Notes about Recipes in this book

• Barley-leek soup with mini chicken meatballs

  • jzanger on January 25, 2021

    This was delicious and I will definitely make it again. I used better than bouillon for my stock and I added a pinch of hondashi for extra umami. To the meatballs I added an egg white to bind and definitely didn’t measure my bread crumbs and parm. I used a small 2 tsp scoop for the meatballs and cooked them for about 10 min on convection before dumping them in the soup.

  • kbrooks on August 27, 2025

    Nice hearty filling soup. My husband raved about it, especially the meatballs. Like jzanger, I added an egg white to the meatball mixture. I made them ahead and refrigerated them to firm them up. If you do this, they'll take a bit longer to cook in the oven. I thought the broth needed something, so next time I'll add some dashi, like jzanger did.

• Broccoli & cheddar soup

  • mharriman on February 28, 2021

    Very good. I made half a recipe and there was enough for three people- perfect for my two person household. This doesn’t match the richness of the version I’m addicted to at Panera, and imparts more broccoli than cheddar cheese flavor, but it’s very flavor-filled and worth repeating- and likely far fewer fat grams. I steamed about 10 small florets to float in the puréed soup With the topping of grated cheddar cheese, and those were just enough to create a bit of the chewy texture I was looking for here and there.

• Fennel-celery bisque

  • mharriman on January 27, 2020

    Superb. This recipe makes a creamy, delicious soup. Didn’t take more than an hour from start to finish and was full bodied and full-flavored without having to wait a day. I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and it was just right in richness for us. Served with a cheese board (sharp cheddar, Brie, and Gouda) a baguette, and kale salad. With the fennel bulbs and celery stalks I used, it didn’t produce enough for four main dish servings, but made three substantial ones (two main entree size, and one full leftover portion). Definitely will repeat.

• New England clam chowder

  • mharriman on January 31, 2020

    Two of us really liked the fresh thyme in this clam chowder. I put in 3x more than called for, and the amount added flavor depth to the other ingredients. Also used celery tops as well as celery stalks, and that helped infuse additional flavor. Served with leftover shrimp and cauliflower mediterranean bake and the two went well together.

• Sun-dried tomato soup with crab

  • mharriman on August 30, 2021

    Just okay with some tweaking. I followed the directions and the outcome was sun-roasted tomato puree. To make it into soup I added a second cup of chicken broth. I liked the sun-dried tomato flavor and it was easy to make but not so good I’ll rush to make it again. The crab topping was a nice protein and flavor enhancer.

• Sausage & kale soup (Caldo verde)

  • Lasodac on March 24, 2017

    I didn't think it was necessary to perform the blending step. I left the potatoes whole and it was delicious!

  • mharriman on February 23, 2023

    If I were to make this again, I would make it one full day ahead of serving. The first night the soup tasted bland to us, even with a good amount of freshly ground black pepper. By the second night, the flavors had blended together and the pureed broth and potatoes had become rich and creamy. The Kale was still intact and bright green. The directions to puree the broth and cooked sliced potatoes, leaving some potatoes intact made no sense (how would that happen?). I set aside 3/4 cup of potatoes before pureeing. That worked well. This was a good, hearty cold weather soup with the modifications noted.

• Cream of asparagus soup

  • mharriman on April 20, 2018

    Satisfyingly healthy soup but on the bland side. The “cream” is the garnish not the soup itself, so it’s a healthy vegetarian light dinner, especially if you skip the sour cream or creme fraiche. I liked the quick cooking asparagus tips in lemon water that are put on top of the soup with the sour cream. Served with a garden salad, baguette, and Sauvignon blanc. Would make a nice light first course for a company meal.

• Moroccan lamb meatball & couscous soup

  • jzanger on February 03, 2020

    Really tasty, and I think very adaptable. I added cubed winter squash, turnips, and some mustard greens as well as lemon zest and juice at the end. Also, I cooked the tomato paste-spice mixture in a little olive oil before mixing with the lamb.

• Chilled potato & leek soup (Vichyssoise)

  • mharriman on April 02, 2018

    A tasty, lighter, and mostly vegan version of the classic soup. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken and served this to vegan family members at Easter Dinner. I’m not vegan but loved this healthier version soup!

• Asparagus-chervil purée with lemon mascarpone

  • mharriman on February 26, 2022

    This recipe makes a very tasty light lunch or dinner soup side dish. I used Italian parsley as there was no chervil at my grocer’s. The lemon mascarpone elevates the overall flavor. Takes well under an hour from prep to table.

  • peaceoutdesign on August 25, 2025

    Very fresh and summery. I used Ricotta in place of the mascarpone, and it still turned out great.

• Spinach soup with sumac & feta

  • julie_49v0hf on May 25, 2026

    Would probably add sausage next time to make it heartier - but great with a side of toasted sourdough

• Potato-leek purée with smoked salmon & dill

  • mharriman on May 04, 2019

    Creamy and flavorful. I substituted half and half (to reduce fat calories) for the heavy cream, and the soup was still substantial. The smoked salmon was a nice contrast to the potato and leeks. Easy to make. Served with a baguette and a spinach, almond, and strawberry salad.

• Lump crab in tomato-rosemary broth

  • mharriman on June 17, 2021

    I changed the recipe by not straining the soup at the end to make a clear tomato broth. I wanted to eat all those lovely roasted tomatoes. So, Instead, I puréed 1/3 of the soup so it was creamy but still contained chunks of roasted tomatoes. The addition of the lump crab made me think I was eating crab cocktail more than anything. I liked the soup without the crab; it’s worth a repeat.

• Roasted red pepper purée with spicy corn salsa

  • breakthroughc on July 26, 2025

    This was a good easy vegetarian soup. My jar of roasted peppers was only 24 ounces and my potato was large. Ir needed a fair amount of salt and I added some Tabasco and a pinch of sugar. The corn salsa is what makes this soup. I used a jalapeño and a serrrano so my salsa had some heat. I added a diced avocado as I had one that needed using. It was a nice addition. Cilantro would also be good. I used frozen corn. Fresh would be better, but frozen was fine. If you have a couple of peppers this is a pantry soup. I would make again. This is some trickery going on with the photo….The salsa does not float on top of the soup, but mostly sinks.

• Creamy poblano chile soup

  • peaceoutdesign on August 23, 2022

    I toasted the almonds instead of blanching and it added to the taste. I used shallots instead of the onion because that was what was on hand. This was very simple and delicious.

• Simple zucchini soup

  • mharriman on July 31, 2020

    This is the best zucchini soup recipe I have in my zucchini soup recipe collection, so it’s like an old friend when I remember to make it. Salting and letting the zucchini sit over a colander, then squeezing out all the moisture, doubles the cooking time, but worth the results. We like the subtle lemon juice flavor in this version.

• Mussel chowder

  • mharriman on August 03, 2018

    A nice, comforting soup, especially with a baguette. I doubled the ingredients, so the most time consuming part of making the chowder was taking the mussels out of the shells. This was fine on a rainy summer night but would be even better on a cool Fall day or cold winter night.

• Gazpacho

  • mharriman on July 27, 2022

    As this is a chunky gazpacho, it requires a lot of chopping vegetables into very small pieces and separating them into bowls to add individually. The finished result was delicious but not sure the soup’s that much better than ones I’ve made that don’t require so much prep or clean up. Great and interesting way to eat a lot of vegetables, though! Makes about 10 servings.

• Watermelon gazpacho with goat cheese croûtes

  • mharriman on August 04, 2017

    I had a whole half of a watermelon left after a family gathering, so this recipe was a great way to use it up. It was an easy soup to make. The recipe called for a half of a small jalapeño which wasn't very helpful (how small is small?) I didn't want too much kick so I only used about 1/4 teaspoon of minced pepper. My husband and I agreed it would have been better with more because although refreshing, the soup was on bland side. Next time I'll go for a full teaspoon. Served it with an Oregon favorite: shrimp Louie salad. They were great together on a hot summer evening.

• Fideo & chicken soup with queso fresco

  • JDeMarois on February 05, 2026

    Wow, this exceeded expectations. I did poach chicken thighs and use the resulting broth in lieu of turning on the oven, but otherwise followed the recipe. Next time I’ll toast the fideo before adding to the soup for that additional flavor. Very quick, and so delicious.

• Chilled cucumber-buttermilk soup with dilled shrimp

  • MarciK on August 09, 2022

    I made this without the shrimp and with mint instead of dill. I made half the recipe and had just less than the amount of cucumber it called for. Mine wasn't as green, and a little more vinegar and less cucumber tasting than when I would prefer, but overall it was very good for a quick summer lunch for myself using ingredients from my garden. I'd make it again, but next time I would make sure that I use more cucumber or less vinegar/buttermilk.

• Charred eggplant soup with cumin & Greek yogurt

  • mharriman on October 07, 2019

    Delicious. We very much liked the earthy flavors and healthy ingredients in this soup. I cut up and roasted my eggplant rather than grill them, so the smoky taste from grilling was absent but the roasted flavor was fine with us. I used ripe off my backyard vine tomatoes which were a treat. The plain yogurt topping and cumin spice makes this soup a winner.

• Tomato, zucchini & fresh corn soup

  • mharriman on July 11, 2020

    This was a good rather than awesome soup. It is definitely a healthy soup with so many vegetables. My husband liked it better than I did. I thought it was on the bland side.The recipe is definitely a good one for summer when fresh zucchini, tomatoes, and corn are in their prime. I used basil from my garden; that added an extra amount of flavor because it was picked five minutes before we ate the soup. However, I still thought the soup was on the bland side. I am not known to add salt and pepper at the dinner table, but I did with this soup. It needs something to jazz it up. Served with a Romaine salad, baguette,and Sauvignon blanc wine.

• Mussels in saffron broth

  • mharriman on October 02, 2017

    My favorite mussel recipe! I love saffron and love mussels, so the two paired together with broth and crusty French bread makes a delicious and fairly light meal. I served this with a Waldorf salad and Sauvignon Blanc wine over the weekend and it was wonderful as always. I always double the amount of broth called for to help in steaming the mussels.

• Turkey & white bean chili

  • RaucusBacchus on April 28, 2024

    Page: 210 Add: +2 cups chicken stock +More beans +More turkey

• Cauliflower soup with cheddar & blue cheese

  • mharriman on February 09, 2021

    My husband loves cauliflower and he loves aged blue cheese, so this soup is always a hit with him. I like it because it’s creamy without being heavy on the dairy. The only dairy is the fairly small amount of cheddar In the soup and the small amount of blue cheese crumbled over it before serving. Recipe comes together in less than an hour but tastes Like it’s longer simmering. Tonight we had it with a power greens salad and a baguette. Nice comfort food on a cold night.

  • peaceoutdesign on February 17, 2021

    I needed to use up some blue cheese so I doubled that and emitted the cheddar, blending it into the soup. I roasted the cauliflower. It didn't need cream but because I roasted the cauliflower, I used 1/4c to lighten the color. I was very good and probably would have been just as good as written.

• Beef stew with turnips & greens

  • Barb_N on November 18, 2015

    I was inspired to make this by a perfect bunch of turnips at the market. It is an unfussy recipe yielding a tasty stew. It didn't take any longer to make than stated (a rarity). Would definitely make again.

• Corn soup with chanterelles & thyme

  • mharriman on October 01, 2018

    This was a nice (good rather than great) soup and pretty fast to put together. Very few ingredients. I reduced the olive oil and butter in half and used half and half instead of heavy cream and it was still very creamy and rich tasting. No chanterelle mushrooms were available so I used shiitake instead. The thyme from my garden was a nice flavor addition. Would make again.

• Pork & roasted tomatillo stew

  • Keith_P on October 13, 2022

    Adapted for InstantPot by using the IP sauté function to sauté and then pressure cooking for 20 minutes. Delicious!

• Savory barley soup with wild mushrooms & thyme

  • Aggie92 on December 29, 2014

    Quick, easy and oh so delicious on a cold winter evening. Made a few changes - doubled the mushrooms, added an extra 1/4 cup of wine, and added about 2 cups ofcooked turkey breast meat. My pearl barley was small and cooked in 25 minutes. Next time I will remember to add the optional Parmesean cheese rind.

• White bean & ham soup with corn bread croutons

  • NaomiH on November 18, 2018

    Delicious, simple soup. I substituted black-eyed peas for the white beans. The cornbread croutons are nice but not necessary for a weeknight dinner. I will probably serve with regular cornbread next time.

• Cream of onion soup

  • bching on March 14, 2015

    Delicious but a lot of work. I read the instructions carefully and found some ways to cut down on the pans and bowls called for. I also made 1.5 times the quantity and was glad I did so that we could have a few bowls leftover for lunch the next day.

• Orzo, delicata squash & chicken soup with sage

  • BatCityGirl on March 07, 2026

    This was easy to make and a good lunch.

• Short rib stew with paprika sour cream

  • bwehner on March 05, 2017

    Delicious. Next time I'll make the ribs the day before to break up the length

• Broccoli soup with Parmesan-lemon frico

  • mharriman on March 18, 2019

    A lovely, fast soup that felt light for a broccoli- based one. I used 2/3 cup of half and half to reduce the fat content and the soup didn’t seem to notice the difference. The frico was easy to make and tasted good but my husband and I think they needed more baking... or something. They sunk in the soup and thickened. I baked them in the time period given but would try baking them longer next time ( 7-8 minutes instead of 4) or look at a different recipe for them and give that a try. I’d never thought to make them even though I’ve loved them in restaurants.

• Ginger chicken soup

  • mharriman on May 29, 2020

    A quick and good, rather than great, soup. This soup was an excellent way to use up roasted chicken meat and was a lighter, healthier dinner. The recipe reminded me, with a bit of nostalgic emotion (before SIP) of wonderful pho soups I’ve had for lunch when out and about where I live. I substituted Baby Bella mushrooms for cremini and part of a frozen package of stir fried vegetables for the snow peas because that is what I had on hand. Will repeat for lunch.