January is the perfect month to serve soup, a soul-warming, all-in-one meal that pairs well with chilly evenings. We chose three filling soups that are quick to throw together on busy weeknights—just let the ingredients simmer on the stove until everyone is home and ready to eat. This month often gets a bad rap for its gloomy weather, so to brighten up the evening, we also picked a card game to go with each soup. Try them out—the soups and the games—and let us know what you think! Good soup and family fun may just become your new wintertime tradition.
Kid-Friendly Pepperoni Pizza Soup
Photograph courtesy of Holley Grainger
Adapted from Holley Grainger (holleygrainger.com)
¼ cup pepperoni or turkey pepperoni slices, halved
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 (32-ounce) container vegetable broth
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
2 tsp chopped fresh basil
Toppings: basil leaves, olives, mushrooms, shredded mozzarella
Add pepperoni to a Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until pepperoni renders its fat and gets crispy (about 3 to 4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove pepperoni and set aside on paper towels.
Add onion and bell pepper to pan and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and oregano, and cook 2 minutes more, or until garlic is golden.
Stir in broth, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add pepperoni, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil. Add desired toppings. Serve with toasted bread, if desired.
Note: The recipe is delicious as written but play around with the ingredients to meet your favorite pizza flavors. For example, swap the pepperoni for Italian sausage or meatballs, add mushrooms for more body (add these when you add the bell peppers), or serve with crusty sourdough versus whole wheat toast. The options are endless!
Pair this soup with: P for Pizza, a fast-paced word game where the goal is to shout a word that links the letter on one card to the category on another (a food that starts with P; a string instrument that starts with G). The first player to collect six pizza cards and build their pizza slice wins!
Chicken Corn Chowder
Adapted from The Peachie Spoon (thepeachiespoon.com)
3 lb chicken (about 4 breasts)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
Photograph by Tim McErston on Unsplash
1 clove garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups chicken bone broth
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen corn
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 tsp each chili powder, cumin, pepper, and salt
1 (8-ounce) container chive-and-onion cream cheese
Tortilla chips
Toppings: Sour cream, green onions, shredded Cheddar, avocado
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker, starting with the chicken and ending with the cream cheese. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.
Remove chicken and chop or shred. Add back to pot.
Serve soup with tortilla chips and desired toppings.
Pair this soup with: Hurry Up Chicken Butt! To play this silly game, shake the chicken to reveal a wacky activity, then perform it quickly before passing the Chicken Shaker off to the next player. If the timer goes off while you're holding the chicken, you're out!
Classic Vegetable Beef Soup
Photograph by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash
1 lb ground beef or stew meat
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup flour
2 cans crushed tomatoes
2 packs Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1 (16-ounce) package mixed vegetables (such as corn, peas, green beans, carrots)
2 (32-ounce) cartons beef stock
Brown meat in a stock pot until no longer pink. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add onion and celery to pot and sauté until softened. Stir in flour.
Add tomatoes, onion soup mix, mixed vegetables, and beef stock to pot.
Return meat to pot. Stir well and simmer until vegetables are tender. Serve soup with cornbread.
Pair this soup with: Uno Attack, another classic with a twist! This family-favorite card game gets an upgrade with a card shooter that spits out random extras to add to your hand. One thing that hasn’t changed: Players must still yell “UNO!” when they’re down to one card!
Bonus game pairing: Do You Really Know Your Family? We love this hilarious trivia game, which mixes questions and challenges for a fun and easy game night.
All of the recommended games can be found at local toy stores (Learning Express, Homewood Toy & Hobby, Snoozy’s, Smith’s), big-box retailers, or online.