Souper Stew Times Two

I don't know about the weather in your neck of the woods, but here in the Shenandoah Valley it seems that in a matter of a week Autumn has arrived in full force! The temperatures during the day hover around 75 and at night...well, it's starting to get brisk when I take Watson out for his last walk of the night!

Autumn is my absolute favorite season for so many reasons but a huge reason - it's soup season! I could eat soup all day, every day and be completely happy. So, to celebrate the start of Autumn and the many nights of helping myself to a steaming bowl of delicious soup (or stew) I thought I'd share two new soup recipes I'm loving!

Homemade Ham, Bean and Bacon Soup

All of the crispy bacon!

Veggies simmering away...

What You Need

- 4 ounces bacon, any style

- 4 ounces diced ham

- 1 cup diced onions

- 1 cup diced carrots

- 1 tsp. garlic powder (you can also use 2 cloves of garlic; I didn't have any on hand)

- 4 cups chicken broth

- 3 cans of Great Northern beans; drained

- 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce

- salt & pepper to taste

Doesn't this look like something you'd want to eat? A carrot, ham & bean smoothie?

Please ignore that it looks less than appealing from this angle - it is SO good.

What You Need to Do

- Cook the bacon in your soup pot until cooked through/crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside, retaining the bacon grease in your pot (no more than 2 tablespoons).

- Add the onions and carrots and saute in the bacon grease for approximately 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook about a minute more. Stir in the chicken broth, ham and beans, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a bubble and then reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for one hour. 

- Remove half the soup and put in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add back to the soup and stir in well. Add the can of tomato sauce and crumble in the cooked bacon. Let the soup simmer for 5 minutes more and then serve!

- Garnish with (more) bacon or shredded mozzarella cheese. Or just eat it as it is...either way, it's great!

Putting in the finishing touches!

Ignore the fine china & instead gaze at the yummy soup!

Seven Can Soup

Seriously - seven cans. That's it. I mean...almost...

It looks rough at this point, I'll give you that. Give it time.

What You Need

- 1 can black beans

- 1 can kidney beans

- 1 can pinto beans

- 1 can corn

- 1 can petite diced tomatoes

- 1 can Rotel (original)

- 1 can chili w/out beans

- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese; cubed

- salt & pepper to taste

The cheese & wine section of the kitchen counter, ha!

The cheese makes the ultimate sacrifice...

What You Need to Do

- Empty all seven cans into your cooking pot...do NOT drain them, just dump them. Stir together to mix well and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes.

- Add in salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

- Toss in the cubed Velveeta cheese and mix well, allowing cheese to melt.

- Serve immediately! You can garnish with tortilla chips...and if you're like me, a little bit more cheese. Again, you really don't have to garnish this at all because it's SO yummy. And SO easy!

The finished product!

So - there you have it. Two delicious soups to make as the weather starts to get a little cooler. I'm so excited for Autumn and so excited that soup season is here! And lest you think I came up with these all on my own, I'll give credit where credit is due: Ham Bean & Bacon Soup - Pintrest find, Seven Can Soup - The Pioneer Woman!