We just held the 2024 Village Home Stores Soup and Chili Cookoff, and WOW! Eight staff members entered, and they each came bringing the flavor and variety. Voting is welcomed by any staff present during lunchtime that day, as well as any lucky customers with appointments during lunch hours. What’s at stake? Well, bragging rights, of course (there is a healthy amount of competitive trash-talk in the weeks leading up to the cookoff). Plus, the winner gets their name added among the past winners on a plaque in the Village breakroom we call the “Golden Ladle.” We also point to their winning recipe first in this year’s write-up. History was made last year as Angela and Rachele both tied for first place. And this year’s winner was (drumroll)…
Rachele! This year, she took the title for her Mexican Street Corn Soup recipe. And now, as we all officially enter “soup season” in the Midwest, here are this year’s recipes beginning with our winner.
2024 Soup Cookoff Winner: Rachele’s Mexican Street Corn Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 Frozen Chicken Breasts
- 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Cup Shredded Mixed Cheese
- 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
- ½ Tbsp. Dried Oregano
- ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder
- 2 Cups Frozen Sweet White Corn
- ½ Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Optional:
Serve with Cotija Cheese, Tajin Seasoning, Tortilla Chips, Sliced Avocado, Diced Jalapeño, and Lime Wedges.
DIRECTIONS:
Add chopped onion, garlic, oregano, and chili powder to your crockpot. Add your chicken breasts and broth. Season with salt and pepper and cook on high for 4 hours. After that time, shred the chicken breast, add sour cream, and choose cilantro and frozen corn. Cook on low for another 1-2 hours.
Abby’s Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 Tbsp (unsalted) Butter
- 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- Two 28 oz. Cans on Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock or Chicken Broth
- ¼ Cup Chopped Basil
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
- ½ tsp. Black pepper (add more to taste)
- ½ Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/3 Cup Shredded or Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
Optional:
Serve with garlic bread or grilled cheese sandwiches.
DIRECTIONS:
Sauté onions in 4 Tbsp butter in a pot over medium heat until soft and golden. Add mince garlic and sauté another minute. Stir in two cans of crushed tomatoes (with liquid), chicken stock, chopped basil, sugar, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Loosely cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender in the pot (or blend in batches) until smooth. Stir in heavy cream and shredded parmesan cheese. Return to a simmer and season to taste.
Monica’s CrockPot Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS:
• 32 ounces Chicken broth
• 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
• 8 ounce package shredded cheddar cheese
• 4.5 ounce bacon bits
• 32 ounce package potatoes, frozen cubed
• 8oz Cream cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a crock pot, mix chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. Add potatoes, half cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. With an hour left, cut cream cheese into small pieces and add to the soup. Stir occasionally in the last hour to chop up the cream cheese. 10 minutes before serving, add the rest of the cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Elizabeth’s Purple Sweet Potato and Pear Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ½ lbs. of Sweet Potatoes (Purple variety if available. You may also sub for seasonal squashes)
- 3 Ripe Pears
- 4 Cups Water
- 2 Sticks of Cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/3 Cup Dry White Wine
- ½ Cup Whipping Cream or Milk
- Dash of Ground White Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Peel and cube sweet potatoes and place into a dutch oven with cinnamon sticks, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and then lower heat to a simmer for 15 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Remove the cover and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Peel and core the pears. Slice into uniformly thin slices. In a skillet or fry pan, sauté the pears in the butter for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring the pears often. Reduce heat to a simmer and add wine. Stir until combined and cover the pan to simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat to the dutch oven and remove the cinnamon sticks. Leaving the water, add sautéed pears to the pot of sweet potatoes and carefully blend with an immersion/hand blender until smooth. Near the time of serving, add your cream and one more splash of wine and heat on low (avoid bringing it to a boil) to serve.
Lexy’s Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 10oz can of Rotel Original
- 2 10oz cans of red enchilada sauce
- 1 14.5oz can of black beans – drained and rinsed
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 package of frozen corn
- 1 box of chicken broth
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup of minute rice - uncooked
Optional:
Serve topped with crumbled tortilla chips, fresh avocado slices, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, and sour cream.
DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients (EXCEPT FOR THE RICE) in the crock pot, stir, cover with lid, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. When the 6 to 8 hours are up, pull the chicken out and shred. Place chicken back in crock pot along with your ¼ cup of uncooked minute rice. Stir, place the lid on, and cook for another 30 minutes.
Chris’ Taco Chili
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 can black beans
- 2 cans chili beans
- 1 can corn
- 1 can regular red enchilada sauce
- 1 can medium/hot red enchilada sauce
- 1 to 2 cans of tomato sauce
- 1 can medium/ hot Rotel
- 1 can petite or stewed cut tomatoes
- 1 small/medium white onion (chopped)
- 1.5 to 2 pounds of ground beef
- 2 packets of taco seasoning
Optional:
Serve with Sour cream, Taco blended shredded cheese, Croutons/tortilla chips/tortilla strips!
DIRECTIONS:
Cook ground beef and season with packets of taco seasoning (I add taco seasoning right away into the meat).
Add chopped onion to ground beef and let cook. Combine ground beef and all other ingredients in a crock pot or larger stovetop pot and let the chili simmer (strain and rinse the black beans first, and pour all other ingredients right from the can).
Add one to two cans of water as well. Add seasonings to chili while simmering: 4-5 shakes of Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon of paprika- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper -1/2 teaspoon black pepper -1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes -1 teaspoon of chili powder -1 tablespoon of cumin powder.
Natasha’s Crockpot Lasagna Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1tsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 lasagna noodles, broken up
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Chopped basil for garnish
Optional:
Serve topped with shredded mozzarella and a dollop of ricotta (with basil if desired).
DIRECTIONS:
Brown your ground beef in a skillet and drain the fat once cooked. Transfer your ground beef to the crockpot. Add onion, crushed tomatoes, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. 3o minutes before serving, stir in lasagna noodles and allow to cook until tender.
Alexis’ Chili
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 can kidney beans
- 2 cans of chili beans
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 can Rotel
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
DIRECTIONS:
Add minced garlic to a pan with olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes. Add in meat and season as desired. Cook until brown. Drain the cans of beans and add them to the crock pot. Add a can of undrained Rotel, tomato paste, and seasonings to the crock pot and stir. Add in the ground beef. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.
Hungry for More Recipes?
Which will you try first? If you are interested in finding more staff-approved recipes from our past years, head here to our Pinterest page. We share easy recipes plus past entries in our soup cookoffs and appetizer challenges. Want to see what is on sale in cooking? Head here to our website and have a look around. We offer competitive pricing and offer appliance delivery and installation from our own expert staff. Ready to “cook up” a deal on a new range, cooktop, or entire kitchen with Village? Just reach out! You can message us right here through our website or call us at (309) 944-1344 to start the process. You never need an appointment to browse our appliance showroom at 105 S State in downtown Geneseo, Illinois.
IMAGE INFO NOTE: All images were shot and watermarked by Elizabeth Round for Village Home Stores. They are our property and taken with permission from the homeowner/customer.