winter soup 3 the slanted spoon (Photo credit: wintersoul1)

Be prepared for those upcoming cold winter days when the weather keeps everyone home and hungry. A pot of soup is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to feed a family on a budget. There’s no limit when it comes to soup. Be creative.  Here are two cheap and easy ideas.

Soup doesn’t have to be bland and boring. With a little practice, the Winter weekly soup night may become a family favorite.

Creamy Cheesy Potato Soup

Adapt this frugal recipe to personal preferences. Consider adding broccoli, spinach. kale or sausage for variation.

Ingredients :

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream

Cooking Instructions :

1. In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add potatoes, onion, and chicken broth. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, make the cream sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter, add the flour and stir constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Add milk and bring to a boil, but be careful not to scorch or scald the milk.
3. Stir constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese and keep stirring until cheese is melted.
4. Add the cheese sauce and sour cream to the potatoes, onions and broth. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Stir until thoroughly blended. Return to medium heat and heat until warm. Remove from heat and serve with warm buttered toast and crackers.

Easy Taco Soup

This is a quick, cheap semi-homemade recipe that goes a long way. Serve with crackers, corn chips, shredded cheese and sour cream (if desired).

Ingredients:

• 1 large family size 48 ounce (3lb) can of ready to eat pinto beans
• 1 pound of ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 chopped onion
• 1  ( 7.5 ounce) bottle of Taco Bell Taco Sauce ( I prefer mild)
• 1 can of corn
• 2 cups of water

Directions:

1. Brown the ground turkey and onions together, drain any fat off
2. In a large 4 Qt soup pot, bring the water to a bowl
3. Reduce down to a simmer
4. Add the taco seasoning and blend well
5. Now add the beans, taco meat, onions, Rotel and corn. It’s fine to dump everything into the pot.
6. Stir and keep warm until ready to serve.

* This soup can easily be dished up into individual serving or family size cartons and frozen until needed**