A couple of weeks ago, I was driving through Central Pennsylvania, admiring the gorgeous rolling hillsides brightly spotted with the colors of fall.

Keeping my eyes focused on the road wasn’t the only challenge. It’s scenes like these that make me think of all the foods I enjoy when the leaves turn and the weather becomes a bit more chilly. Not the least of these are my favorite soups.

And I know I’m not the only one. Here at Nino’s, it’s a particularly tricky business when we’re preparing all of our delicious soups for you to enjoy! We keep a particular eye on the weather because regardless of the calendar, when an unexpected warm front blows through Southeast Michigan, people think more of grilling and less about enjoying a bowl of delicious soup.

And the reverse happens when a cold snap hits.

Well, I think fall is here to stay, so I wanted to ladle up a couple more of my soup recipes to be sure you’re prepared for the remainder of our chilly autumn.  Likewise, those cold winter months are only a couple of calendar pages away.  So without further ado, here they are: My first recipe is easy peasy but ohhhh so good. It’s a broth-style soup, but if you like, you can puree the beans before adding them to the soup, which will give you a creamier texture and more body.

3 Sausage Soup With Spinach & Bacon

Makes about 1 Quart (or 4 Servings)

1 Link Each                    Sweet Italian Sausage Spinach Feta &
Chicken Sausage, Nino’s Homemade Bratwurst
4 Strips                          Bacon, Cut into ½” Pieces
½ Cup                           Sweet Onion, ¼” Slivers or Diced
5 Ounces (1/2 Bag)       Baby Spinach
1 – 15 oz Can                Pinto Beans (Rinsed)
2 Cups                           Chicken Stock/Broth
½ Cup                            Roma Tomato, Diced ¼” (Garnish)
To Taste                         Salt & Pepper

In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve 2 tbsp of the bacon grease in the pan.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the sausages (whole) and brown on all sides. Continue to slowly cook the sausages until they are completely cooked. Remove the sausages, cool and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Again, save 2 tbsp of grease in the pan.

Return heat to medium. Add onions and sweat until softened. If they brown a little, that’s okay.

Add spinach and stir until they wilt.

Add back the bacon, sausage and all remaining ingredients, except the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes on low heat. Skim off any excess fat that floats to the surface.

Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes just before service.

My next recipe is a hearty, almost chili-style soup and one that I really love. You can season this to your taste with additional heat or add other ingredients like roasted corn, ripe avocado or diced tomato. Watch the video, and then follow the recipe below.

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup With Crispy Tortilla Chips

 Makes about 1 Quart (or 4 servings)

2 – 15 oz Cans      La Preferida Red Chile Enchilada Sauce
2/3 Cup                 Heavy Cream
1 tsp                     Cumin, Ground
1 tsp                     Dark Chili Powder
¼ tsp                    Chipotle Powder
2 Cups                  Nino’s (Pulled) Rotisserie Chicken Meat (white and dark meat)
½ Cup                  Black Beans, Cooked, Drained
2 TBSP                 Cilantro, Fresh Leaves, Chopped
¼ Cup                  Sour Cream
1 Cup                   Corn Tortilla Chips, Broken

In a medium-sized saucepan, simmer together for 5 minutes the enchilada sauce, cream, cumin, chili powder and chipotle powder.

Add the pulled chicken and beans, and simmer 5 minutes.

Portion into serving bowls and top with a sprinkle of cilantro, a dollop of sour cream and the corn tortilla chips as a final garnish.

Of course, I have plenty of other delicious soup recipes to share with you that are right here on our website. Here are a few more of my favorites:

Black Bean Soup With Smoked Ham
Creamy Chicken With Tarragon, Mushrooms and Wild Rice
Spicy Maryland Crab and Corn Chowder