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Posted By Katie On January 31, 2011 7 Comments

Hunk Of Meat Monday: 30 Minute Knoephla Soup

Filed Under: Family Values, Lunch, Recipes Tagged With: cooking with kids, hunk of meat Monday, Knoephla soup, protein 7 Comments

Knoephla Soup is a staple in our corner of the North Dakota prairie. Everybody has German heritage and most can be found making their own homemade dough for their Knoephla Soup. 
But I am a transplant to my husband’s hometown on the prairie.
I cheat to make this a hearty one-pot meal for my family that can happen quickly, like in 30 minutes which is about all I have to make a family meal each evening. 
I am sure the local German ladies would be offended by my cheating. So if you are reading this blog and are offended, I am sorry. 
Just remember my kids are hungry and I am feeding them. 
If you are a good German lady of the prairie I am open to have you teach me to make good German heritage food…the right way…when I have more time.
 I have made this soup many times since last fall when I experimented with it. I have learned to add chicken and carrots to make it a more complete meal and a bit more hearty. Usually I see this soup served with out meat or vegetables. But you know I cheat a bit and bend the German cooking the prairie to fit our family’s needs.

I don’t cheat to save calories by leaving out the cream. It needs a little cream…and a little more butter. I have learned that so trust me. The German ladies like cream and butter and it is for good reason. It makes everything taste better.

 In the frozen section of our local grocery store, I buy a bag of dumplings from Baker Boy based in Dickinson, North Dakota. I am sure you can find the same or a similar product in your grocery store. My good German from the prairie husband says indeed these dumplings qualify as knoephla. He is my judge so it must be authentic enough for him. It also saves me a few hours of dough making.
Here are my simple steps to whip this Knoephla Soup in 30 minutes or so.
1. Thaw your dumplings
 2. Bake boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I recommend having this done ahead of time or using leftovers. But if not, I baked the above five breasts while preparing the remainder of the soup. 
 3. Chop your onion…I cry and cry with out my pink onion googles. With or without your onion goggles, chop your 5 potatoes. Chop up carrots to equal 2 cups while you are at it.
 4. Simmer butter and onions 
Add at least 2 TBSPS of butter or the whole stick. The more butter the better.
 5. Add 2 TBSPS of chicken stock to 4 quarts of water
 6. Add chopped potatoes to the onions and butter 
 7. Add knoephla to chicken broth
 8. Cut up your now baked chicken
 Don’t forget to stir your potatoes and onions as they simmer on low heat.
9. Add a little season salt to the potatoes and onions
 10. On medium high heat, let the broth and knoephla (dumplings) boil

 11. Turn down to simmer adding the potatoes, 
 carrots,
 and chicken
 Now it is looking like Knoephla Soup.
 Add 1 cup of cream and…
 another cup of whole milk.
Or just add two cups of cream.
Whatever you’d like works because the creamier the better is best, according to my tiny book of Knoephla Soup making.
 Now, you have an amazingly hearty one-pot 30 minute meal. 
I am no 30 minute meal Rachael Ray expert. And I am not even close to the German ladies from the prairie in their baking and cooking skills. I never will be.
 But I feed my family.
 And when someone says her favorite food is Knoephla Soup, her mommy on the prairie can whip it up, making it a complete meat, potatoes, carrots, dumplings and milk meal for her.
It brings a smile to her face.
What’s better than that?
Two smiles is better than one.

What’s your favorite hearty soup recipe? 

I am linking up with my friend Leah for Hunk of Meat Monday where you will find other meaty recipes to enjoy this evening or later this week.

Hunk of Meat Mondays

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The Wife of a Dairyman says

    January 31, 2011 at 8:51 am

    What a hearty soup! We’re back to rainy weather here in northern CA instead of sunny and 70, so this recipe will come in handy this week…thanks!

    Reply
  2. Prairie Mother says

    January 31, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    I grew up on good German food (oh I miss my Grandma’s kitchen) but I’ve never had this!

    Thanks for the recipe. We’ll have to try it out when we get iced in this week 🙂

    Reply
  3. texwisgirl says

    January 31, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    Looks yummy. My mom was German but I’ve never had this either. She made the German red-headed wedding dumplings – to die for!

    Reply
  4. Leah @ Beyer Beware says

    January 31, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    What a great soup! Where are the pictures of you with those pink goggles?? Have a great week.

    Reply
  5. Kirsti says

    January 31, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    YUM!
    I used my own pink goggles when making venison stew last night.
    I think we should both post photos of us in them (I also have a pic of MC wearing them!) and link up! We can start a goggle link party! haha
    Yes? YES!

    Reply
  6. Ott, A. says

    February 1, 2011 at 1:08 am

    I don’t know if I have ever heard of this recipe before, but I am very intrigued by the ingredients. On the cold icy days I’m expecting this week, this may be a good recipe to make.

    Reply
  7. Kim says

    March 12, 2017 at 5:12 pm

    I have made this soup many times with the Baker’s Boy dumplings. Just a few of my additions: I saute the onion, carrots and celery in the butter, then put it in the broth. Cut up ham instead of chicken and add it. Or canned chicken if you’re really in a hurry. Instead of cream, which I never have, I add 1 to 2 cans of evaporated milk.

    Reply

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I am a mom of three kids and a wife to Nathan. Together we live on the North Dakota prairie, 97 miles from a Starbuck's. I share about family, food, farming and the prairie that I love. I used to commute 98 miles one-way to work but it required too much coffee. So now I am home, consulting, speaking, writing and primarily, juggling family life.
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