Clean Out Your Fridge Soup
Oct. 11th, 2013 11:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
untonuggan in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
omnomnomI posted this as a comment for a friend who is looking for soup recipes, and I figured since I wrote it up I might as well post it here as well. I don't know if this is duplicating another post, but anyway, here's how to make basically any soup with what you have in your fridge with a few simple ingredients.
Here is how I make "what needs to be used up in the fridge" soup, which can also turn into chili if you feel like seasoning it that way. Since it is infinitely adaptable, you can totally switch it up based on your dietary needs. I hope this makes sense; let me know if any of it needs clarification.
Ingredients
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
garlic if you want/have it
vegetables of your choice that need to be eaten up, chopped (canned/frozen also an option if chopping is hard) - how many you use determines how dense the soup will be, and also how big a batch you make
can of legumes of your choice (lentils work nicely, as do beans), drained and rinsed
some kind of grain (optional) such as quinoa, barley, noodles, etc.
1 quart broth of your choice, or water and a bullion cube or two
seasoning options:
pick something that you think would go well with the things you've picked out. this is where you can get creative. I usually use 1/2 cup of white wine and some herbs and black pepper, but sometimes I throw in hot sauce and/or lemon juice. It depends on my mood. Seasonings can be adjusted throughout, so it's really up to your taste buds.
How to make it:
You want to add the wet stuff as late as possible to give everything a chance to soften and also soak up some flavor from each other and the oil. So basically, in a soup pot, add oil and heat at medium-high. Add onions and saute until soft, then reduce heat to medium and add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds (so garlic doesn't burn). If you are using any spices (rather than herbs), it's often fun to add them when you add the onions so the vegetables can all soak up the flavor of the spices. Add other vegetables in order of hardness (so, carrots first and spinach several minutes later, right before you add the wet stuff) and saute/stir until they begin to soften. It's okay if the vegetables aren't completely soft, because that's what the next step is for.
After the veggies have soaked up a lot of flavor and are at least moderately soft, add your wet ingredients: soup stock/water with bullion cubes; wine if you're going that route, or lemon juice; whatever. At this point it's also good to add herbs of your choosing. Bring soup to boil, then reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. If you're adding any grains, add them 30 minutes before you plan to finish the soup. (So, if you're simmering for an hour to really let the flavors absorb, simmer 30 minutes, add grain, simmer another 30 minutes.)
Eat and enjoy!
Here is how I make "what needs to be used up in the fridge" soup, which can also turn into chili if you feel like seasoning it that way. Since it is infinitely adaptable, you can totally switch it up based on your dietary needs. I hope this makes sense; let me know if any of it needs clarification.
Ingredients
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
garlic if you want/have it
vegetables of your choice that need to be eaten up, chopped (canned/frozen also an option if chopping is hard) - how many you use determines how dense the soup will be, and also how big a batch you make
can of legumes of your choice (lentils work nicely, as do beans), drained and rinsed
some kind of grain (optional) such as quinoa, barley, noodles, etc.
1 quart broth of your choice, or water and a bullion cube or two
seasoning options:
pick something that you think would go well with the things you've picked out. this is where you can get creative. I usually use 1/2 cup of white wine and some herbs and black pepper, but sometimes I throw in hot sauce and/or lemon juice. It depends on my mood. Seasonings can be adjusted throughout, so it's really up to your taste buds.
How to make it:
You want to add the wet stuff as late as possible to give everything a chance to soften and also soak up some flavor from each other and the oil. So basically, in a soup pot, add oil and heat at medium-high. Add onions and saute until soft, then reduce heat to medium and add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds (so garlic doesn't burn). If you are using any spices (rather than herbs), it's often fun to add them when you add the onions so the vegetables can all soak up the flavor of the spices. Add other vegetables in order of hardness (so, carrots first and spinach several minutes later, right before you add the wet stuff) and saute/stir until they begin to soften. It's okay if the vegetables aren't completely soft, because that's what the next step is for.
After the veggies have soaked up a lot of flavor and are at least moderately soft, add your wet ingredients: soup stock/water with bullion cubes; wine if you're going that route, or lemon juice; whatever. At this point it's also good to add herbs of your choosing. Bring soup to boil, then reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. If you're adding any grains, add them 30 minutes before you plan to finish the soup. (So, if you're simmering for an hour to really let the flavors absorb, simmer 30 minutes, add grain, simmer another 30 minutes.)
Eat and enjoy!
no subject
on 2013-10-11 04:32 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-10-11 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-10-23 05:46 pm (UTC)thanks for bringing it up
no subject
on 2013-10-26 01:05 am (UTC)