Soup is one of those versatile dishes that almost everyone loves. Whether it’s a cold soup, or hot, there’s just so much variety that any season is a good time for soup! Clearly eating soup on frigid days has a way of warming us up. But spring is a great time to create soups with fresh vegetables that you may not be able to get in the middle of winter.
Let’s explore the idea of soup for any season.
Transform leftovers
You may save leftovers from meals with the best intensions. What happens many times is those leftovers turn into a science project as they sit in the covered dish well past their eatability. Next time you have roast chicken for dinner and you have a good size portion left; go ahead and save it in a baggie. Then the next night, break it out and get a pot of chicken broth boiling. Add about a cup of milk and a bit of butter. Then take several cans of store bought biscuits and dust them with flour. As your broth is boiling, tear each biscuit into small pieces and drop them into the pot. Once all of the dumplings are opaque, shred your leftover chicken and toss it in the pot. BOOM. “Homemade” chicken and dumplings.
Use any veggies you have in the fridge that may be on the brink of being unusable. Chop them and toss them into a pot of broth and add some macaroni. Any leftover protein added with create a hardy meal.
There are so many different soups to try
You could try a seafood soup from Ask Chef Dennis, for something unexpected. Go international with an enchilada or taco soup. Create a blended soup with fresh stewed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and cream for a tomato bisque. Add a grilled cheese sandwich and you’ll be transported back to your youth. Be sure if you blend soups in a blender or using an emulsifier to strain the soup through a fine strainer to have a smooth, seed-free dish.
Don’t discount having a cold soup like gazpacho or cold potato soup. Allow yourself to experiment with different flavors and textures.
Soup as a meal
We often think of soup as just a lunchtime meal. But they are great for dinner as well. You can make it as hearty as you life using chunks of potato, beef tips, creams, and cheeses. Be sure to include a nice crusty bread to sop up the goodness of the broth while you eat. Soup is also amazing comfort food. You undoubtedly remember your mom bringing you a bowl of chicken noodle soup on those days you weren’t feeling well. There’s just something about soup that feels like home.
Soup is a great way to hone your cooking skills
Because making soups is relatively easy, it’s a great way for beginners to hone their cooking skills. It’s difficult to get soup wrong. Another plus is that you can toss ingredients into a crockpot and set the timer then walk away. A one pot meal is great to come home to after a long day at work. Your clean up is minimal and it affords you the time you would have spent making dinner at night.
Don’t discount soup as a meal no matter the season.