and stir well for a minute or two. Add tomatoes and salt to taste. Pour mixture into crockpot and add lentils and 6 cups of broth.
2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (mine was done in 4). Add more broth or water as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Notes
This chili is not very spicy. You can add some chipotle pepper powder or cayenne powder if you want it spicier.
4 WW PointsPlus
Prep
• Prep: 10 Minutes
• Cook: 4 Hours
• Total Time: 4 Hours 10 Minutes

Source: adapted from Jeanette’s Healthy Living (12 servings | 2 ladles (approx 1 cup) per serving)

Barbara Lynch’s Spicy Tomato Soup
Great with a side of garlic bread!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, (or to taste, we started with 1/2 teaspoon)
56 ounces canned San Marzono Tomatoes
1 ½ cup water
¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Creme Fraiche, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and very tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, plus the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the simmer time — just add a bit less water.) Add the basil, season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and let cool briefly, about 5 minutes.
3. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large, heatproof bowl. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid) and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam from the hot soup to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off).
4. Pour the blended soup through the strainer, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula or ladle; discard the solids. Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
5. Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat on medium low until hot. If you choose, serve topped with a tablespoon of crème fraîche.

Notes
2 WW PointsPlus per serving

*This was spicy even with only the 1/2 teaspoon of pepper flakes, so you might want to cut it down further depending on your taste. Instead of creme fraiche, we topped each bowl with a dollop of reduced fat sour cream (optional).
Source: food52.com (7 servings | 1 cup per serving)