Soup is a great, frugal and potentially delicious meal that can successfully be made from leftovers. It’s a great way to “waste not, want not” because you can get a free meal for your efforts. I often have a couple of leftover potatoes, some random scrap ends of assorted cheeses, a couple slices of ham and a cup of sour cream just hanging out in my refrigerator. Using up those ingredients is easy when you transform them into soups. Most of the time, I can take canned or frozen vegetables along with pantry staples, such as beans, pasta or rice, and create soup to not only enjoy immediately but also freeze and have leftovers for later.  

You really don’t need an exact recipe to make a soup; instead, you can focus on the type of soup and its base, and then build from there. There are two basic kinds of soup — clear and thick. Clear soups include flavored stocks and broths, such as chicken noodle soup and French onion soup. Thick soups include cream and purée soups, such as bisques or potato soup. Stock or broth is the basic ingredient in clear soups. Occasionally I make my own stock, but let’s be realistic. There’s not a lot of time for that. So most often I keep vegetable, chicken and beef base on hand. Better Than Bouillon is a brand that is easy to find in most grocery stores. It is a concentrated stock that has been reduced to a paste. Just add 1-2 tablespoons to a quart of hot water to make stock. I find it more flavorful and less salty than broth. Cream soups are made with a thickener, such as roux, or thickened with the starch found in the puréed main ingredient (such as potatoes).

Let the ingredients you have on hand determine which type of soup would suit them best, and then start a base from there. Keep in mind, you can make a great soup from what you have, provided what you have is still fresh and, in the case of leftovers, something you liked the first time. For example, have some leftover potatoes, some ham and sharp cheeses? Make a cream soup using the potatoes, diced small or pureed, as a thickener. Heat some milk or cream, and add the potatoes. Mix in the leftover ham and cheeses, and then add some sour cream and chives. You now have a loaded baked potato soup!

Or if you are looking to use up leftover chicken, beef or pork, along with fresh, frozen or canned vegetables, make a clear soup with stock and add in tortellini, rice, beans or noodles. It’s really that easy. You can use whatever herbs and spices you like to really punch in the flavor. For example, start with beef stock and tomato juice, paste or crushed tomato. Then add to it already cooked ground beef. You can add in any vegetables — corn, green beans, peas, zucchini, carrots, even cabbage — anything goes. Throw in some pasta (any type will work), and add some seasoning. Italian seasoning, taco seasoning or even a little Worcestershire and salt-and-pepper blend will do. Cook until pasta is done and enjoy. 

Just remember, there are five basic elements needed to make a soup.

1. Fat, such as olive or other cooking oil, butter, bacon fat.
2. Onion, yellow, white or shallots will do. Celery works well here, too.
3. Liquids, i.e., broth, stock, bouillon, water, tomato juice, milk, buttermilk, cream.
4. Seasonings, such as salt, pepper, garlic, onion salt, any kind of dried herbs you enjoy; soy sauce, Tabasco, hot sauce; sugar, paprika, wine, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil, rosemary.
5. Fillings, including ingredients like meat, poultry, seafood, fish; pasta, rice, potato; and vegetables such as carrot, broccoli, beans, peas, edamame — anything vegetable like that.

If you prefer a recipe, here is one that can be used to get you started making soups with leftover random ingredients.  

Hodge podge soup

Yield 2 quarts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 cups stock 
• 1 cup vegetable puree such as canned pumpkin puree, or puree leftover root vegetables such as squash. Or you can use canned tomato sauce.
• 1 can corn or hominy, or 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 to 2 cups cooked meat (chicken, beef, pork, whatever you have)
• 1 cup cooked beans, rice, quinoa or pasta
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper or canned or frozen peas, okra or lima beans
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix, taco seasoning, or your favorite spices
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large stockpot, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, on medium-low for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and carrots, and stir. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the broth, and puree. Add the corn, tomatoes, meat, beans, peppers and seasonings. Stir well, and bring to a simmer.
3. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Adjust seasonings.

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.