Warm your Valentine’s Heart with Soup

Surprise your loved one this Valentine’s Day with a romantic dinner at home featuring soup. Nothing says love like a home cooked meal. Instead of dining out in a crowded, expensive, restaurant, spend a quiet evening at home enjoying warm and comforting soup. Add a special flourish by garnishing the soup with with heart-shaped cut-outs of French bread or tortillas.

Try these delicious soup recipes for your Valentine’s Day dinner.

Roasted Beet Soup

This beet and carrot soup takes on a beautiful deep red shade—perfect for Valentine’s Day.

• Olive oil or canola oil

• 2 onions, finely chopped

• 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 2 celery sticks, chopped

• 2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 liter of chicken or beef stock

• 3-4 beets, roasted and peeled

• ½ tablespoon of red wine or balsamic vinegar

• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in a large pot with oil, followed by the celery, garlic and carrots until everything turns soft and golden. Add the stock and 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Add the grated roasted beets and let simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened. Add the vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Puree the soup with a hand-held immersion blender or in small batches in a regular blender. Serve hot. Garnish with sour cream.

Valentine Tomato Pasta Soup

If you’re in a hurry, this soup is a cinch to put together.

• 1 can of tomato basil soup, such as Progresso Vegetable Classics

• 1/3 cup of vermicelli, cut into 2-inch pieces

• ¼ cup water

• 2 slices of toast (whole wheat or white bread)

• Cheese spread in aerosol can

In a saucepan, combine the soup, water, and vermicelli. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for 6 minutes on medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until the vermicelli is cooked.

Cut the toast into heart shapes using a cookie cutter.

Top each bowl of soup with the heart-shaped cut of toast. Using the aerosol cheese, form the letter “I” on the left side of the toast and the letter “U” on the right side.

Enjoy a cozy, quiet Valentine’s Day dinner with healthy and flavorful bowls of soup.