Soup is officially on the menu now that Fall is here! There’s nothing quite like coming indoors after being in the chilly October air and warming your hands around a fresh bowl of hot, steaming soup. You’ll find a wide variety of fresh ingredients at the Austin-area Fall and year-round farmers markets to make October the month of soup options.
The Barton Creek Farmers Market at 2901 Capital of Texas Hwy. in Austin is open 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays year-round, featuring vendors selling farm-fresh items (including fresh cheeses and milk. YUM!), music and more! Their Sunset Valley location is open at 4805 Hwy 290 W (in the Kohl’s parking lot) on Sundays from 10 am – 2 pm.
The SFC Farmers’ Market is also year-round at two locations; one is in Austin at Republic Square Park, 422 Guadalupe St., and the other is at Sunset Valley.
Other options: JBG Farmstand, Lone Star Farmers Market, and the Texas Farmers Market at Mueller. Before you head out to the market, be sure you know what soups are on the menu! Here are a few recipes to get you started:
Instant Pot French Onion Soup
So much mild onion-y deliciousness in this recipe! While it calls for yellow onions, any onions will do, according to The Pioneer Woman. Bust out the Instant Pot for quick cooking of this flavorful soup. You’ll need dry white wine to create the thickener – maybe choose your favorite after a tasting of 100% Texas wines at C.L. Butad – and 8 oz. of gruyere or Swiss cheese to sprinkle evenly across the top of the soup just before serving.
Looking for a delicious loaf of French bread for this recipe? Give Texas French Bread Bakery & Bistro a try! Their breads are made with organic heirloom wheat grown right here in Texas. Order online and pick up in-store at their location at 29th and Rio Grande St. They also have AMAZING desserts! This isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it type of recipe, but it definitely speeds up the cooking time with a total of 50 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal.
Potato Soup (gluten-free!)
If you’re looking for a creamy soup option that packs a flavorful punch, give this one a go. The biggest surprise? It’s flour-free! The soup thickens from the starch in the potatoes. The recipe calls for half Russet and half Yukon Gold, which the chef says contributes to the thickness she prefers, but you can also go with just baking potatoes. There’s lots of good veggies in here – onions, carrots, celery, garlic – all of which you can get at the farmers’ markets. [Special diet note! It’s a gluten-free recipe as-is, but the chef included notes for a dairy-free take on the existing recipe!]
Pesto Chicken Minestrone
If you’re a fan of 1) pesto and/or 2) a hearty soup, this recipe should be on your list to try next. You’ll start by roasting garlic in the oven to produce a paste for later on in the recipe. Meantime, you’ll cook the chicken in a Dutch oven or large pot with a parmesan rind (talk about flavorful!), shred it up, add in kidney beans, carrots, crushed red pepper, mashed garlic, kale and tortellini. Steam for a bit until kale and pasta are cooked, and voila! Dinner is served.
Chicken Noodle
You can’t go wrong with a good, hearty chicken noodle soup in the Fall, especially one that labels itself “quick and easy.” This recipe has all the good stuff — celery, carrots, garlic and onion, with parsley, salt and pepper, and flat-leaf parsley to add to the flavor. It calls for meat from a rotisserie chicken rather than cooking it yourself, which is always a plus on weeknights. Even better, you’ll make this soup entirely in one large pot or Dutch oven, starting by browning the veggies in olive oil (stir the whole time to prevent from burning!), adding the stock and bay leaves, bringing to a boil, then setting it to medium for about 10 minutes while the veggies finish cooking. Add in egg noodles, chicken and seasonings, and simmer until it’s all cooked through. Cooking Tip: Don’t forget to keep the lid on while the soup simmers, otherwise you risk evaporating out too much of the delicious broth! Take a look at the notes at the bottom of the recipe for tips on adding extra broth and options for adding fresh noodles instead of dry ones.
Feeling hungry yet? Give one of these recipes a try! Feel free to pass it on. And, as always, if you have any questions about the area – property management or otherwise – we’d love to help! Visit our website or give us a call anytime: (737) 270-7700.
