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Homemade pasta is always worth the effort. You can make it entirely by hand with nothing but a rolling pin, or you can use a pasta machine and a few extra tools.
That’s where this list comes in. If you want to get serious about homemade pasta, here are the specialty supplies we recommend. LEGGI TUTTO
This Classic Tomato Soup is rich with a velvety texture. It’s easy to make with canned tomatoes, and perfectly suited for all of your grilled cheese dipping needs. Better than a can of Campbell’s and just about as easy!
Photography Credit: Alison Bickle
Featured in 14 Recipes That Make the Most Canned Tomatoes
Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are best when the air turns crisp, the mornings are damp, and the days are short. The soup’s simplicity only accentuates its role as a tincture on a cold fall evening. Its velvety texture is a robe of warmth.
VIDEO! How to Make Easy Tomato Soup
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP
Whether you’ve canned your own tomatoes or bought them at the store, this soup comes together in about 20 minutes using pantry staples—canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and of course, butter.
Dice an onion; add a little garlic, and let it simmer! I use an immersion blender to puree it, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. You can also use a countertop blender, or don’t bother blending it at all.
This recipe is as easy as dumping soup from a can, but makes more servings and tastes much better.
WAYS TO ADAPT THIS SOUP
To make creamy tomato soup, just add heavy cream.
If you want it creamy but without the cream, puree some canned cannellini beans and add them in (like we do in this recipe for Creamy Tomato and White Bean Soup).
Simmer the soup with a couple sprigs of thyme.
Stir in sliced fresh basil just before serving.
Want to be dairy-free? Replace the butter with olive oil.
Add some cooked cheese tortellini.
Want more texture? Don’t bother blending.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH TOMATO SOUP?
Tomato soup is to grilled cheese what peanut butter is to jelly, but you don’t have to stop there.
Make homemade croutons.
You can always go the oyster cracker route.
A simple Caesar salad would do the trick.
My grandmother used to make tomato soup and serve it to me with cottage cheese and dried minced onions. I eat it this way to this day.
Add cheese tortellini to the soup to make it more of a meal.
Serve it with a white fish such as cod or tilapia.
CAN YOU FREEZE TOMATO SOUP?
Absolutely! Tomato soup is the perfect recipe to make ahead and save for a busy weeknight meal down the road. You could also give it to friend who is recovering from an illness, just had a baby, or is feeling a little overwhelmed and could use a home cooked meal! Make a double batch, freeze half, and have it ready when you (or someone you love) needs it!
Keep it in any freezer-safe container. Make sure you leave enough space (about an inch) for the soup to expand as it freezes. It should keep for up to six months.
NEED MORE SOUP?
Updated October 8, 2020 : We spiffed up this post with a new video! Enjoy!
Easy Tomato Soup Recipe
This soup uses flour to help thicken it a bit. If you are gluten-free, skip the flour, and instead mix together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Stir it into the soup when you bring it to a boil, and let it simmer.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, yellow or white, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly cracked pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1 (28 oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
4 cups (32 oz) low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
Method
1 Sauté the onions and garlic: In a Dutch oven set over medium heat, add the butter. Once it starts to foam, add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir until both have softened and are fragrant, about 7 minutes.
2 Make the roux: Add flour. Stir to make a paste. Continue stirring until the flour has taken on a light brown color. Stir and scrape with wooden spoon, 5-7 minutes. The onion paste should look golden with a little brown caramelization.
3 Add tomatoes and stock: Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, and sugar. Stir to combine. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.
4 Purée and serve: Purée the soup with an immersion blender. Alternatively, fill a countertop blender less than halfway with the hot soup. Remove the center lid insert. This allows the hot steam to escape. Cover the hole with a folded kitchen towel and place your hand over the top. Blend. Repeat as necessary until all of the soup has been puréed.
Ladle into bowls, topped with freshly cracked pepper, slivered basil, and of course, grilled cheese sandwiches.
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Summer Miller
Summer Miller is the Senior Editor for Simply Recipes based in Nebraska. Her work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Eating Well, Grit, SAVEUR, and Every Day with Rachael Ray, among others. Her first book is New Prairie Kitchen (Agate Publishing, 2015).
More from Summer LEGGI TUTTO
1 Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and butter pieces until the butter is incorporated into small, pea-size pieces.
Open the lid, add 3 tablespoons of the ice water, and pulse again until the mixture looks uniform.
Press a small amount of dough together in your hand. It should hold together firmly. If it feels dry or crumbly and doesn’t hold together well, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
2 Refrigerate the dough: Turn the dough out onto the countertop, and press into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
3 Soak the cranberries: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the cranberries and cranberry juice for 30 to 45 seconds, or until warm. Let the cranberries soak for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Drain and set aside 1 rounded tablespoon of cranberries for garnish.
4 Prepare the apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 to 5 wedges and place in large mixing bowl. Fold in the cranberries.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Fold the sugar mixture into the apples and set aside.
5 Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
6 Roll out the dough: On a floured work surface, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle. Place circle on prepared baking sheet.
7 Assemble the crostata: Mound the filling in the center of the dough, leaving a 3-inch border all around. Fold the dough over the fruit, pleating as necessary and pressing gently to seal the pleats. Brush the dough with the egg wash.
8 Bake the crostata: Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the apples are tender, the filling bubbles and the crust is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the reserved cranberries. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. LEGGI TUTTO
Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies! Such a great after-school (or work!) snack. They’re made with cocoa powder, peanut butter, oats, sugar, butter, and milk. Drizzle with extra peanut butter to make these peanut butter no bake cookies extra special!
Photography Credit: Cindy Rahe
No Bake Cookies will always and forever remind me of my mom, who made tons of them when my brother and I were teenagers — probably because they were super easy, could be made with pantry staples, and were perfect for that time between extracurriculars and dinner.
Plus, her no bake cookies included both cocoa and peanut butter, which is basically one of the best combinations ever.
Chocolate + Peanut Butter = Best Combo
Just like the peanut butter no bake cookies of my youth, the ones I’m sharing today are easy to make with just a few ingredients.
These no bake cookies are full of oats, and have a flavor almost like peanut butter brownies but with a texture that’s more like pecan sandies.
Quick Tip for Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
This peanut butter no bake cookie recipe is similar to the one my mom used, but with a little less sugar and a little more cocoa. I suggest using your favorite brands of cocoa and peanut butter in these – these ingredients give the most flavor to these peanut butter no bake cookies, so using something you like will make the difference!
Lastly, because I can’t help myself, I drizzle these cookies with some extra peanut butter at the end, making these peanut butter no bake cookies extra delicious.
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Make These Cookies Dairy-Free
Use margarine instead of butter.
Use coconut oil instead of butter.
Use the non-dairy milk of your choice.
Other Swaps for No-Bakes
Use quick oats instead of rolled (old-fashioned) oats. The texture will be a little different, but the shape of the cookies will be the same. Do not use instant oatmeal.
Swap crunchy peanut butter for creamy.
Swap almond butter for peanut butter.
Use natural peanut butter, well-stirred, instead of regular peanut butter. Depending on the brand you use, the finished cookies may be stiffer, or spread more.
Storing & Freezing No Bake Cookies
At room temperature, the cookies will keep about a week.
Refrigerated, the cookies will keep for a month. (Refrigerating helps the optional peanut butter drizzle stay firm.)
To freeze the cookies, first let them chill in the refrigerator until firm. Well wrapped in plastic, the cookies will keep in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months.
More Peanut Butter Treats!
Updated October 7, 2020 : We spiffed up this post to make it sparkle. No changes to the original recipe.
No Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups rolled oats (gluten-free, if needed)
For the peanut butter drizzle (optional):
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons coconut oil
Method
1 Line a baking sheet with parchment and set to the side.
2 Make and mix the cookie base: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa powder. Cook until the sugar and butter are melted, stirring to combine.
Bring the mixture to a boil, and then continue to boil for 1 minute.
Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the rolled oats.
3 Scoop the cookies: Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop and place the cookie dough on the lined parchment baking sheet. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a tablespoon measure and scoop well-mounded tablespoons of dough for each cookie.
You can either leave them the shape of the scoop or shape them by gently rolling and flattening between your palms.
4 Make the peanut butter drizzle (optional): If you’d like to add the peanut butter drizzle, melt the peanut butter and coconut oil together in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to combine, then drizzle over the cookies using a spoon.
Skip this drizzle if you’re planning to pack up the cookies for eating on the go; the drizzle softens a little when the cookies are at room temperature, which can make them a little messy when eating on the go.
5 Refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm up the cookies and set the drizzle. Transfer to an airtight container.
Cookies will keep for about a week at room temperature, or a month if refrigerated. If you added the peanut butter drizzle, keep refrigerated so the drizzle stays firm.
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Cindy Rahe
Cindy Rahe is the recipe maker and picture taker behind Hungry Girl por Vida. She loves to bake from scratch and make things that taste as good as they look. Cindy was born near Seoul but grew up in California and Nevada. She believes strongly in homemade birthday cakes, creamy coffee, and making room for dessert.
More from Cindy LEGGI TUTTO
Kitchen ToolsOne Simply Terrific Thing
Forget a knife or food processor! This glass hand-cranked nut chopper is the best way to chop nuts.
Welcome to One Simply Terrific Thing, our ongoing series highlighting the small tools and kitchen goods that make life better!
Are you nuts for nuts? I sure am, and not above deploying bad puns to prove it.
To aid me in achieving maximum nut consumption, I love the Norpro Nut Chopper. It’s a smart upgrade to an old-fashioned gadget you may very well have seen in your grandmother’s kitchen.
Why the Norpro Nut Chopper Is the Best
I am usually not a big fan of single-use tools; that this nut chopper has earned a nook in my cabinets for years is a mark of its handiness.
The Norpro Nut Chopper is the spitting image of an old relic I found at a thrift store when I was in my 20s that I still use out of stubborn sentimentality. It features a glass jar and stainless steel blades, and I highly recommend it over choppers made from plastic. The sturdy glass jar can withstand the stress from handling, while users report threads cracking in the jars of plastic models. (I remember customers returning plastic choppers to the cookware store I worked at years ago for the very same reason.)
It chops nuts better than either you or your food processor, and the nuts are consistently sized. When you load nuts into the top compartment, depending on which direction you crank the handle, the blade will chop coarsely or finely and the chopped nuts fall into the jar below.
One caveat about hand-cranked nut choppers is they’re not that great with almonds, which are perhaps a bit too hard for them to handle with ease. But that still leaves pistachios, cashews, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, and peanuts for hours of nut-chopping pleasure. (PS: Kids love using this thing.)
As intended, I use the chopper for nuts only, and thus hardly ever wash it. The jar can go in the dishwasher if you like, but the top fares best simply wiped off.
Cheers to good tools!
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
Sara Bir
Sara Bir a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and the author of two cookbooks: The Fruit Forager’s Companion and Tasting Ohio. Past gigs include leading chocolate factory tours, slinging street cart sausages, and writing pop music criticism. Sara skates with her local roller derby team as Carrion the Librarian.
More from Sara LEGGI TUTTO
More often than not, Saturday night is movie night in my house, and with a movie comes dessert!
We rotate who gets to pick the movie each week, which means every four weeks I get to pick. Who wants to watch Little Women? Meeee!!! When it comes to dessert if I have to choose between chocolate and anything else, I’m always choosing chocolate. My boys might not love every movie selection I make, but chocolate is always a winner.
Some of our movie night family favorites include silky chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream, fudgy brownies cut into bite-size squares, or chocolate ice cream scooped into a bowl. There isn’t anything wrong with keeping it simple. Sometimes chocolate chips mixed into buttery salted popcorn is all it takes.
You have options galore when it comes to chocolate desserts, make any of the above or choose something else from the list below!
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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy. LEGGI TUTTO
Meet your new go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. These cupcakes have it all — moist, rich cake, thick fudgy frosting, even sprinkles on top. They’re perfect for birthdays, baby showers, holiday gatherings, and everything in between.
Photography Credit: Cindy Rahe
Chocolate cupcakes were one of the first recipes I became obsessed with perfecting.
To me, the ideal chocolate cupcake is moist with a deep chocolate flavor. The recipe also should produce exactly one dozen cupcakes in a standard muffin tin, no more and no less.
The Secret to Moist, Rich Cupcakes
I worked hard, trying a half dozen different versions. My original recipe called for sour cream in the batter, which produced a rich and slightly denser cupcake. But one day, I tried substituting buttermilk and it has now become my go-to.
These cupcakes are just rich enough. They’re nicely moist and a little lighter in texture than my sour cream version, yet sturdy enough to hold a generous crown of whatever frosting you choose.
The Best Chocolate Frosting for Cupcakes
I’ve opted to top these cupcakes with a fudgy, dark chocolate frosting. It’s a little thicker than classic buttercream thanks to lots of melted chocolate, but it has a deeper chocolate flavor.
To gild the lily, I like to finish the cupcakes with a shower of chocolate sprinkles on top—my favorite are Dutch dark chocolate sprinkles, like Deruyter brand. They actually taste like chocolate instead of wax! I find them at World Market, online, or even in the international aisle of some grocery stores.
From the editors of Simply Recipes
How Far Ahead Can You Make These Cupcakes?
Frosted Cupcakes: You can store the frosted cupcakes at room temperature for a few days. If your kitchen is warmer than 70°F, or your cupcakes have been out for a while, refrigerate them.
Unfrosted Cupcakes: Store the unfrosted cupcakes for in an airtight container at room temperature. Frost within 2 days.
To freeze baked cupcakes without frosting, wrap them individually in plastic and seal in a plastic bag or tub. For the best favor, use within a month.
Frosting: On its own, the chocolate frosting will keep refrigerated for up to a week, and frozen for up to 2 months. Give the frosting time to come to temperature before frosting the cupcakes.
Swaps & Substitutions
Do not swap the Dutch processed cocoa powder for any other cocoa powder. Dutch processed is important for both flavor and for the recipe to work properly.
If you don’t have buttermilk, swap in some yogurt or sour cream thinned with a little milk. You can also make a DIY buttermilk substitute by combining a cup of milk with a tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar.
Try another frosting! Regular vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting would be great.
Love Chocolate Cake? Try These Recipes!
Updated October 5, 2020 : We spiffed up this post to make it sparkle! No changes to the original recipe.
Double Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
1 cup (4 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (4 oz) sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting:
8 ounces dark chocolate
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
4 to 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Pinch of kosher salt
Chocolate sprinkles
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
2 Make the cake batter: In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just smooth and combined.
3 Bake the cupcakes: Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups (each cup will be nearly full). Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack before frosting.
4 Melt the chocolate for the frosting: Place the chocolate for the frosting in a glass measuring cup and melt in the microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until completely smooth. Stir in the corn syrup.
Set aside to cool to room temperature (I usually pour it into a wide, shallow bowl to speed up cooling).
5 Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat until combined; it may be crumbly, but that’s okay. Beat in 4 tablespoons of the heavy cream and the salt and continue beating until the mixture smooths out.
Beat in the room temperature chocolate and corn syrup into the mixture until smooth and incorporated. If needed, beat in additional powdered sugar and/or heavy cream to get a smooth and spreadable consistency that you like.
Spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes using an offset spatula or butter knife, or transfer to a piping bag and pipe. Top with sprinkles if you want.
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Cindy Rahe
Cindy Rahe is the recipe maker and picture taker behind Hungry Girl por Vida. She loves to bake from scratch and make things that taste as good as they look. Cindy was born near Seoul but grew up in California and Nevada. She believes strongly in homemade birthday cakes, creamy coffee, and making room for dessert.
More from Cindy LEGGI TUTTO
Butternut-Amaretto Bundtlettes
Yields about 18 mini bundt cakes
Bundt cakes
2 1/2 cups (500g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240ml) canola oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (15 oz.) butternut squash puree (instructions follow)
Butter amaretto syrup
1/2 cup (120ml) water
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup(120ml) amaretto liqueur
Pinch of salt
Glaze
2 cups (230g) confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon amaretto
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream to thin
1 drop each yellow and orange food color
For the cakes, preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a multi cavity mini-bundt cake pan (such as Nordicware Bundtlette pan) with flour-based baking spray.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; add to egg mixture alternately with squash puree, beating well after each addition.
Scoop the batter into the bundt pan cavities within 1/2 inch of the tops. Cover unused batter in the bowl with a damp tea towel. Bake for 24-27 minutes, or until the bundt cakes are well puffed, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wash the pan, coat with flour-based baking spray and bake remaining batter; repeat until all the batter has been used.
For the syrup, combine the water and sugar in a microwave-safe bowl; heat at 100% power for 1 minute, and stir. Heat for an additional 30 seconds and stir until the sugar is melted. Stir the melted butter into the hot liquid; add the amaretto and pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Quickly dunk each cake in the liquid and transfer to wire racks. Let stand until the syrup is well-absorbed, about 10 minutes.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, amaretto, and 2 tablespoons of cream in a medium bowl. Blend with a whisk to combine. Add more milk or cream as needed to form a thick glaze that holds in the balloon of the whisk for a moment before falling in a ribbon back into the bowl. Add the food color and mix again. Spoon the glaze over the cakes. Let stand until the glaze crusts, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately. Store the cakes in an air-tight container.
**To make this recipe as one large bundt cake, pour the batter into a 10-inch tube pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean.
How to make butternut squash puree:
Wash and carefully cut off the stem and base ends of a medium whole butternut squash; half lengthwise. Dig the seeds and membranes out with a large sturdy spoon. Butternut squash are firm and can be hard to cut! Microwave halves for about three minutes to soften and loosen the skin for easy and safer peeling! Remove skin from halves with a sharp knife. Place halves face down in a baking dish or roasting pan; pour water into dish around squash about 1/2 inch deep. Cover with foil and roast for an hour or until fork tender. Let cool and chop into small cubes. Puree in a blender or in a food processor until smooth. LEGGI TUTTO
