three-ingredient soups (black bean, squash, potato, and tomato)

Fun fact about me: I'm a children's book writer, and to date, I've written upwards of 200 children's books (I stopped counting a while ago). Most of these books are nonfiction titles in six-book series, and they're primarily sold to school libraries. I've written about countries, cryptids, corvettes, capybaras, castles, crafting, and more. And last year, I got to add cooking to that list (I promise I've written about topics that start with letters other than C). After ten years authoring children's books and writing about food, I finally had the chance to combine these two passions into one project.

The series inspires creativity in the kitchen by presenting kids with basic meals that require three primary ingredients. Sometimes this was really difficult, so we cheated a bit by differentiating between main ingredients and staple ingredients, like milk and butter. The three-ingredient premise may not be rigid, but the point of these books is to give young cooks and creators the bare essentials and encourage them to riff.

While these are technically children's books, I think they're a great tool for cooks of all ages. Maybe you'd like to do more cooking, but you lack confidence in the kitchen. Maybe you're a seasoned cook, but you're short on time or have just a few pantry staples on hand. Or maybe you want to try creating your own recipes, and you need a jumping-off point.

I think these basic recipes could come in handy in any of the above scenarios. So I thought I'd share a few recipes from each book in my Kitchen Trios series. I'd love to see these books benefit as many people as possible!

Without further ado, here are four recipes from the SOUP book!

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients: canned black beans, canned diced tomatoes, vegetable broth

Pour 2 cans of drained and rinsed black beans into a pot. Add 1 can diced tomatoes and 1–2 cups vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring the soup to a simmer, then cook for 15 minutes. Blend it up, taste, and season as needed.

If you'd like, serve the soup with sour cream and tortilla chips!

Roasted Squash Soup

Ingredients: butternut squash, garlic, vegetable broth

Peel and cube the squash so you have about 3 cups. Toss the squash cubes and 3 cloves of garlic in some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then roast the squash at 400°F for 30–40 minutes.

Pour the roasted squash and garlic into a blender along with 1–2 cups vegetable broth. Blend til smooth.

If you'd like, serve your squash soup with yogurt or grated parm.

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients: potatoes (russet or golden), green onions, vegetable broth

Cube 3 large potatoes. Cook them in boiling water with a generous hit of salt for about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and pour them into a blender.

Chop 3 or 4 green onions and cook them in 1 tablespoon butter (or oil) until they are soft. Add them to the blender along with 1–2 cups vegetable broth, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

If you'd like, serve the potato soup with a sprinkle of cheese or some sour cream.

Crushed Tomato Soup

Ingredients: yellow onion, canned crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth

Chop a small onion and cook it in a pot with 4 tablespoons of butter (or oil) until soft.

Add a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 1–2 cups vegetable broth, and some salt and pepper to the pot.

Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes. Then blend it up and season to taste. If you'd like, serve the soup with a swirl of heavy cream.

There you have it! I hope you're inspired to cook up some super simple soups, or use these as a base for more elaborate recipes.

Check out the recipe videos (part 1 and part 2), and stay tuned for more recipes from my Kitchen Trios series!