Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Football Friday Tasty Tailgate Treats: All Sorts of Soup

Happy Football Friday, Y’all. October is almost over can you believe it?  The chilly weather of Fall has finally arrived (in most places).  Before we dive into this week’s recipes did y’all save last week’s recipe “The Sweets”? This week we have a collection of soups that will make your tailgate a huge success.  These soups are filling, tasty, and easy to make several days ahead of time. They also pair nicely with all your favorite crunchy chips and crackers I will share some of my favorites below. Enjoy the games this weekend and don’t forget to let us know which recipe is your favorite.

Football Friday Tasty Tailgate Treats: All Sorts of Soup

Tailgate Soup 

Very easy and delicious!

Ingredients: 

  • 1 15oz Can Chili Beans With Liquid
  • 1 15oz Can Whole Kernel Corn With Liquid
  • 1 14oz Can of Diced Tomatoes With Liquid
  • 1 10oz Can Condensed Tomato Soup
  • 2 large Potatoes Diced
  • 1 medium Onion Chopped
  • 1 bag Mixed Frozen Vegetables
  • 1-pound Ground Turkey/Beef/Tofu (if you want to go vegetarian) 
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Chopped
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • Creole Seasoning To Taste

Instructions: 

  1. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic to the pan and sauté until translucent.
  2. Add ground turkey and season with a Creole seasoning of choice.
  3. Brown on low heat for 5-8 minutes.
  4. Add chili beans, diced tomatoes, tomato soup, corn, potatoes, and mixed vegetables.
  5. Latch the lid and steam on low to low-medium heat for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup 

Ingredients:

  • 4 Russet potatoes, baked & cooled
  • 2/3 cup unsalted butter (not margarine)
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups full-fat milk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 8-10 slices bacon cooked & chopped
  • 5 green onions rinsed & chopped
  • 1 8-ounce container of sour cream (not fat-free)
  • Dashes salt & pepper to taste 

Instructions:

  1. Remove pulp from baked potatoes. Discard skins.
  2. In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add flour and stir well until thoroughly blended. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring consistently. Add milk, 2 cups at a time, and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is bubbly. This last step can take 10-15 minutes!
  3. Remove from heat. Turn down the heat to low.
  4. Add potatoes, cheese, 1/2 of the bacon, seasonings, and half of the green onions. Stir and put back on the burner. Let mixture heat thoroughly but do not overcook. Stir in sour cream.
  5. Serve with remaining bacon & green onions on top of the soup, if desired.
  6. Additional cheese can be added.

Cowboy Soup 

What is cowboy soup? No, it is not full of Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Cowboy soup is basically a one-pot, Tex-Mex hamburger, and vegetable soup. Made with ground beef, turkey, and/or sausage, and filled with a variety of canned, frozen, or fresh vegetables and beans.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic or 3 teaspoons of garlic paste
  • 1 (15.25 ounce) can of corn, with liquid
  • 1 (14.5 ounces) can of green beans, with liquid
  • 1 (10 ounces) can Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chilies, with liquid
  • 2/3 cup rice, uncooked
  • 1 (14.5 ounces) can of beef broth
  • 1 (14.75 ounces) can of cream-style corn
  • 1 (16-ounce) can of kidney beans, drained & rinsed

Instructions:

  1. In a large pot, add ground beef and onion. Cook until ground beef/turkey/sausage is cooked through and the onions are translucent.
  2. Add garlic and cook for 1 – 2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant and the mixture is well combined.
  3. Add corn, green beans, Ro-Tel, rice, beef broth, cream-style corn & kidney beans. Mix well and bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked through.
  5. Serve immediately.

Grandma Zimmern’s Tailgating Pot of Love

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound Polish kielbasa links or other Eastern European-style sausage
  • 3 cups chopped escarole
  • 2 cups diced carrots
  • 2 cups diced celery
  • 1   1/2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced fennel
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 meaty ham bone or smoked pork shank
  • 3 quarts of low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1   1/2 cups green split peas
  • 1   1/2 cups yellow split peas
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground white pepper
  • White vinegar, hot sauce, and crusty bread, for serving

Instructions:

  1. In a small skillet, toast the caraway seeds over medium heat, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Finely grind the seeds in a spice grinder.
  2. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the sausage and cook over moderate heat until browned all over about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate, cover, and refrigerate.
  3. Add the escarole, carrots, celery, onion, fennel, garlic, thyme, and ground caraway seeds to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften about 10 minutes. Add the ham bone and broth and bring to a boil. Add the peas, cover partially and simmer until the peas are tender about 1 hour.
  4. Gently mash some of the peas to thicken the broth. Thinly slice the sausage, add it to the soup and simmer until the sausage is cooked through about 10 minutes. Season the stew with sea salt and white pepper. Serve with white vinegar, hot sauce, and bread.
  5. MAKE AHEAD The stew can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Beer Cheese Soup – Wisconsin Style 

Ingredients: 

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 yellow onion, large, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 carrots, medium, diced
  • 1/2 red or orange bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable as a substitute)
  • 1 cup cream
  • 12 oz beer, well-balanced or predominantly malty
  • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp dry mustard, (ready powdered or grind whole mustard seed)
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne or red pepper flakes, optional
  • 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, (white cheddar works too)
  • 3 stalks green onion, green part only, chopped, for garnish
  • bread croutons, optional, for garnish
  1. Heat a heavy bottom pot/large saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt.
  2. Add the diced onion, celery, carrots, pepper, and garlic and sauté until softened, stirring occasionally. About 5-6 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle the flour and mix well. Cook for about a minute, stirring frequently.
  4. While stirring add the chicken broth, the cream, and the beer.
  5. Mix well and add the seasonings – salt and pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, and cayenne/red pepper flakes.
  6. Let simmer for about 5 minutes and then remove from the stove. Take out the bay leaf.
  7. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Alternatively, transfer to a food processor or blender to puree but work in small batches to avoid the hot liquid blowing up.
  8. Add the cheese to the pureed soup base working in batches and stirring. Place the pot back on the stove. Heat up over low heat to blend all the flavors, about 3-5 mins.
  9. Serve right away, garnished with green onions and croutons (optional).

Crunchy Sides and Toppers

Tailgating doesn’t have to be stressful.  The soup can be the main part then the sides and toppers are easy to find and tailor to your tastes.  Ultimately, this is a list of MY personal favorites. Everything But The Bagel Crackers from Trader Joe’s they add that little extra zing of flavor to all soups, stews, and chilis. They also sell Cheddar Pub Cheese which is delish with the “Everything Crackers” as well.  Potato chips are always a quick and easy side for tailgating. I prefer the Kettle Chips because I like the thickness and that CRUNCH.  I also discovered a cool flavor this season Kettle Brand Tailgate Edition Buffalo Blue. Holy WOW these are tasty! In fact, I have been addicted to them all season long. I am hoping they come out with more “Tailgate Edition” flavors soon.  Also, I am a sucker for anything that says tailgate on it. last but certainly not least, oyster crackers are a staple when if I can’t find the other two. They are easy to find at every grocery store. They are the perfect size no need to crunch them up into the soup, and they are downright tasty.

On The Menu

Next week we will have MORE tasty tailgate treats.  As we get deeper into the season and into Fall the recipes will get more warm and cozy. Have a great weekend watching the games.  Enjoy the soups and crunchy sides and toppers.

Kate Pearson Halyburton,(Editor)

Kate Pearson Halyburton,(Editor)

Kate was born in Wisconsin and raised in Texas where she fell in love with all things football. She coached high school football for 12 years. (boys varsity high school, linebackers) She is a 24-year member of The American Football Coaches Association. She is single and lives in the DFW area with her dachshunds Ollie, Cooper, and Dobby. She has been writing for eight years and an editor for five years, and she loves to talk football!

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