Do you ever crave a filling, flavorful and high-volume meal? Well, boy do I have a recipe for you. Introducing my SOUPER filling Soup. It’s extremely easy to make and easy to make and eat. My goal when creating this soup was to create a recipe that was easy to make a lot of for freezer prep, on the go, and for State of Slim phase 1.
SOME COOL FOOD FACTS
The basis for the soup is a MirePoix. It’s a flavor base common in French cuisine. It is made by cooking down chopped carrots, onions, and celery in a little fat. Traditionally, the mirepoix is cooked low and slow so the vegetables don’t brown. However, in modern American kitchen, we generally opt for a slightly faster version. We compromise the depth of flavor for speed.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it is very forgiving. Like most soups, you can dump just about whatever you want into it and it will turn out great. Not only that – you can choose what sort of protein you want as a base. I will outline a few general how-to steps below.
WHAT ELSE CAN I EAT WITH SOUPER FILLING SOUP?
This soup is one of my go-to’s when I don’t feel like cooking for days on end. I often ate it alone or paired it with one of the following:
- Crusty bread such as baguette, pumpkin-seed brötchen (German bread rolls), or sourdough
- Salad topped with balsamic vinaigrette
- Grilled chicken
CAN I MAKE SOUPER FILLING SOUP _____FRIENDLY?
- Gluten-Free? Nothing in here has gluten.
- Vegetarian? Vegan? Substitute animal-based protein for beans, seitan, or tofu.
- State of Slim Compliant? Oh hell yes. This is phase 1 compliant. In fact, this soup was perfected during my first phase 1.
- 1 protein
- I do not count the olive oil in this recipe because it is 1-2 tbsp for 8 servings.
Souper Filling Soup
Equipment
- Extra Large Pot
Ingredients
Protein
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2.5 lbs Protein /Diced Chicken Breast/Stew Beef/ Ground Beef/Tofu/Beans cubed (except beans)
The Rest
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 White Onion chopped
- 1 Bunch Celery chopped
- 6 Cloves Garlic minced
- 1.5 lbs Carrots chopped
- 8-12 oz Frozen Cauliflower chopped down
- 8-12 oz Frozen Green Beans
- 8 oz Mushroom chopped (Optional)
- 1 Leek chopped (optional)
- 1 Parsnip chopped (optional)
- 4 Bay Leaves
- 4 Sprigs Fresh Parsley
- 32 oz Chicken/Vegetable/Beef Stock match to your protein
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Enough water to cover ingredients
Instructions
The Protein (ignore this step for beans)
- In a large bowl, toss protein with 1tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a dash of pepper.
- Heat an EXTRA large pot to medium. Once it is warm, begin to brown your protein in batches. Make sure not to crowd your pan. Let protein brown for 2-3 minutes before stirring and then cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Repeat the previous step until all protein is browned. Set meat aside.
- Sage Tip: Don't Forget the FOND. After cooking protein, there is often a delicious roasty bit on the bottom of the pan called a fond. And you should never waste it. With the pan still on the heat, pour a 1/2-1 cup of water on the pan. Scrape your spoon across the bottom of the pan to get the Fond) off the bottom. Pour the fond water into a bowl on the side for later use.
The SOUP
- Return the EXTRA LARGE pot to medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Bring olive oil up to temperature. Throw a single onion piece in the pot, if it starts sizzling, the oil is ready. If no sizzle, no onion.
- Cook onions in pan until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add in chopped celery and carrots. Season with a pinch of salt. Stir the mixture known as MirePoix occasionally. Allow to cook down for up to 10 minutes.
- Add in chopped garlic, cook for 2 minutes or until you can smell the garlic 🙂
- Now, chuck in your protein (animal or plant-based.) Let them mingle for 1-2 minutes in the mirepoix goodness.
- Next, add cauliflower, green beans, stock, bay leaves, parsley, and top with water until all ingredients are covered.
- If you have optional veggies, toss them in now.
- Cover the pot, bring to a simmer, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Occasionally, stirring it.
- Remove lid and taste test along the way. IF the broth is weak, add bouillon cubes.
- This should be a light broth, but hearty filling soup.
- Often, I will let this simmer on my stove for a few hours to encourage the flavors to meld and mix.
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