We have a wonderful Used Book Store in town.  It’s in an old home, so imagine each section in it’s own little room, most complete with quiet reading areas.  On the day I discovered this Roasted Garlic Bread Soup recipe, Shelby and I went in opposite directions.  If I recall she was looking for books on the Dalai Lama and I was in cookbook heaven.

I was flipping through an old cookbook, one printed back before every recipe came with full sized color pictures.  There were a few pages with the corners turned down, which is why I stayed with it.  One of those pages had a recipe for Roasted Garlic Bread Soup.  I’m certain I did a double take.  Roasted garlic bread soup.  I read that right.

Here’s How to Oven Roast Garlic.

I recall the simple recipe called for heads of roasted garlic, a loaf of crusty bread, chicken broth, cream, shallot, thyme, salt & pepper.  Without a picture, I wasn’t exactly sure what the finished result would look like.

I chose to top our soup with sautéed mushrooms and shaved parmesan cheese.  The finished result was a garlic lovers dream.  I’ve categorized this recipe under Appetizers as well as Soups.  While we loved the richness, we thought it was a bit heavy to eat a large bowl full.  Much better in cup sized servings, where every silken bite is savored.

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Roasted Garlic Bread Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of crusty bread we used Tuscan Roasted Garlic Bread, about 5-6 cups cubed
• 2 heads of garlic
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 1 shallot minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream
• salt & pepper to taste
• parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Roast heads of garlic (see How To link in post).
• Large cube bread and spread on baking sheet. Toast in oven for 10-15 minutes, until slightly crispy. Reserve 1 cup of toasted cubes for serving.
• While garlic roasts, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, sauté mushrooms until browned nicely on both sides. Do not overcrowd pan. Work in batches if necessary. Reserve.
• In a soup pot, sauté shallot in 1 Tbl. olive oil until tender, add in thyme sprigs, chicken broth; bring to a simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Reduce to low; remove thyme, stir in cream, roasted garlic and toasted bread (less reserved one cup).
• Fold to combine, then puree lightly. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• To serve, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese, sautéed mushrooms & reserved toasted bread cubes.

The post Roasted Garlic Bread Soup appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Italian Sausage Soup {with Mushrooms, Onions & Peppers}.

Like many of our favorites, this recipe happened by accident.  While making one of our go-to week night meals (Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and diced tomatoes) I came to realize my favorite part of the dish was the broth.  The awe-mazing broth. 

So why not build on those wonderful flavors and turn that dish into this Italian Sausage Soup {with Mushrooms, Onions & Peppers} soup recipe.  I’m all in.  One-pot, these ingredients, not a lot of words….just flavor building.

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Italian Sausage Soup {with Mushrooms, Onions & Peppers}

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8 -10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 2 medium onions diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 pound mushrooms quartered
• 12 ounces sweet peppers diced
• 2 jalapeno fine diced
• 6-8 garlic cloves peeled & chopped
• 1 30- ounce can diced tomatoes preferably No Salt Added
• 2 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• salt & pepper to taste
• 6 ounces small pasta prepared according to pkg. directions
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Add in sausage links and brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Meanwhile slice and dice onions, mushrooms and peppers.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add in onions, mushrooms, peppers, and garlic; cover and allow to cook down for 15 minutes or until just tender.
• Add in tomatoes, broth and seasoning; allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Meanwhile prepare pasta according to package instructions.
• Adjust seasoning to taste. Slice sausage into chunks before serving. Place warm pasta in bowls, topped with a ladle or two of hot soup. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Serve with toasted Italian bread.

Notes

We love pasta in soups when cooked separately and added late to the dish. Otherwise the pasta wants to drink up that awe-mazing broth.
The fresh spinach shown in the ingredients picture, never made it into this batch of soup. I would add it just a couple minutes before serving.

The post Italian Sausage Soup {with Mushrooms, Onions & Peppers} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I am a huge fan of couscous and an even bigger fan of changing it up each time we make it.  For Mushroom, Spinach & Herb Couscous, I add diced fresh mushrooms, and sliced scallions to the cooking water, along with a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of fine chopped fresh lemony thyme, and about a 1/2 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning.

When the water comes to a boil, stir in the couscous, cover the pot and remove from the heat for 5 minutes.

Fluff the couscous with a fork and gently fold in a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach leaves.  Return the lid and allow the spinach to wilt for a few minutes before serving.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Mushroom, Spinach & Herb Couscous you can be my sidekick any day!!

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Mushroom, Spinach & Herb Couscous

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 cup couscous
• 3 oz. fresh mushrooms diced
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. fresh lemony thyme finely chopped
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach leaves stems trimmed
• salt & pepper

Instructions

• In a medium sauce pan, add 1 1/4 cups water, mushrooms, scallions, thyme, olive oil, and Mrs. Dash seasoning and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat, stir in couscous, cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Fluff couscous with a fork and gently stir in fresh spinach. Cover and allow spinach to wilt before serving, 3-4 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

The post Mushroom, Spinach & Herb Couscous appeared first on Lemony Thyme.