Gobble up these three scrumptious soups

Want a nice and easy meal on Thanksgiving? Just heat these up and serve

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Thanksgiving meal made easy
Nov. 19: Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson demonstrates how to whip up some quick and easy holiday dishes you can make ahead, then just heat up on turkey day.

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TODAY

updated 11:04 p.m. ET Nov. 18, 2007

Want to spend more time with your family and less in the kitchen this Thanksgiving? Try chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's three simple soups: chestnut, tomato minestrone and cauliflower montasio. Prepare these delicious dishes ahead of time so when turkey day comes you can just heat up, serve and be with family!

Chestnut soup

Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson

INGREDIENTS

• 2.5 cups onions, sliced

• 2 T butter

• 2.5 T oil

• 3 T salt

• 1/4 cup bacon

• 3/4 cup apple, peeled and cored

• 1 lb. chestnuts

• 1.5 quarts water

• 1 qt. plus 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

• 2 1/2 cups cream

• 1/2 cups chives, minced

• Salt and pepper

Recipe continues below ↓

DIRECTIONS

Cook onion, butter and oil until translucent. Add salt, bacon and apple. Cook down for about 5-8 minutes. Add chestnuts, water, and chicken stock and cream; simmer for 20 minutes. Blend in batches and season with salt and pepper; pass through chinois or sieve and serve.

Garnish each plated soup with chives.

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES

Cauliflower montasio soup

Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups cauliflower, chopped roughly to 1/4 inch

• 2.5 quarts water

• 2 cups cream

• 2 cups finely grated montasio cheese (can substitute white cheddar)

• 2 T butter

• 1 small yellow onion

• Salt and pepper

• 2 T oregano, chopped

DIRECTIONS

In medium soup pot, sweat the onions in butter until tender; add cauliflower and stir together. Season lightly with salt. Add the water and cream and bring to a simmer; cook until cauliflower is tender. Add cheese and whisk until ingredients are incorporated. Transfer soup in batches into a blender and blend for 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

Serve with a pinch of black pepper and chopped oregano on top of each soup.

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES

Tomato minestrone soup

Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson

INGREDIENTS

• 1 T garlic, chopped

• 5 oz fennel, diced

• 5 oz onion, diced

• 5 oz potato, diced

• 5 oz cooked shell beans

• 1 tsp fennel seed

• 1 tsp celery seed

• Pinch chili flakes

• 4 cups San Marzano tomatoes, drained and chopped

• 8 cups water

• 3/4 cup cleaned basil

• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place medium soup pot on stove and heat olive oil over low heat. Add onion, fennel and potato and cook until tender. Add garlic and spices, cook for a few seconds, and add tomatoes, beans and water. Bring to boil, lower the flame and simmer for another 30 minutes. Add the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES

Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson's culinary career catapulted when he was in Paris in 1999. After many years he moved back to the States and joined the staff of The French Laundry in California. Still determined to open his own restaurant, he and his partner, Bobby, moved to Colorado. In 2005, “Food & Wine” magazine named him one of the “Best New Chefs,” and in 2006, his restaurant, Frasca, was named one of America's top 50 restaurants in “Gourmet” magazine's annual restaurant issue. Today, Lachlan applies his culinary talents at Frasca to create innovative yet traditional dishes true to the indelible spirit of Friuli, Italy.

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Gobble up these three scrumptious soups

Want a nice and easy meal on Thanksgiving? Just heat these up and serve