Contest-Winning Hearty Hamburger Soup Recipe

This is home cooking at its best - economical, nourishing, yummy and straight from the garden!

Source: adapted from Taste of Home

1 lb. ground beef

4 c. beef stock

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

3 medium carrots

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 c. chopped celery

1-1/2 t. sea salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/4 t. dried oregano

1 c. fresh or frozen beans

In large saucepan, brown beef; drain.  Add remaining ingredients except green beans; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender.  Add beans.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes longer or until beans are tender.

Yield:  8 servings (2 quarts)

Peter Reinhart's All-Purpose Pizza Sauce

"Many people don't realize how easy it is to make your own [sauce] and how good it is.  Resist the urge to use too much; the sauce should just kiss the dough."

- Peter Reinhart

Source:  adapted from Better Homes & Gardens magazine, February 2012

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes*

1 1/2 t. red wine vinegar

1/2 t. granulated garlic or garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, minced)

1/2 t. dried basil (or 1 1/2 t. fresh basil, finely chopped)

1/4 t. dried oregano (or 3/4 t. fresh, finely chopped)

1/4 t. dried thyme (or 3/4 t. fresh, finely chopped)

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 t. salt

1/4 to 1/2 c. water

In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients except salt and water.  Taste sauce and whisk in 1/4 c. water and enough salt to taste.  If necessary, add more water to thin.  (According to Peter, "If the sauce is thick at this stage it will be pasty on the pizza.  It should easily spread over the dough.")  Taste again and adjust the salt, if needed. 

Makes 3 cups

*Peter's note: "The best brand of tomatoes for pizza sauce is the one you already love.  They all work well.  This sauce doesn't need cooking because the tomatoes are cooked when they're canned and the sauce cooks in the oven."

*My note:  I found that my tomatoes were a bit too juicy (they weren't a paste variety), so I drained them, but reserved the juice in case I needed it later.  I also did not need to add the extra water.

Sausage & Lentil Soup

The word "sausage" may strike fear in your heart, but don't despair!  If your little piggy was raised by a conscientious farmer and ate what pigs were always meant to eat, then sausage is not nearly as unhealthy for you as you may have been programmed to think.  Still, there's no need to eat any more meat than necessary, so I reduced the amount of sausage this recipe originally called for by half without sacrificing the flavor.

Source:  Adapted from K. Keener

Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes:

1 c. lentils

2 c. chicken stock

1/2 c. water

1 bay leaf

1 t. salt

Add to cooked lentils:

1/2 lb. sausage, browned

16 oz. canned tomatoes

1/2 c. water

1/4 t. oregano

1/2 - 1 t. sea salt

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes until lentils and celery are tender.

(The soup is very thick, so you may wish to add more water or broth to thin to desired consistency.)

Sausage with Peppers and Onions

It's not often that you come across a recipe that specifically calls for Cubanelle peppers (also called Italian frying peppers), especially one so easy!  I love Cubanelles; they have a nice mild flavor and are also yummy simply sauteed.

Source:  adapted from marthastewart.com

5 medium Cubanelle peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 large red onions, each cut into 6 wedges
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 t. chopped fresh oregano
2 T. olive oil
1 lb. hot sausage, cut on the diagonal into 2" pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Gently toss peppers, onions, garlic, oregano, oil and sausages in a large bowl.  Transfer to an 11x17" rimmed baking sheet.  Bake, gently tossing about halfway through, until sausages are cooked through and vegetables are tender, 50-55 minutes.

Serves 4

Roasted Tomato Sauce (for pizza)

Easy!

Can't wait to make some pizza and try it out.  I like the fact that you don't have to peel the tomatoes, thus saving time and labor as well as getting the nutritional benefit of the skins!

Source:  Adapted from Country Living Magazine, September 2011

2 1/2 lbs. plum tomatoes, quartered

1 yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 t. coarse sea salt

1/4 t. crushed red pepper

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

2 t. fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a 9x13" baking pan, toss together tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, oil, salt and crushed red pepper.  Roast for 1 hour.  Remove pan from oven and fold basil and oregano into vegetables.  Cook for 30 minutes more.  Cool slightly.

In a food processor, blend vegetables until pureed.  Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze or can.

Yields:  3 cups

Mixed Bean Salad

My mother used to make a similar salad, but I think I prefer this updated version.

Source:  Everyday Food magazine, September 2010

1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise

2 T. cider vinegar

3 T. olive oil

1 T. fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped

1 shallot, thinly sliced*

2 t. grainy mustard

1 can (15.5 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

sea salt

pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook green beans until bright green and crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, oregano, shallot and mustard.  Add green beans, kidney beans and chickpeas.  Toss well to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6

*Note:  I substituted 1 small red onion and a clove of minced garlic for the shallot.  (I never have shallots on hand!)

Stuffed Green Peppers Casserole

I still have a lots of  red and green cubanelle peppers in the garden, as well as some scroungy-looking tomatoes sitting on my kitchen counter, so I decided to make a double batch of this casserole for the freezer.  It also allowed me to make use of some fresh basil and oregano before the frost hits.  It's basically a recipe for stuffed peppers that I turned into a casserole so I could feature cubanelle peppers in place of the bell peppers; the cubanelles don't lend themselves to being stuffed, but they work nicely in this recipe.  Cubanelle peppers are similar to sweet Italian frying peppers and have a wonderful flavor.  Plus, for whatever reason, I have no trouble growing them, unlike Bell peppers!

For the meat, I usually use a mixture of sausage and ground beef for the best flavor.  But, since I'm trying to avoid pork these days (unless I can get it from a reputable source at a reasonable price - not very likely!), I simply used grass-fed ground beef that I get from the farmer down the road.  It was still tasty!

Organic cheese is terribly expensive, so I used just a sprinkle of a non-organic brand.

Source:  Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

2 large green peppers, or the equivalent of cubanelle peppers (red or green), seeded and coarsely chopped

3/4 pound ground beef, ground pork, ground lamb, or bulk pork sausage

1/3 c. chopped onion

1 8-oz. can tomatoes, chopped or 1 c. fresh tomatoes

1/3 c. brown rice

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. fresh basil, chopped, or 1/4 t. dried basil

1 t. fresh oregano, chopped, or 1/4 t. dried oregano

1/2 c. water

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, brown meat with onion; drain fat if necessary.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, water, salt and pepper.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until rice is tender, approximately 45 minutes.

While the meat and rice mixture is cooking, parboil peppers in a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes; drain.

When rice is tender, stir in 1/4 c. cheese and peppers.  Place in an 8x8x2" baking dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until heated through.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand for 1-2 minutes.

Serves 4.