Soup is filling, comforting and can be made with almost anything on hand, including veggies on the edge.
Soup is the universal comfort food. Fabled for being able to be made from anything, stretch a meal, fill a belly, and warm a soul. It is the perfect way to use up bits from your fridge, limp vegetables, leftover pasta or rice, cheese ends, and even old ketchup. Search for "leftover food + soup" and you can find hundreds or recipes. A hearty meal can come together quickly, especially when you are using leftovers.
Here are the basics:
- Heat some kind of fat (oil, butter, drippings) in a large pot.
- Add aromatics, such as onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, or carrots to the pot.
- Stir in broth, stock, or miso.
- Use homemade stock from vegetable ends.
- Use homemade stock from bones.
- Add longer cooking ingredients such as dry pasta, grains, lentils, raw potatoes, or winter squash.
- Add other flavors, such as:
- Tomato sauce or paste
- Condiments from take-out portions, or end-of-jar ketchup, salsa etc.
- Old wine
- Herbs and spices
- Add cooked or soft vegetables, tofu, cooked meats, beans, pasta or grains, or other leftovers.
- Chop into bite-sized pieces, if necessary.
- Adding cooked and soft foods at the end prevents them from getting soggy or overcooked.
Hints:
- Stick to a flavor pallet.
- Check the fridge and freezer for vegetables that need to be used.
- Wilted vegetables are fine, cut off bruises and blemishes.
- Freeze small leftover portions of grains, sauce, vegetables to have on hand.
- Freeze veggie scraps and/or bones in your freezer to make your own stock.
- Make sure to include your carrot cuttings, celery leaves, potato skins and onion peels.
Top with a few croutons, fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon.
Voila! Enjoy a hearty bowl of comfort.
Resources:
How to Make Soup from Leftovers - Good Cheap Eats
Soup is Good Food (or How to Make Stone Soup) - Good Cheap Eats
Thursday Night Soup – Waste Less and Eat Well - Good Cheap Eats
