Soup making goes hand in hand with cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer.
Use up all those partial packages and bits and pieces, and tweak recipes to include what you have to use up these things.
Feel free to substitute frozen for fresh vegetables.
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If you have that turkey carcass left from the holidays, make your own stock.
However, don’t simply throw everything into one pot. Choose a theme such as a Mexican or an Asian inspired soup.
Follow these tips:
- Build the flavours as you go. Start with aromatics, spices and herbs and carrots, onions and celery.
- Calculate the cooking time of the ingredients and add accordingly.
- Don’t add rice or pasta too early.
- Don’t overcook vegetables.
- Simmer, don’t boil to prevent drying out the meat.
- Don’t over or under salt.
- Add cream to thicken.
- Use the garnishes.
- Everything should be cut into spoon-sized pieces or smaller.
- Make extra soup so there is one meal in the freezer.
Once you have finished making the soup, be sure to let it cool completely to room temperature before storing it in freezer-proof containers.
Green chile chicken soup
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil, divided 30 mL
- 1 lb. boneless chicken thighs 500 g
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt 3 mL
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika 5 mL
- 2 tsp. chili powder 10 mL
- 2 tsp. cumin 10 mL
- 1 tsp. dried oregano 5 mL
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 12 fl. oz. jar of salsa verde 375 mL
- 1 4 fl. oz. can mild jalapeno chiles, chopped 125 mL
- 3 c. low sodium chicken stock 750 mL
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 1 14 fl. oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed 400 mL
- juice of one lime
- shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream and green onions, for garnishing
Sprinkle salt over chicken thighs. Heat one tablespoon (15 mL) oil over medium high heat in a heavy stock pot and add chicken thighs in a single layer. Sear on both sides to get a golden brown crust. Remove chicken thighs and set aside.
Turn heat down to medium, add diced onion and a pinch of salt to chicken drippings in pot and saute until translucent, about seven minutes. Add smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin and oregano leaves. Stir and coat onion, and you will start to smell the spices become fragrant, cooking for one to two minutes. Add a tablespoon (15 mL) more oil and stir in garlic, cooking for one to two minutes.
Add chicken back to pot, along with salsa verde, diced green chiles, chicken stock and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a light simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.
Remove chicken thighs and shred the meat using forks. Add back to pot, along with white beans, cook for 10 more minutes. Stir in fresh lime juice.
Remove bay leaves, and serve with garnishes.
Slow cooker cheddar broccoli soup
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 4 c. broccoli, chopped 1 L
- 1 c. carrots, diced 250 mL
- 1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. salt 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper 2 mL
- 4 c. chicken or vegetable stock 1 L
- 1/4 c. butter 60 mL
- 1/4 c. flour 60 mL
- 2 c. milk 500 mL
- 3 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated 750 mL
- green onions for garnish
Add broccoli, onion, carrots, celery, chicken stock, salt and pepper to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for five hours or high for three hours.
Melt butter and whisk the flour into it. Add to the slow cooker, stirring to eliminate any lumps.
Stir in milk and cheese.
Let cook another hour on low or until the cheese is melted and the soup thickens.
Serve in a bread bowl for a nice presentation. Garnish with green onions and extra cheese.
Bread bowls
- 2 lb. frozen bread dough thawed but still cold 900 g
- 1 large egg, beaten
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Slice the thawed dough into six equal pieces, and roll each piece into a tight ball.
Place dough balls four inches (5 cm) apart on a prepared baking sheet. Spray a large piece of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and lightly cover dough with plastic wrap. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a warm place until double in size, about two to three hours.
Carefully remove plastic wrap. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool bread on a wire rack until just warm.
With a sharp knife at an angle, slice the top off of the bread. Compress sides and bottom of the bread to form a well. Fill with soup, stew, chili or dip. Serve.
Creamy wild rice & mushroom soup
This vegetarian soup will thicken as it sits.
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 15 mL
- 1 c. thinly sliced celery 250 mL
- 1 c. chopped carrots 250 mL
- 1/2 c. chopped onions 125 mL
- 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced 250 g
- 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 60 mL
- 1/2 tsp. pepper 2 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 4 c. low-sodium vegetable stock 1 L
- 2 c. cooked wild rice 500 mL
- 1/2 c. heavy cream 125 mL
- 2 tsp. lemon juice 10 mL
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 30 mL
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, carrots and onions and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about five minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the mushroom liquid has mostly evaporated, about five minutes. Add flour, pepper and salt and cook, stirring, for two minutes more.
Add stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about two minutes. Stir in rice, cream, lemon juice and parsley and cook until heated through, about two minutes more. Serve.
Beef borscht
- 1 1 inch thick slice bone-in beef shank 2.5 cm
- 3 qt. water 3 L
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 c. carrots, chopped 250 mL
- 1/2 c. celery, chopped 125 mL
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 c. beets, peeled and grated 750 mL
- 2 c. cabbage, chopped 500 mL
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice, or to taste 45 mL
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 c. sour cream, for garnish 250 mL
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill, for garnish 30 mL
Brown beef shank in a large pot over high heat until browned, about four minutes per side. Add water, onion, carrots, celery and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until meat is tender and falling off the bone, about
four hours. Strain and save the stock. Shred the beef and add to the stock. Discard the bones and vegetables.
Combine beef stock, beets and cabbage in the same pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beets and cabbage are tender, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Serve soup in bowls garnished with sour cream and dill.
Sarah Galvin is a home economist, teacher and avid supporter of local food producers. She has been a market vendor, grew up on a farm in southeastern Saskatchewan and is a member of TEAM Resources.
