Have You Ever Made Soup From Scratch?

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Food For Thought

Sunday, December 04, 2011

by Janelle Sorensen, Chief Communications Officer, Healthy Child Healthy World

In the latest news of BPA (that contentious little endocrine disruptor who loves the media spotlight), researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that eating of a single serving of canned soup daily over five days resulted in an over 1000 percent increase in urinary BPA levels.

Whoah.

If you’ve never considered making homemade soup, now may be the time.

I started to several years ago and, as I’ve found with many “convenience” foods, it’s not so hard to make soup from scratch. Actually, my husband and I now find it quite enjoyable and we long for these chilly winter months when a fresh, hot bowl of soup is so satisfying.

I find the methodical rhythm of chopping up veggies quasi-meditative and relaxing (though, if you don’t, a food processor will speed things up considerably). And, the smell of a simmering soup is heavenly on a snowy, blustery day. Soup, in general, is very calming and comforting. But, now I know that homemade soup magnifies those qualities to a near dream state.

So, it’s clearly not going to be three minutes in a microwave, but I’ve whipped up delicious soups in less than 30 minutes. And, if you double your batch and freeze some - you can indeed serve homemade soup (at a later date) in minutes.

Here are some supremely easy and delicious recipes to try:

Pappa Al Pomodoro Laurie David and Kirsten Uhrenholdt (co-authors of The Family Dinner Book). Sometimes you just fling open your pantry and hope that dinner has just magically appeared. Well ta da! Here is dinner, Pappa al Pomodoro (Simple Tomato and Bread Soup), and it is almost magic.
Nurturing Butternut Squash Soup With Parmesan Crisps from Anni Daulter. Butternut squash has a sweet, nutty flavor and is an amazing food ¾ rich in vitamins A and C and easy to grow in a home vegetable patch. When roasted and pureed, butternut squash is a great first food for babies and can be turned into many wonderful dishes for the entire family.
Alphabet Soup from Tamra Davis. Using fun shaped noodles will almost guarantee even the pickiest eater will love your homemade soup!

Find more recipes in our Eat Healthy archives! The great thing about our recipes is that we add easy tips for reducing toxic exposures associated with mealtime, making your meals more eco-friendly, and making food fun for kids!

Have you ever made homemade soup? What are your family’s favorite recipes?

Learn more:

Photo courtesy Laurel Fan / CC BY 2.0

Posted by Family shopping on 12/24/2011 at 01:52 PM

My husband is lazy cooking for the family but whenever he does, his soup is always great.

Posted by Janine @ Alternative Housewife on 12/09/2011 at 11:39 PM

My husband made soup from scratch this week - I think it’s the first he has made for us as a family, and it was SO good. It does definitely make canned soups less appealing. He made ours into homemade chicken pot pie as well! Everyone gobbled it right up, including the toddler & the dog!

Posted by Katrina Kotowski on 12/09/2011 at 01:27 PM

Is there any other kind? Seriously, since I found a good recipe for chicken broth, I’ve not been able to stomach canned soup. If you’ve never tried soup from scratch, please try it.

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