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Homemade Soup from a Can
For many of us, we are navigating our way through uncharted territory; rationing food, getting to the stores at 4:00 am to stand in line for toilet paper and living with the uncertainly of what tomorrow will bring. Growing up in a family where my parents lived through both WW2 and the Great Depression, the conversations around the dinner table growing up often reflected the hardships of those times, the appreciation of what we now had, the importance of not wasting food and learning how to stretch the meal budget. This recipe is inspired by those conversations during these tough times. If your pantry is anything like mine, it’s a hidden treasure of cans! Many of those cans will help turn vegetables into a gourmet soup! The same principals will apply with any can of vegetable that you choose for your soup. You can make it creamy, spicy, and brothy or add any spices that you like. Just open a can of veggies, like peas, and turn it into a hearty meal. The two fresh ingredients that really make the soup gourmet-tasting are garlic and onion. Once you’ve sautéed those up in some butter, you’re good to start adding your favorite flavorings. You’ll have homemade soup from a can of veggies in minutes and you’ll be surprised and pleased at how tasty your meal is!
Watch my how to video here!
Lasagne Soup
Allow me to introduce you to my new favorite dish! If you love lasagna, you’re going to absolutely be giddy over making this simple soup that tastes exactly like lasagne! I can’t stop making it for friends and family, and I sort of get a kick out of watching them come back for seconds….and thirds…and then holding their tummy because they’ve eaten too much! Be prepared for the same reaction! This Lasagne Soup is just scrumptious! I often hear that folks love lasagne but only order it in restaurants because it’s rather tedious to assemble. With Lasagne Soup, it’s a One Pot Wonder of deliciousness without the stress. In fact, you don’t even cook the lasagne noodles ahead of time. You simply throw the raw noodles into the soup! It’s just as delicious whether you use turkey, beef, Italian pork sausage or a combination of all three! One of the things that really makes it taste like lasagna is the ricotta mixture that you dollop on top of the soup when you plate it! If you like Italian cuisine, if you like easy, if you like to please people with a hearty dish that they will adore, then I hope you make Lasagne Soup soon!
Watch my How To Video for Lasagne Soup here!
Lasagne Soup
Shrimp Portofino
It wasn’t until after I made this dish that I realized how popular it is on the menu at Romano’s Macaroni Grill. The recipe was given to me by a family member who makes a weekly visit to the restaurant just for their Shrimp Portofino. It really is a delightful meal, loaded with a flavor and many different textures. The dish starts with a creamy, dreamy lemon butter sauce that gets a lot of flavor from minced garlic and shallots. Once the cream sauce is done, the next step is a quick sauté of mushrooms, jumbo shrimp, fresh spinach and toasted pine nuts. Make sure to toast the pine nuts in a hot, dry skillet just until golden brown. Macaroni Grill features angel hair pasta with their Shrimp Portofino, but I think this recipe is delicious with any pasta of your choice! Make sure to have a nice fresh, crusty loaf of French bread to sop up all of the goodness at the bottom of your bowl. The recipe seems like it has a lot of steps, but actually, it’s one of the easiest meals to create. Once you do, I think Shrimp Portofino may end up in regular rotation on your meal planning schedule!
