Scrap Soup: An Easy To Remember Recipe

I don't know about your family, but on a cold winter's day, mine loves hot soup for lunch. Unfortunately I find commercially canned soups, especially the ones with whole food ingredients, too expensive. And when it comes to soup recipes, I'll be the first to admit that I don't like fuss with one. We've got a lot going on around here so I like things that are simple to make as well as nutritious to eat. Scrap Soup is my answer to that. It's frugal, fun, nutritious, and never boring.

Scrap Soup

1. Open fridge
2. Remove all leftovers and unused raw veggies. Literally. I mean it. (You may omit leftover fruits and desserts if desired, but be daring if you like)
3. Chop, cut, or dice to preferred size
4. Put all (I mean all) into a pot
5. Add liquid, as much as you want soup for. (I save & freeze all my cooking liquids from potatoes, pasta, steamed veggies, etc. )
6. Add a handful of uncooked legumes or grains if needed
7. Season to taste
8. Cook all day, the longer the better (This is a good one for a crock pot if you don't have a wood stove to cook it on)
9. Enjoy with homemade crackers or bread

Leftovers:

• raw onions
• raw okra
• last of the fresh garden green beans
• gravy
• chicken broth
• cooked rolled spelt cereal
• leftover tomato salad
• 1/2 gallon potato cooking water
• last of the homemade salsa
• homemade, home canned tomato relish

Added:

• handfuls of lentils
• and brown rice

Comments - pleasing combination of flavors, but could have used more seasoning.


Leftovers:

• broccoli cooking water
• cooked broccoli stems (liquefied in blender)
• spaghetti
• green beans
• tomato juice
• lima beans which had sweet pickle juice added to the cooking water
• pineapple
• sausage

Added:

• salt
• pepper

Comments: The tomato, sweet pickle juice, pineapple, and sausage made a tasty flavor combination.


Leftovers:

• Thanksgiving turkey including neck and tail
• giblet cooking water
• cornbread stuffing
• celery
• onions
• corn cut off cob
• carrot
• broccoli stems
• potato cooking water
• brown rice
• turkey gravy
• mashed potatoes
• sauerkraut juice

Added:

• salt
• pepper
• sage
• Italian seasoning

Comments: Absolutely yummy! Wonderfully warming on a dark, damp, chilly, rainy day.


Leftovers:

• pork and chicken bones
• one lime
• pasta cooking water
• steamed turnips
• sautéed onions
• raw onions
• celery
• ginger carrots
• lima beans
• last of the Christmas turkey

Preparation - simmer bones and lime in water for two or three days. The acid in the lime helps dissolve the minerals out of the bones. Discard bones & lime peel before adding other ingredients.

Added:

• cup of pearled barley
• salt
• a couple of fresh rosemary sprigs

Comments: Really good! Couldn't even tell that it had been cooked with lime.

You get the idea!

Scrap Soup: An Easy To Remember Recipe photos & text  © 

February 2010 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/