{Dinner} Beef Tortellini Soup

For some reason, it felt like a soup-kind-of week here at our home.  So, I decided to throw together my own take on a beef tortellini soup last Sunday. 

We were pretty pleased with how it turned out... even the boys gobbled it down.  And you know that must mean it is pretty tasty (our oldest boy is rather picky).

To Make:
1 lb. Ground Beef
2 cans Diced Tomatoes
2 cans Kidney Beans (rinsed, drained)
1 can Diced Green Chilies (to taste)
1 can Corn (rinsed, drained)
1 can Green Beans (rinsed, drained)
1 chopped Onion
2 9 oz. packages of Three Cheese Raviolis
4 cups Chicken Broth
Italian Seasoning (to taste)
Garlic (to taste)

Because we were pretty busy on Sunday and I wanted leftovers for the week, I browned the ground beef over medium heat and mixed the meat into my crockpot with the rest of the ingredients.  I set the crockpot for 4 hours on high.  And then, viola! We were ready to eat with minimal prep time.

I might add a bit more chilies the next time I make this soup... the hubs and I like our dishes with a kick.  But that is the beauty of a soup like this; pretty simple and a pretty great way to clean out your cupboards/fridge by adding whatever you would like to the mix.

One of our favorite dinners.

Kind of one of our comfort meals, the hubs and I almost think of this meal as a treat.  I make it more of the consistency of chili than soup, but this - my friends - is a pretty delish taco soup.  Here are the deets if you are interested:

Ingredients:
Meat of your choice (pictured: 1 lb. ground beef)
Diced tomatoes with Green Chilies (2 cans)
Kidney Beans (2 cans)
Vegetarian Baked Beans (2 cans)
Diced Green Chillies (1 small can)
Onion (medium in size, chopped)
Corn (optional - 2 cans)
Taco Seasoning (1 package or to taste)

To Make:
Because I used ground beef, I had to brown the beef with the chopped onion.  In a stock pot, I added the other ingredients - diced tomatoes and green chillies, kidney beans (drained), vegetarian baked beans, diced green chillies, and taco seasoning.  I placed the stock pot on a medium-heat burner and stirred the ingredients together, adding the browned ground beef to the mixture.  Finally, I let the soup  simmer together for approximately 10 minutes or so... pretty. easy.

To Serve:
We usually add shredded cheese, sour cream, and a few Fritos on top.  Yum.

To Alter:
This soup is also a very easy crock pot meal.  When I make it that way, I add chicken breast instead of beef and put everything together in the pot at once, close the lid, and let it cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.  I did not use corn in my soup this week (pictured above), but I have used it before.  The hubs requests that I add it back into the recipe next time... but I could take it or leave it.  We also add one little can of diced green chillies to add that extra **pow!** to the dish.  So good, so very good.

Give this meal a whirl and let me know how you do... because we may just have this as our main course again next week!

What's for Dinner: One Pot Chicken and Vegetable Risotto

{Recipe found HERE}

Sorry friends... I only paused mid-stir after adding the arborio rice to take a photo of what I thought would be many of this new dish I tried tonight on my family.  While I didn't quite get a finished-ready-to-serve photo, let me just tell you this recipe was a major hit with the fam... especially the hubs, who I had to keep slapping his taster spoon out of the pot before it was ready.

Chicken, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, green onion, yellow onion - all diced and mixed with arborio rice, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, black pepper, beef stock, and water.  You really cannot go wrong.  

But, let me warn you.  Because I opted to make a bigger pot for leftovers during the week, this recipe turned into quite the ordeal today.  I think I clocked a total of four hours (not even joking one bit) of checking, stirring, liquid-adding, and repeat... when I do it again, I think I will pressure cook the risotto separately to speed up the time a bit.

Definitely try it out... and let me know your thoughts.