Tuscan Gnocchi, Kale and Spicy Sausage Soup

January 7, 2015December 3, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

It’s soup season. Don’t get me wrong, I love soup year-round, but B is much more likely to eat soup when it’s cold out. So we’ve been eating a lot of soup lately. When I was home, I had my mom’s minestrone soup (she makes it with butternut squash! so good) and her chicken noodle soup. When B and I get takeout, we’ve been pretty consistent about getting our favorite place – Souper Market. Give me soup, a hunk of bread and maybe some cheese and I’m good to go.

So needless to say, I was inspired to make some soup the other day. Of course it ended up being a 50 degree fall day (not 20s or 30s) but soup was still the perfect dinner. Paired with a hunk of Italian bread and brie, and this soup made a perfect dinner for B and I.

Tuscan Gnocchi, Kale and; Spicy Sausage Soup - i crashed the web

Tuscan Gnocchi, Kale and Spicy Sausage Soup

(a somewhat lightened version of a recipe from Gimme Some Oven)

Here’s what you need:

1 pound ground hot Italian chicken sausage
1 yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper (use more if you like heat!)
1 pound potato gnocchi
1 bunch kale, with stems removed and chopped
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Here’s what you do:

Add Italian sausage, carrot and diced onion to a large Dutch oven or pot. Break up sausage with a spoon and cook on medium-high heat until sausage is browned. Drain out some of the excess grease if possible. (I didn’t have as much grease because I used chicken as opposed to traditional sausage)
Add in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, diced roasted red peppers, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper. Keep on medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.
When the soup starts to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the gnocchi and kale. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the gnocchi are cooked through and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more crushed red pepper if needed. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve warm.

For another kale and sausage recipe (apparently I like the combo) that can be made in your crockpot, check out Healthy Crockpot Recipe: Tuscan Chicken Sausage, Kale and Vegetable Soup.

Tuscan Gnocchi, Kale and Spicy Sausage Soup - i crashed the web

More Crock Pot Deliciousness: Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Soup {recipe}

July 18, 2013July 17, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Have I told you how much I LOVE my crock pot? I know I have. I’m sure I have. Well, if I haven’t – let me tell you now: I LOVE MY CROCK POT.

check out my skills. i made this.

I came across this recipe when we had a pot luck for work a few months ago. When I saw the list of stuff people had planned to bring to our crock pot luck (get it?) and saw it was buffalo chicken dip, chicken paprikash, some desserts, and so on, I knew I had to bring something healthy. So naturally I scrolled through one of my favorite blogs, Skinnytaste, and decided on this recipe. I made it and REALLY enjoyed it. I enjoyed it again and again actually – because there were tons of leftovers! Why’s that? Apparently “spicy” and “black beans” are scary at potluck. Yup, scary. A few of my coworkers shied away from it when they heard it was “spicy” (it’s not really) or it had “Black beans” in it. Which meant – more for me! (and it also meant that when half the office got sick from the potluck the next day everyone agreed it WASN’T my bean soup that got them sick … because none of the sickos tried it. It feels good to be cleared of the food poisoning charge) And more for B, who really liked it as well. So this week when I noticed my crock pot was looking kinda lonely (as tends to happen when its 80+ degrees out) I decided to make some of it again. Not only does cooking in the crock pot mean I’m not cooking on a hot day (it cooks for me while I’m at work!) but it also means that I can stay outside and enjoy the sunshine a little longer knowing that dinner is ready when I get home 🙂 Oh, and did I tell you that it’s low fat? (Yup, one large bowl that’s 1.5 c has less than 6 grams of fat and 300 something calories) crock pot chicken and black bean soup spicy Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Soup (modified from Skinnytaste, very slightly. but look at her recipe because her pictures are way better!) Here’s what you need:

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3.5 c low sodium chicken broth
About 20-30 oz canned tomatoes with green chilies (I found 10 oz cans and 15 oz cans and used 2 of the 10 oz this time, last time I used 2 of the 15 oz cans)
1 red bell pepper, minced
2 jalapenos, minced
4 oz can diced green chiles
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 skinless chicken breast

Here’s what you do:

Using a food processor, combine one can of beans with 1.5 cups of the chicken broth. Puree them together and add to your slow cooker.
Add the other can of beans and the remaining 2 c of chicken broth to the slow cooker.
Add canned tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapenos, diced green chiles, cumin, chile powder, garlic powder, onion powder and chicken breasts.
Set your crock pot to High for four hours, or Low for 6-8 hours (mine took 6).
Before serving, remove the chicken and shred. Place back in the slow cooker. Serve!
Original recipe suggests serving with avocado, cilantro, sour cream, etc. I just had mine plain and enjoyed it tremendously! B added more hot sauce to his.

spicy black bean and chicken soup in your crock pot

Again, Skinnytaste’s pictures are much better…look at hers.

A SOUP-er Roundup!

October 12, 2012October 13, 2012 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

The weather has definitely been getting colder in Cleveland, which means that I’ve not only been baking up a storm, but B and I have also been in the kitchen more to cook. Baked ziti? Homemade sauce? Spaghetti squash? Homemade pasta with home baked bread? You name it – if I can turn the oven on, I’m happy.

Still, what about those days when all you want is a hearty helping of soup and crusty bread? Lately I’ve been just frequenting the Souper Market – but I plan to attempt to make at least one soup on my own as the days get cooler. Here are some of the soups I’m dying to cook:

Slow Cooker Taco Stew (from Mommy Hates Cooking)

Fall Harvest Stew (from The Daily Balance – another Clevelander!)

Tuscan Chicken Sausage, Kale and Vegetable Soup (from me!)

Spicy Pumpkin Soup (from My Recipes)

Buffalo Chicken Soup (from Bake Your Day)

Chicken Tortilla Soup (from The Pioneer Woman)

AND for those days that I don’t feel like turning on the crockpot or waiting for some soup to cook?

I “indulge” in the best light soup: I recently got to try some of Progresso’s new light creamy soups! I was sent the Chicken Pot Pie and Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese. The best part about the soups? They’re 100 calories per serving.

So if you’re me – you have two 100 calorie lunches to play around with (I usually also bring a side salad or a sandwich on an English muffin to round out the meal) – or if you’re B, you have one 200 calorie (yes, he eats the whole can) soup on your hand. The other cool thing? I was sent this really cute gift set – it included two cans of soups, a gift bag, a water bottle and a soup mug (yes, I ate mine out of my mug)!

I definitely recommend you check these soups out if you’re looking for something creamy, but light, to enjoy this winter or fall. Do they taste exactly like the originals and non-light soups? No … but I still really enjoyed them!