Just the tiniest little bit of fall in the air makes me think of soup. I love soups; they are comforting and filling and most importantly are usually easily and quickly made. Most of them call for ingredients that are pantry staples. And by adding some crusty wheat rolls or squares of cornbread you have a complete meal.

This first soup is an old favorite at my house. I guess you can’t go wrong with sausage and cheese!

Potato sausage soup

1/2 pound ground pork sausage

16 ounces frozen hash browns

1 large white onion, chopped

14 ounces chicken broth

2 cups water

1 can cream of celery soup, undiluted

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

2 cups milk

Hot sauce to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

Brown the sausage in a large pot over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. When sausage is about half done add the chopped onion and cook until sausage is done. Drain well and return to pot. Add the hash brown potatoes, chicken broth and water, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stirring soups, milk and seasonings, cook stirring often until thoroughly heated. Serve hot, garnished with shredded cheese.

This next soup is new to my list of soups. It comes together pretty quickly and is delicious. When I first made it I thought the broccoli was a little out of place and I left it out, the next time around I added it in. There’s a reason it is listed in the original recipe; don’t make the same mistake. I almost always use a roasted chicken from my grocery stores deli for this recipe, it just makes it so easy to put together.

Chicken and wild rice soup

1 small white onion, chopped

1 cup shredded carrots

2 teaspoon vegetable oil

5 cups water

1 package Uncle Ben’s long Grain and Wild Rice Fast Cook Blend

10 ounce package of frozen chopped broccoli

2 cups cooked chicken

8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onion and carrots in the oil in the bottom of a large pot over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the water, the seasoning packet from the rice, broccoli, and chicken. Bring to a boil and stir in rice, reduce heat, cover and cook 5 minutes. Add the cheese and soup, season to taste, cook stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Christina Hall writes a weekly lifestyle column for The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at christina.hall@natchezdemocrat.com.