Save on food bills with ‘souper’ meals

    Not only is soup delicious, but it’s also easy on the budget. There are many ways to turn leftovers into soup and to make your own stock. Soup is comfort food on a cold day, and you can make a meal of soup by serving some good bread and a side salad.
    Of course it’s easy to just reach for cans of soup when you’re in the supermarket, but an advantage of making your own soup is that you know exactly what’s in it – you can avoid all those additives with the strange sounding names that are included in commercial products.
    Here are some tips for making soup on a budget:
    Leftovers make great soup. Keep a “soup” container in the freezer with leftover vegetables. Be sure to mark the date on the container and use within 3 months.
    Leftover soup ideas: Combine rice, roasted chicken, onion, peas and carrots with chicken broth and your choice of seasonings. Heat leftover mashed potatoes with broth, then whisk together for a thick potato soup; add milk or cream for extra richness. Add leftover pasta or rice to a broth, along with crumbled cooked sausage, green or red peppers and greens such as spinach.
    Make stock: Save bones, wings and drippings from roasted or deli-roasted chicken in a freezer bag. Put them in a pot covered with water, and simmer about 1 hour. Refrigerate, and then skim the fat off the top. Freeze the stock or use right away.
    Substitute ingredients in a recipe: Soup is a creative endeavor. Use leftover rice instead of pasta, or leftover pot roast in place of ground beef in a vegetable-meat soup. We’re enjoying the end-of-the season garden zucchini to make a delightful soup with a lovely curry fragrance. Not a fan of curry? Well, you can always leave it out – the soup will still be wonderful. Here’s to enjoying the aroma of soup cooking on the stove.

    Bring water to a boil. Add bouillon cubes and curry powder and stir to dissolve in water. Add prepared zucchini and onion. Simmer, covered, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly and puree mixture in blender or food processor (or use a hand-held blender to puree mixture in pan). Stir in milk and reheat to serve. This soup is nice served with crunchy croutons on top. Makes 4 servings.

    In large pot, brown beef; remove from pan and set aside. In same pan, add carrots, onion and celery. Heat, stirring frequently until slightly softened. Mix in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth, tomatoes (along with juice), and water. Return beef to pot. Add seasonings. Simmer 25 minutes. Add peas and orzo or pasta. Cook until pasta is soft.

    In a pot, melt butter over low heat. Add flour; stir until smooth. Cook and stir 1 minute. Slowly add milk. Stir and cook until bubbly. Add potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated. Makes about 2-1/2 cups. Hint: Cook potatoes in the microwave for a soup in a hurry.

    In a pot, combine broth, corn, celery, carrot and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add chicken, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Heat thoroughly. Hint: This soup is easily made with leftover cooked chicken or deli rotisserie chicken.

    Portia Little is the author of six cookbooks, including “New England Seashore Recipes & Rhyme,” “Bread Pudding Bliss” and “The Easy Vegetarian.” You can contact her at panntree@msn.com.