Updated on November 9th, 2022
If you love soup, chances are you have plenty of leftovers. If so, you may be wondering what to do with leftover vegetable soup. You can cook them into a variety of dishes. Here are some suggestions: Chicken Noodle Soup, Chili Bean Soup, Herby potato and leek soup, and Creamy potato-soup gratin. In addition to soup, you can add chopped vegetables, bacon, or cheese.
What to do with Leftover Vegetable Soup?
Use it as a bowl of rice or quinoa cooking liquid.
Food writer Denise Bustard of Sweet Peas & Saffron utilizes leftover soup with bland spice grains like rice and quinoa. “Using leftover soup adds taste to the rice or quinoa, but it also bulks it out with vegetables and protein—assuming the soup contains these ingredients—making it a complete meal,” she explains. Even though combining the grains and soup takes only about five minutes, it instantly makes it more intriguing than consuming either one individually.
Make pasta sauce with it.
SOUPified: Soups Inspired by Your Favorite Dishes ($25) was written by Michele Di Pietro, who is so passionate about soup that she wrote a full book about it. As you might expect, she comes upon leftover soup frequently. She claims that one of her favorite ways to repurpose her soup is to make pasta sauce. “In a pan, reduce the liquid by roughly 25% by simmering three to four cups of the residual soup. Cook your favorite long pasta, ideally a thicker cut such as tagliatelle, fettuccine, pappardelle, or bucatini, while the leftover soup is simmering, “She gives instructions.
Drain it and add it to the reduced soup mixture when the pasta is done. Simmer for a few minutes before finishing with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of cheese. Consequently, you’ll have a spaghetti dish with a sauce that’s far more fascinating than bottled tomato sauce.
Make one-pot spaghetti using it.
Bustard, like Di Pietro, enjoys making a quick and easy dinner with leftover soup and noodles. “Pasta is usually cooked in a stock with herbs, vegetables, proteins, and other components, absorbing a lot of flavors while it cooks. She explains that adding different vegetables, proteins, and flavors to your one-pot pasta recipe by substituting leftover soup for the stock could achieve the same result “she explains.
To make a dish creamier or thicker, add it.
“Play around with converting creamy or thicker soups into a casserole, and whenever a casserole calls for a liquid, consider using the soup,” Bustard adds. She says she occasionally substitutes a creamy soup for the enchilada sauce in this Mexican spaghetti squash casserole recipe. “Just be careful if any casseroles ask for a thin liquid, as substituting thick, creamy soup in some circumstances may not work,” she cautions.
Make a dipping sauce out of the leftover creamy soup.
When Di Pietro has a substantial, creamy leftover soup that she wants to repurpose, she says she sometimes makes a dip out of it. To do so, she suggests simmering leftover soup in a skillet and then thickening it with cheese. Then bake it until it’s bubbling and brown in the oven at 400°F. She suggests serving it with baguette slices, crackers, or tortilla chips. Not a fan of cheese? You can also make your soup thicker by blending it with a handful of cauliflower. Cauliflower has a neutral flavor, so it will bulk up your dish without compromising the flavor.
What Vegetables Should I Put in my Soup?
This soup can be made with any vegetables. Here are some suggestions if you’re not sure what to use:
Winter roots such as parsnips, celeriac, leeks, sweet potatoes, or any other winter root thicken the soup and provide texture and taste. Make sure all vegetables are cleaned, peeled, and sliced into similar-sized bits, regardless of which method you use.
Color and brightness come from leafy greens, including spinach, watercress, kale, cabbage, collard greens, and arugula.
Vegetables that have been cooked or roasted can also be used in this dish. To ensure that they are thoroughly heated, add them near the end of the cooking time. Even mashed potatoes can be used, providing a creamy feel to the dish.
Cooked grains are also a great addition because they offer a deeper texture to the dish. Rice, quinoa, farro, and barley are some of the grains available.
What are Some Soup Thickening Techniques?
You can do a few things to thicken your soup if it lacks body and mouthfeel. You could thicken your sop using the following methods, depending on what you have on hand and your dietary preferences:
Add a can of mashed navy beans or a can of lentils to the mix.
Half of the soup is blended and poured back into the pot, decreasing the liquid even more.
Adding a cup of full-fat plain yogurt or heavy cream
Use butter and flour to make a roux, which will be added to the soup.
Adding a couple of cups of crusty bread from the day before.
Add cooked spaghetti to the mix.
Making a cornstarch-water slurry and adding it to the soup.
How to Make Vegetable Soup?
Ingredients
a quarter cup of vegetable oil
1 big coarsely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large peeled carrots, cut into bite-size bits
2 celery ribs, cut into small pieces
3 cups chopped vegetables (bite-sized bits)
2 1/2 cups vegetable, meat, or chicken stock
1 leaf of bay
Optional: 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
season with salt to taste
black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Directions:
Collect the necessary components.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large stockpot or soup pan.
Add the onions and heat, occasionally stirring, until they soften.
Cook for another 5 minutes with the garlic, carrots, and celery, avoiding browning the garlic.
Stir in the chopped vegetables.
Combine the stock, bay leaf, and any spices in a large mixing bowl.
Cook for about 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender and cooked through.
Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup in the pot, or transfer it into a food processor and blend. You may make it as creamy or chunky as you want it. Cook for an additional 5 minutes to slightly decrease the soup. To taste, season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
What could you Put in Soup to Make it More Filling and More of a Meal?
Legumes
Legumes like beans, lentils, and split peas are substantial soup additives that contribute fiber and plant protein, making the soup more satisfying and healthy. Because the fiber takes longer to pass through your digestive tract, it keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Legumes also give you something to chew on, making soup feel more like a main dish or meal than a beverage.
Pasta, rice, and potatoes are some of the most popular foods globally.
With the addition of cooked pasta, noodles, potatoes, or rice, almost any soup can be made into a more full dinner. Toss orzo pasta or rice into tomato soup, for example. In mixed vegetable soups, tortellini or other small, packed pasta forms can be included. Diced, white, or sweet potatoes can be added to meat and vegetable soups. Choose higher-fiber kinds of pasta, such as whole-wheat or multi-grain pasta shapes, and brown rice, which has more fiber than white rice. To thicken soups, use mashed potatoes. Make use of leftovers, or prepare pasta, rice, or potatoes separately before adding them to the hot soup.
Meat
When you add meat to the soup, it adds additional protein and a little fat, helping to balance the dish and make it feel more like a whole meal in one bowl. You can use any leftover meat in a veggie soup or broth and add lean chopped ham to lentil or pea soup. To make minestrone soup, add chicken, beef, or pork. Even cold cuts like sliced ham, roast beef, or turkey can be diced or shredded and used in soups that aren’t meat-based. Choose reduced-sodium cold cuts when adding them to canned or commercially packaged soups, or you risk making a soup that is too salty.
Soup with Vegetables: How to Serve?
Although vegetable soup can be a light lunch on its own, I prefer to serve it with a salad and crusty bread (such as sourdough) or crackers.
Serve with a crusty slice of handmade sourdough bread, vegan cornbread, or pumpkin cornbread muffins.
Fuji apple salad or this lovely pear salad are two salads that would go nicely with this soup.
You may make my almond flour crackers or use your favorite store-bought cracker for the crackers. Simple Mills crackers have hooked me since they are made with simple, clean ingredients and taste great!
How to Keep Vegetable Soup Fresh?
Soup, in general, is fantastic because of how well it keeps! I enjoy cooking a large batch and having leftovers for the week’s rest, and it tastes even better after chilling in the fridge for a day or two!
Allow the soup to cool before storing it in an airtight container. Store for up to one week in the fridge or one month in the freezer. To avoid microwave splatters and hot/cold patches, I recommend warming on the stovetop rather than in the microwave.
How to Garnish Different Soups?
Pot-Roasted Beef
Sautéed garlic chips, crouton lardons, creamy aioli, or horseradish add texture for added flavor and top with minced thyme and marjoram.
Cheddar Broccoli
Broccoli florets, green onions, or chives are all good green options. Sharp Cheddar cheese chips add a touch of decadence.
Blue Cheese Chicken in a Buffalo Style
Sour cream and minced chives go on top. Alternatively, add sliced chicken tenders, spicy sauce, and blue cheese crumbles to make it heartier.
Corn Chowder with Chicken and Sweet Peppers
Use sliced red pepper, fresh corn kernels, or minced chives to add color contrast.
Tortillas with Chicken
Tortilla strips, sour cream, queso fresco, or avocado add authenticity.
Noodles with Chicken (Classic)
For a pop of taste and color, garnish with chopped parsley or a parsley sprig. For added flavor, try rotisserie pulled chicken or fried noodles.
Southwestern Vegetarian Chili.
Top with fresh avocado and tortilla strips, sour cream, and minced cilantro for authentic flavor.
Bisque with Tomatoes and Basil
Sour cream, tomato concasse, or fried basil are all delicious additions.
Vegetables for Vegans
Freshness is added with julienned carrots, diced smoked or sautéed tomatoes, and balsamic-glazed roasted red peppers.
Butternut Squash Harvest
Toasted pumpkin seeds, butternut squash frites, and a dab of crème fraîche enhance the flavor.
Hearty Beef Chili with Beans
Sour cream or shredded Cheddar cheese might help to balance out the heat. Scallions, green onions, or chives can be used to brighten the bowl.
Reload with Cheddar, sour cream, bacon, green onions, chives, or waffled fries for a loaded baked potato.
Bisque with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions
Sautéed mushrooms, fried or chopped onions, or leeks are good additions.
Conclusion
We’ve all heard of the culinary trick of converting leftovers into a soup recipe to breathe new life into them. But what if you flipped the situation and made something totally new out of your leftover soups? Let’s get started!
We’re big fans of soup at Eat This, Not That, with all the great weight-loss and fat-burning soups. It’s impossible to deny that it’s a healthy way to eat when you’re trying to shed a layer of flubber before the warmer weather arrives. However, like with most everything in America, we have a tendency to over-prepare, leaving us with no idea what to do with the leftovers.