"You can make soup out of anything!" This is my wintertime mantra.
Since my family doesn't love eating leftovers, soup is my Go-To Nextover--my simple way to put a new shine on the scraps from a previous meal.
When I'm pressed for time, I can toss some leftovers, a quart or so of broth, and the veggies to make a mirepoix (chopped onions, carrots, and celery) into a pot, and I can have a hot and hearty dinner on the table in a half hour. It's like magic!
(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)You can do it, too. You can make soup out of anything!
Have some leftover red sauce pasta? Sautee an onion and a few cloves of garlic in a stock pot. Dump in some beef broth, Italian seasonings, the pasta scraps, and maybe a few more scoops of red sauce or a can of tomato paste. Simmer and serve, topping each bowl with a fresh sprinkle of parmesan, mozzarella, or ricotta for a "Lasagna Soup."
Got take-out remnants from your favorite Mexican restaurant? Remove and toss the tortilla, but keep the stuffing, beans, and rice bits. Put it all in a pot along with broth, chili powder, cumin, red chili pepper flakes, and a can of black beans for a tasty upcycle of last night's dinner.
The possibilities are endless! You can make soup out of anything. Pinky swear.
That said, during soup season, it's also nice to have the ingredients in the larder for a few tried-and-true specialty soup recipes. Here are five soups we've been enjoying this winter.
Don't expect to find ketchup and mustard in this cheeseburger-inspired soup introduced to me by my friend, Kari, over a decade ago. What I love most about this particular recipe is that it's made with ingredients I always have on hand. Always. It may have a low-class name, but it has high-class taste. With generous helpings of milk, cheese, and sour cream, this soup may not be a recipe for the dairy-averse. But, if you're like me and like a side of cheese with your cheese, grab a 1/2 pound of ground beef and head to the kitchen. You need to make this soup!
My modification: I often use a whole pound of ground beef to bulk up the recipe for my large family.
Stumble into any kitchen in Minnesota, the state that boasts the largest production of wild rice in the world, and you will, no doubt, find some iteration of a basic wild rice soup recipe written on an index card or shoved into a cookbook collection of family favorites. It is a winter staple in the near tundra. Since moving here nearly 25 years ago, I've tried many different versions of this statewide classic and have landed on this one from Food & Wine.
My modification: I add 1-2 tsp. of
Better Than Bullion to the stock.
Technically, this is a crockpot recipe. However, since I cook, shred, and freeze three chickens each month, I always have 2-cup bags of shredded chicken in my freezer. Instead of slow-cooking the meat and spices all day, I chuck all the ingredients except the cream cheese and half-and-half into a stock pot and let them simmer on the stove before mixing in the dairy. If you don't freeze chicken like I do but still want to shorten the cooking time of this dish, you could also use a shredded rotisserie chicken.
My modification: Despite a recipe's suggestion, I never use reduced-fat or fat-free ingredients. Ever. In addition to being full of fake ingredients, fat-free foods have been directly linked to American obesity in numerous studies.
You can serve this soup as a starter for a Tour of Italy night or make it the dinner centerpiece by pairing it with a tossed salad and/or garlic bread. With a rich, creamy base, flavorful veggies, and spicy sausage, it's robust enough to shine all on its own.
My modification: I use hot ground Italian sausage and skip the "accent."
When I stumbled upon this "fancy" chicken soup several months ago, it had me at "bacon." Unfortunately, I did not have any spinach or kale in my fridge. Not to be dissuaded, I reached for the only leafy green I could find: a half head of cabbage. Shrugging my shoulders while repeating my wintertime manta under my breath, I chopped it up and tossed it in the simmering pot. Turns out, cabbage was the perfect substitute. So much so that I've set this recipe aside to be used right after I make a dish like fish tacos or Asian salad that calls for half a cabbage. It will be my go-to "use it up" soup recipe.
My modification: Instead of baby spinach or kale, I use cabbage.
Soup is the original One-Pot Wonder. Yes, Sheet-Pan Dinners are great, and I hear Instant
Pot Suppers are good, too. But if you're looking for ease in the kitchen and comfort around the table, you can't go wrong with a big pot of warm soup. And besides, you can make soup out of anything!
What are your favorite Go-To soup recipes?
I'd love to know!
These all sound delicious and I look forward to trying the new ones!!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have discovered the tasty and economical joy of substituting cabbage in soup recipes… 😉
Can you share how you cook 3 chickens each month for freezing? This sounds very useful!!
I have a large electric roaster. Once a month, I throw three chickens into it, butter and S&P them, and roast them. Once they are fully cooled, I shred them, scoop 2 cups worth of meat into ziplocks to freeze, and then use the carcasses to make bone broth.
Delete