Soup ideas

[Imzadi]

Reposting my post from another thread last year:

[During an upsurge in the pandemic when we all had to hunker down at home,] I discovered soup starters. I did not know such a thing existed all this time. My usual way of making fresh soups was so time and consuming, chopping, peeling, cutting up veggies & meat. Soup starters makes it MUCH easier. Many of the ingredients: peas, lentils, barley, etc., and a seasoning packet are assembled in the box for you. No need to open up so many packages of stuff and measure everything out. You basically add a meat and maybe a can of tomatoes & frozen, pre-cut veggies. The soups can be done in a crock pot or Instant Pot too.​

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Basically, depending on the soup starter, I dump the ingredients of the box in a pot, rinse and soak the beans for either 2 hours (for lentils & split peas,) or overnight for other beans. (The instructions will say.) Drain the water.​

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Then place in the required amount of water, (less for a heartier, thicker soup,) or broth in the pot with the meat on the bone. (I do chicken or beef or pork.) Don't bother cutting up the meat. It will shred apart or fall off the bone when done. Add in the soup starter seasoning packet or your own spices, if you prefer. Add less seasoning packet for less sodium. Walk away for a few hours. Just before it's almost done, I take out the meat, cut or shred it up. Five minutes before the end, I add in some frozen stir-fry veggies from the bag. They are already pre-cut. Just heat them through. They don't need much cooking - only about 5 minutes. DONE.​

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If you don't want to use the included seasoning packet, use your own spices. I've done it both ways. It actually stretches out using the same soup starter ingredients in different ways. You can also add pasta if you want a heartier soup. I've used the same soup starter in 3 different ways so far, by changing up the seasonings or the other ingredients I add. I've yet to work my way through all flavors of one brand.​

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@Frozen Canuck on another thread turned me onto the Buckeye Beans & Herbs brand that can be found at TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Marshalls. They are also available at Amazon or their own website for a lot more money:​

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I have used the Buckeye Beans & Herbs brand of soup mix. Our favourite one that we have tried has been the Chicken 'n Thyme soup mix. They are good, but they make a LOT (like 12 servings!), so we usually end up freezing some. I have found packages of it at places like Marshall's and TJ Maxx in their food section for less than online.

I love Buckeye Beans & Herbs Chicken 'n Thyme soup mix and their Beefed Up Barley Soup mix. I've had the Beefed Up Barley with and without the tomatoes and seasoning packet. I made it with the stock after I braised ribs in too much liquid. I tasted it, and it was basically a wonderful soup broth. So, I dumped in half a box of the rinsed & soaked Beefed Up Barley ingredients and then just kept going. It was that easy to suddenly decide to make soup. ​

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[Imzadi]

Alternately, I found soup starters at my local health food store. They were in the bulk bins where you can buy bulk almonds, quinoa, etc., by the pound. I found an organic split pea soup starter and also a corn chowder. They weren't pulverized dehydrated bits but nice big chucks & pieces and spices mixed in. The directions said to just add to boiling water or stock and I could add optional veggies & spices if I want. Intrigued, I bought a half pound.

The first time I made the split pea soup starter, I sprinkled some cashews in for some protein. It was quite tasty without a lot of salt. The second time, I added corn and some chick peas for more protein. Next time, I made it with chicken stock and sprinkled on bacon bits. That's when I realized how inventive these soup starters could be.

For the corn chowder, I used low sodium chicken broth and added shredded rotisserie chicken.

I don't know if my health food store has these specially made for them, (it's a mom & pop type shop,) or if they are available at other health food stores too. There was no brand label on the bulk bin. Check your own smaller health food stores to see if they have something similar.

 

[Stratman50th]

Thanksgiving and Christmas we get a Honey Ham. Usually around 11lb half ham. We eat about half of it and I use the rest to make ham and bean soup. I soak two bags of beans overnight, usually navy and another type. Last batch the second bag was baby limas.
I strip all the remaining ham off the bone. Put the bone in my big soup pot and cover with water. Get it boiling and add the rinsed beans. Turn down to simmer. Add all the leftover ham and let it simmer most of the day, stirring to keep it from sticking to the bottom. After about 8 hours or so I lift out the bones.
By the time it's done, most of the navy beans have rendered down to a thick almost paste. The larger beans are typically still recognizable.
We get several meals out of it, freezing about half.

 

[AuntieMe3]

I discovered this last week when I needed something quick with ingredients I already had.

Busy day soup. It's has hamburger meat, onion soup mix, frozen veggies, diced tomatoes and macaroni noodles. It was really good and so easy...the whole family loved it. I'm even making it again this weekend. I didn't pay close attention to the recipe when I made it though so mine had more noodles and veggies than the recipe says. I also added more water and onion soup mix so it wasn't too thick wit the extra stuff. But I guess if you like more of a chili or stew, it would still be great.

 

[kimmar067]

...we LOVE cabbage soup in the winter - it is so hearty, especially with crusty bread! [obviously, if you of the non-cabbage liking persuasion, it's not the soup for you]:

small head of green cabbage
1 medium peeled onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 lb. kielbasa
1 small ham steak
2 or 3 slices uncooked bacon
15 oz can stewed tomatoes
15 oz can cannellinii beans
s & p

Slice all meats into small chunks and saute`, along with the onion in a large pot with olive oil [2 or 3 T.] to brown the meat Section the cabbage into 4 wedges and chop and add to pot, along with all remaining ingredients. Add enough water into the empty tomato can until all ingredients are almost fully covered. Bring to a boil and lower flame to simmer for 1 hour. Add s & p to taste. Serve with warm crusty bread and parmesan cheese.

 

[Her Dotness]

Miso paste is great for adding flavor depth to any soup, that earthiness the Japanese call umami.

Just don't add it until shortly before serving. It's fairly sensitive to overcooking.

When you do, stir some of the hot soup into however much miso you're adding until the miso dissolves and then dump that into your soup. Otherwise, you can end up with yukky lumps.

If you find yourself using miso often, a miso muddler is worth acquiring. You twirl one end of it (1 Tbsp or 2 Tbsp) in the miso paste until the wire end is full and then just stir the miso into the soup. No worries about lumps. They're fabulous if you make miso soup often as I do.

 

[clh2]

I love soups in the winter! And as an added bonus, they freeze so nicely, makes for cooking something on a Sunday, eating it for a few days, and then we freeze it in quart bags, which is usually enough for dinner one night and lunch for me the next day!

Some of our favorites are Cheeseburger Soup, Beef Barley, Chili, and Turkey Chowder!

 

[LuvOrlando]

We had Pho' yesterday that ended up fantastic but which I nearly tossed as a fail in the midst of teasing until it was tasted after letting it sit overnight on it's way to the trash & it was saved LOL

Recipes say make it in one day, mine took 3 not including the 3 days of looking for recipes and shopping.
Restaurants make it wonderfully but too much salt so it's on me and I don't follow instructions well soooo this happened.


Luvs quirky but yummy Pho' - not ready for Food Channel because I don't follow instructions and if you have OCD for Pete's sake just look away.

Day 1
2- 10 inch beef bones and 2 onions roasted on foil at 400 with dinner Wednesday night to save energy
The foil caught all the liquid and bits so when it cooled I gathered and scraped the stuff and put it in a ziplock in the fridge overnight
Smaller bones would be better, some recipes say oxtail so maybe that works.

Day 2- thought it would be dinner but ended up with pizza so backup plan recommended, as per usual.
Put last nights ziplock contents into the Instant Pot to slow cook
1 carton beef broth (I know my skill level)
1 .5 oz small packet Star Anise from Badia (some recipes said 4 oz and that is way too big a flavor IMO)
1 stick cinnamon
2 whole cloves
4 cubes frozen Dorot ginger (love the little cubes of spices because I am not an Iron Chef and fresh will go bad)
1 sprinkle of cardamom because this seemed to be controversial in the reviews

Slow cook all day enjoying the smell then taste & make a face because it was too bland.
Turn off slow cooker and tell family it ain't happening, order Pizza.
As you have pizza decide maybe you can save it if it is boiled down.
Fish out the bones and pour it all into a big soup pot.
Boil and hour, decide maybe more flavor will come from more beef broth so add another carton of beef broth.
Spot the Wegmans Beef Bone Broth concentrate in the fridge, decide might as well, and use a TBS.
Wait 4 hours, taste and burn mouth on boiling oil on top - decide that was dopey & also decide this can't be saved- I recommend skipping this step.
Turn it off, cool and get it into the fridge in to be disposed of the next day.

Day 3
One of my kids decides to taste it and says it is actually good.
Decide maybe it got better and taste it, it is good!
Peel off layer of fat and put it back into ziplock to be frozen & used for other cooking.

To eat
Put in thin slices of top round beef to be fished out as soon as they cook in the broth.
Bunch of fancy long mushrooms from the Asian Market, zero idea what these were but the restaurant gives them, I also boiled these briefly and fished them out to be split up in bowls
Wegmans frozen Low Mein Noodles, which were delivered as a replacement a while back inspiring soup choice, but restaurants usually give us rice or cellophane noodles - all are yummy.
Sprig of Thai Basil, which has purple stems also from the Asian Market
Sprig of Cilantro


Soup was yummy but best of all I enjoyed the fact it turned out nicely after all the razzing I got over my decidedly unorthodox cooking style.

Follow me for more adventures

 

[NYCgrrl]

Soups can be a wonderful way to keep the pounds off during the winter when many are less active. Love the way they warm the core and use up leftovers too.

So far this winter we’ve had :

Every kind of bean soup you can think of and some that you haven’t yet
Chicken and vegan tortilla soup.
Roasted carrots, parsnips and potato is great when you don’t want meat but crave that stick to your ribs feeling.
Several versions of chicken, vegetables and starch soup
corn, green peppers and ham chowder
RI clam chowder (so easy to make and inexpensive too!)
Garlic soup with or without a poached egg
Pepper pot
Italian wedding soup
Hot and sour as well as wonton soups for the Lunar New Year . Once you load up on goods from the Asian food market it’s easier than ordering takeout.
Whenever I’ve leftover tomato products I make some version of tomato soup.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We had Pho' yesterday that ended up fantastic but which I nearly tossed as a fail in the midst of teasing until it was tasted after letting it sit overnight on it's way to the trash & it was saved LOL

Recipes say make it in one day, mine took 3 not including the 3 days of looking for recipes and shopping.
Restaurants make it wonderfully but too much salt so it's on me and I don't follow instructions well soooo this happened.


Luvs quirky but yummy Pho' - not ready for Food Channel because I don't follow instructions and if you have OCD for Pete's sake just look away.

Day 1
2- 10 inch beef bones and 2 onions roasted on foil at 400 with dinner Wednesday night to save energy
The foil caught all the liquid and bits so when it cooled I gathered and scraped the stuff and put it in a ziplock in the fridge overnight
Smaller bones would be better, some recipes say oxtail so maybe that works.

Day 2- thought it would be dinner but ended up with pizza so backup plan recommended, as per usual.
Put last nights ziplock contents into the Instant Pot to slow cook
1 carton beef broth (I know my skill level)
1 .5 oz small packet Star Anise from Badia (some recipes said 4 oz and that is way too big a flavor IMO)
1 stick cinnamon
2 whole cloves
4 cubes frozen Dorot ginger (love the little cubes of spices because I am not an Iron Chef and fresh will go bad)
1 sprinkle of cardamom because this seemed to be controversial in the reviews

Slow cook all day enjoying the smell then taste & make a face because it was too bland.
Turn off slow cooker and tell family it ain't happening, order Pizza.
As you have pizza decide maybe you can save it if it is boiled down.
Fish out the bones and pour it all into a big soup pot.
Boil and hour, decide maybe more flavor will come from more beef broth so add another carton of beef broth.
Spot the Wegmans Beef Bone Broth concentrate in the fridge, decide might as well, and use a TBS.
Wait 4 hours, taste and burn mouth on boiling oil on top - decide that was dopey & also decide this can't be saved- I recommend skipping this step.
Turn it off, cool and get it into the fridge in to be disposed of the next day.

Day 3
One of my kids decides to taste it and says it is actually good.
Decide maybe it got better and taste it, it is good!
Peel off layer of fat and put it back into ziplock to be frozen & used for other cooking.

To eat
Put in thin slices of top round beef to be fished out as soon as they cook in the broth.
Bunch of fancy long mushrooms from the Asian Market, zero idea what these were but the restaurant gives them, I also boiled these briefly and fished them out to be split up in bowls
Wegmans frozen Low Mein Noodles, which were delivered as a replacement a while back inspiring soup choice, but restaurants usually give us rice or cellophane noodles - all are yummy.
Sprig of Thai Basil, which has purple stems also from the Asian Market
Sprig of Cilantro


Soup was yummy but best of all I enjoyed the fact it turned out nicely after all the razzing I got over my decidedly unorthodox cooking style.

Follow me for more adventures

You might want to try the Better than Boullion line when you run out of stock. Great price and always in the fridge.
Maybe it’s enoki mushrooms that are long and thin? Wood ears are good too and I like to keep dried shiitakes in my pantry due to versatility.

Your pho reads yummy.

 

[disneyseniors]

This is a great thread, especially for this time of year. I am sitting here reading all these wonderful recipes while it is -16 degrees out with wind chill -30. It's cozy inside and time for soup.

I am pretty basic with soup and favorites are chili (thick and kind of spicey), bean soup with ham bone, and veggie soup.
For the veggie beef soup I get a huge roast with lots of fat running through it. ( I know, that's an unpopular thing,, but it flavors the soup so much). I fix roast beef with mashed potatoes, veggies the first night. I dont make gravy saving the broth for veggie beef soup. I just cut up the roast, use the beef broth, and add lots of veggies.
I also change it up a bit and make homemade noodles instead of veggie soup. I use the left over beef/broth and just add the homemade noodles with some small onions and seasoned salt. (I use a lot of seasoned salt). It is one of our families favorite meals. I don't add regular salt to my cooking, as my husband has high blood pressure, so he can't have much salt. I'm used to adding salt to my food when we eat it.

 

[Imzadi]

Miso paste is great for adding flavor depth to any soup, that earthiness the Japanese call umami.

Just don't add it until shortly before serving. It's fairly sensitive to overcooking.

Pumpkin is also sensitive to either too high heat or overcooking.

I love a great creamy pumpkin soup. But, one year, finding it at my local cafe, which rotates out many soups, was hit or miss. So, I scoured through recipes online. I found one that sounded close. I was in the process of making it. I taste as I go along. It was tasting good. . . Tweaked some spices. . . Tasted some more. It was tasting heavenly. . I thought I was supposed to bring the soup up to a boil. But as I did that, the soup suddenly had no flavor.

I went to read the reviews for the soup. It was at allrecipes .com. A good many people said how the soup had no flavor. While many others raved about it. I figured, the ones who also said it had no flavor had also overcooked it or heated it too high.

Several days later, I made it again, being careful to not heat it too much.There was basically no raw ingredient that had to be thoroughly cooked. It tasted wonderful again and I took it off the heat.

 

[Her Dotness]

You might want to try the Better than Boullion line when you run out of stock. Great price and always in the fridge.

That's good stuff but very salty, IMO. If anyone's never tried it, start with less than you think. You can always add more but can;t easily deal with waaay too much salt.

That stuff's great to stir into roast beef gravy if your meat juices aren't very flavorful. Really perks up the flavor.

Maybe it’s enoki mushrooms that are long and thin?

Enokis are very delicate looking white mushrooms with spindly stems about 2" long or less. Shimejis are similar.

Put either in just before serving a soup as they cook in a short time and lose flavor if overcooked.

The drawback to both is that they don't keep well past a couple days in the fridge.

We like a stir-fry of fresh sliced shiitakes, oyster mushrooms and a mixture of enoki, beech (similar) and shimejis with sliced shallots as a side dish. Splash or two of tamari right before serving. YUMlicious.

 

[tcufrog]

I made chicken tortilla soup tonight using this mix. My family loves it. I can sometimes find it for much less at Tuesday Morning. I put rotisserie chicken and chicken broth instead of water. I add Rotel, fire-roasted corn, and black beans. I set out tortilla chips, shredded cheese, avocado slices, chopped cilantro, and sour cream for my family to add. It's very easy to make if you're crunched for time and reheats well.

My kids' favorite soup is sausage soup with parmesan garlic bread. The soup includes thinly sliced kielbasa or andouille sausage, navy beans, chicken broth, and fire-roasted diced tomatoes. You cram as much baby spinach in it as you can right before you serve it. It used to be the only way I could get my younger son to eat spinach. The bread is spread with a mix of shredded Parmesan, freshly ground pepper, minced garlic, and light mayo. Spread it on French bread and toast it in the oven until the cheese has melted. My kids usually make the bread.

 

[Imzadi]

Once you load up on goods from the Asian food market it’s easier than ordering takeout.

Egg drop soup is incredibly easy to make. It's basically low sodium chicken stock. Bring to a full rolling boil, then slowly, one at a time drop in 2 eggs per serving. Do NOT stir. Wait for about a full minute or more as the boiling stock starts cooking the egg.

You will see the whites cook and solidify first. Allow the whole (intact) yolk to cook to about halfway done, then vigorously take a fork or pair of chopsticks to break up and shred the whites and the yolk. If you do it too soon, you will just end up with yellow soup with white bits floating around. So, wait for the yolk to cook enough. (It may take a few tries to get the timing right.)

Season with salt, sugar, and soy sauce. Yes, add a little sugar - less than the salt and soy. Asians believe in flavors being balanced. There should be some recipes online for egg drop soup that have the right proportions of spices. I just eye ball it all.

Take it off the heat as soon as the egg is cooked, to not overcook them.

Options: if you want to add lightly seasoned ground pork (uncooked,) do it in the beginning, adding it while the chicken stock heats up. Cook the pork all the way, as once the egg is added, the soup is cooked for only a couple minutes longer.

If you want to make it an egg drop & seaweed soup, buy a flat package of the sheets of dried seaweed that are used to roll sushi. Take out 1-2 sheets per serving. Cut or tear the seaweed sheets into about 1-2 inch pieces of confetti. Have this ready before you start cooking. After you've shredded and cooked the egg, add the seaweed confetti. Stir so it's doesn't get clumped up. Take off the heat immediately. Add LESS salt as the seaweed naturally has some.

 

[Imzadi]

Once you load up on goods from the Asian food market it’s easier than ordering takeout.

This reminds me, if one has a Trader Joe's nearby, they have a wonderful assortment of Asian potstickers and dumplings. Toss them in boiling water and they are done in 5 minutes. (I don't bother re-frying them. Don't miss it either.) Easier to cook and less fat added that way. They are actually Weight Watchers friendly too, when one only has the serving size amount on the back of the bag. It's between 2-4 points. One can add them to a chicken or vegetable stock, as the start of a dumpling soup.

They have:
Asian potstickers/dumplings, pork or chicken. The chicken has way less fat.
Chicken cilantro mini wontons
Japanese gyozas

 

[QueenIsabella]

Speaking of Trader Joe's--while you're there, check out the spice section! They sell an Umami seasoning blend (contains mushrooms) and a bunch of other interesting blends. A few of my favorites--citrusy garlic, chile lime, and "Everything but the leftovers", which may be seasonal (sold at Thanksgiving).They're a great way to add flavor, but keep an eye on the salt (the umami one has salt).

 

[RedAngie]

A supermarket had “Chicken Noodle Soup” as a special promo last week.

Buy a family pack of boneless skinless chicken breast at $2.99 per pound and receive all of the following free:

2 lb bag carrots
Bag of celery hearts
12 oz bag of noodles
2 32oz cartons of College Inn broth

I’m not sure if I’ll make chicken noodle soup. I froze the chicken and might use the ingredients in other recipes.

 

[RedAngie]

Chicken Noodle posted twice for some reason so I’ll edit.

I usually use beef broth for my soups. DH likes it better.

For chowder we like so-called Rhode Island. Not creamy like New England nor red like Manhattan, but with clear broth. A mixture of veggie broth and bottled clam juice. (The other kinds are good too.)

And we rarely eat the soup the same day I make it. They always taste better when reheated the next day.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Chicken Noodle posted twice for some reason so I’ll edit.

I usually use beef broth for my soups. DH likes it better.

For chowder we like so-called Rhode Island. Not creamy like New England nor red like Manhattan, but with clear broth. A mixture of veggie broth and bottled clam juice. (The other kinds are good too.)

And we rarely eat the soup the same day I make it. They always taste better when reheated the next day.

Finally! I meet the other person on the planet who prefers Rhode Island chowder! I'm not such a fan of cream soups, although I'll eat New England or Manhattan chowders. FWIW, I have a great RI Chowder recipe from Abbott's Lobsters. Technically in Connecticut, but close to the RI border. I grew up in the area, and whenever we go back, we go to Abbott's and get the chowder (and a nice lobster, eaten out on the dock--mind the seagulls!)