CK's Kitchen: Warm up the season with 11-can soup

Birthday cookbook A big fan of Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, I was super excited to flip through her newest cookbook, which promises "120 shortcut recipes for dinners, desserts and more." After determining there were several recipes I'd love to try out during my post-Thanksgiving trip to Costco, I took a screenshot of the cover and sent it to my daughter as a birthday idea. Within a week it was my newest cookbook to join a library of more than 60 others I've curated over the years. This 11-Can Soup recipe stood out to me right away because it was plant-based, foolproof and full of interesting cans of healthful ingredients. COVID relief Unfortunately, COVID hit home this holiday season: our home. First with my daughter contracting it through a work exposure and my luck ran out on Christmas when I tested positive 10 days later, after being exposed to multiple people. Thankfully my symptoms were mild compared to many and I was thankful to feel well enough to open 11 cans and dump them into my Dutch oven to make us a nourishing dinner. Finally free from isolation, Emma didn't even complain about running to the grocery to collect the beans, tomatoes, artichokes, pesto, mushrooms and peppers. It took less than five minutes to get everything into the pot for it to boil. This may be just the COVID relief I was craving! Soup for you Since I had nothing but time — another eight days in quarantine — I let it simmer for a full hour to let the flavors meld into a surprisingly tasty combo that I decided to pair with some cheesy garlic bread. I loved all the textures in the soup, especially the artichoke hearts and mushrooms. One bowlful was super filling and warmed me all the way to my toes. My daughter enjoyed the soup as well even though she hasn't recovered all of her taste buds yet. She had a second bowlful the next day and I had enough leftover to share with my best friend who also caught COVID before the holiday. Economical, fast and delicious, this dump-and-stir marvel is definitely worth making. Chrissy Kadleck can be reached at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net. 11-can soup One 16-ounce jar sliced roasted red peppers One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with garlic and basil One 15-ounce can tomato sauce One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, undrained One 15-ounce can great northern beans, undrained One 15-ounce can chickpeas, undrained One 15-ounce can minestrone soup One 14.25-ounce can cut Italian green beans One 14-ounced can quartered artichoke hearts One 8-ounce can sliced mushrooms, pieces and stems One 6-ounce jar prepared pesto 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning Salt (optional) Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving 1. Make the soup: Open all the cans and jars first so you're ready to roll. And here's something cool: no draining! That's part of the awesomeness. 2. Dump the roasted peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cannellini beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, minestrone, green beans, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms into a large soup pot or Dutch oven. 3. Add the pesto. You won't regret it. 4. Sprinkle in the dried parsley and Italian seasoning. 5. Stir everything together. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes … one hour if you have the time. 6. Taste the soup for seasoning, adding a little salt if needed. 7. Ladle it up and serve with grated Parmesan. Makes 8 Servings SOURCE: The Pioneer Woman Cooks Super Easy! 2021