Refrigerator Soup - Save Money - Save Food - No Waste

Soup is a primarily liquid food. Generally served hot. Made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth. Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, soups generally have more liquid (broth) than stews.^[1] Wikipedia...

Many years ago, my mom was in a time of transition after the death of my dad, so she stayed with us for about six weeks while waiting to move into a new rental.  It was getting cold outside, so I started making "Refrigerator Soup" and my mom loved it. It is my favorite way to use up leftovers in the Fall and Winter months. 

First snow of the season happened today.

This technique of cooking leftovers is nothing new, in fact, it was probably created out of necessity and used frequently during wartime and depressions to help with the effects of shortages. Soup kitchens also used this technique to feed more people. It makes complete sense not waste food even in times of plenty. Save money. Save Food. No waste. 

Homemade vegetable broth.

I make stock out of scraps that I keep in a bag in the freezer.

 

Every week I gather up the fragments from leftovers or items that need to be used up before they go bad and I create a meal or meals like burritos or veggie fried rice. In the Fall, I start making "Refrigerator Soup". I take any meats, pastas, grains or vegetables that I have leftover and I make a pot of soup. I usually have homemade stock to use as a base, if not, store bought can be used instead. If I don't have enough leftovers to make a pot of soup I just add potatoes or rice to the pot. 

I am not limited to using leftovers only. I use whatever I want to add flavors to the pot if it needs it. Be careful with seasonings like salt. Most leftovers already have plenty of seasonings. It's easy to make soups like chili or taco soup with leftover ground meats. Just add the other ingredients to the pot and cook. 

I made a soup out of leftover smoked chicken and veggies. I threw everything into a pot, added water, seasonings, celery, onions and carrots. I cooked it in the Sun Oven until the meat fell off the bones.

Sad celery. 

Homestyle Pasta

Seasonings

Pasta

I cooked the pasta in the broth on the stovetop until the pasta was done.

I made a lovely chicken noodle soup. I could have easily made a chicken pot pie with potatoes and a little dough instead of noodles. Options are only limited to my own imagination.

I Cooked the broth in the Sun Oven and saved hours of propane use.

My dad... 

My dad and Abby, our dog.

My mom and dad.

Cooking together...

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith