“Use these ideas when you are eating on a budget and/or you want to minimize your food waste.” – April Ferre
Pantry Soup or Chili
Instructions
- Pantry soup (or chili, depending on the amount of broth and ingredients used) is a great way to use up odds and ends before they spoil. It is completely customizable; mix and match as you desire! Can be themed to different cuisines … think Mexican, Italian, etc … ideas include but are not limited to …
- Broth: Use chicken, beef or vegetable broths. Additionally, if you have any tomato juice leftover from canned tomatoes used in other recipes, you can freeze it and then use it to reconstitute any broth made from bouillon, base or concentrate. Or add a can of tomato paste to 1x broth.
- Vegetables: Add whatever you have or whatever sounds good, including peas, carrots, corn, green beans (frozen mixed vegetables make this easy), celery, onions, bell pepper, canned green chilies, jalapeño or other peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, butternut squash, canned tomatoes, and cabbage.
- Spices: Salt and pepper is a must, garlic, oregano and thyme (or Italian Seasoning), chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika (or taco seasoning). If you like some heat, add in some harissa, red pepper flakes, Tabasco or other hot sauce.
- Starches: It is best if you limit yourself to just one starch, either potatoes, beans (black, pinto, navy or kidney), pasta (egg noodles or any small shaped pasta such as shells, elbow, ditalini … or mini cheese raviolis), or rice.
- Proteins: Chicken (including leftover rotisserie chicken), beef stew meat, sliced sausage links, or bulk ground meats (beef, turkey, chicken or sausage.)
- Toppers: Garnish your soup or chili with some chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or green onion. If appropriate, you could also add some Parmesan cheese, or shredded cheddar or jack cheese with a dollop of sour cream.
- Serve soups with some fresh sourdough bread and butter or if making chili, serve with cornbread.
2024 Original Recipe – April Ferre
