Kitchen Sink Soup
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
Canada
April 8, 2009 12:31pm CST
LOL ok... I'm not cooking a kitchen sink and I'm not making soup in the sink either! BUT! I just filled the crockpot for tonight's dinner and I sort of laugh every time I do this -- I call it "Kitchen Sink Soup" because I throw in "everything but the kitchen sink." I am pretty frugal and I really hate to see any food go to waste.
I use up all my leftovers this way (today that would be a bit of chicken, some rice, my last two onions, the end of a bag of carrots, a straggler can of potatoes that I don't remember buying, and some frozen salad shrimp that would barely be enough for one person on its own LOL). Then, I grab what looks interesting in the pantry -- herb and spice diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, mixed beans, barley, anything. Add some stock, spices... these soups never have a recipe... and they always turn out great. I add a fresh loaf of crusty bread that I pick up just before dinner and it's an easy food day for me!
Do you have favorite, no-recipe dishes like this? The ones that you can throw together without even thinking? The ones that you can make right before grocery day and still have a big enough meal to feed the family? Tell me about your favorite "Throw Together Meal" and maybe I'll give that a go next time! *grin*
3 people like this
3 responses
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
8 Apr 09
I usually make simple soups by putting frozen or sauteed vegetables into broth. I sometimes add tofu or asian noodles. I also make quick dishes with vegetables and rice or pasta tossed together or stir fried.
3 people like this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
8 Apr 09
I love stir frys! They are another great way to stretch smaller quantities of meat and vegetables to feed the whole family. When you mentioned asian noodles, you made me think of something else, Cannelita... some people say they use the noodles from the Ramen packs in other dishes, like homemade soups... I wonder how those would do in a crockpot soup? I'm worried they'd get kind of mushy with the longer cooking process.
2 people like this
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
8 Apr 09
Most asian noodles don't really require cooking. I would put the ramen noodles in near the end. The only issue I would see is that the ramen noodles can be starchy because you add the seasoning packet to the same water they are cooked in. If you cooked them seperately and rinsed them this might eliminate the starchiness.
3 people like this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
8 Apr 09
See now that's a good idea! Thanks very much :) I don't eat that kind of thing (I'm prone to hypertension and, because of the high salt content, I can't) but there are few packets kicking around in the pantry because my kids like them once in a rare while. I think I'll bypass the seasoning packet and take your suggestion to cook the noodles and rinse them to deal with the starch. Tossing them in the soup at the end would probably thrill the kids LOL! :D :D
2 people like this
@thyst07 (2079)
• United States
9 Apr 09
I actually do a lot of my cooking this way. I just see what I have around, pick out the ingredients that I think would taste good together, and thrown them in the pan. Then I'll just toss in dashes of herbs and spices that I like. I use recipes occasionally, but for the most part I just improvise.
2 people like this
@thinkingoutloud (6127)
• Canada
9 Apr 09
It's funny, thyst... I love to try new recipes and I'm interested in cooking and baking. Yet, following recipes sometimes takes so much TIME! LOL From the planning and getting the ingredients to the measuring and careful step by step process because I'm not familiar with the dish. I think, sometimes, the throw-togethers are just more realistic for every day meals. Mind you, I also find great satisfaction in being able to put together a nice tasting dish on my own. I feel like I've actually learned a thing or two along the way so that can't be all bad *grin*
Do you have any favorite items that you always have on hand and defer to a lot for quick meals? Some people rely on having creamed soups as a base for sauces or casseroles... others always keep canned pasta sauces and use those as a jumping off point for a throw-together.
2 people like this
@thyst07 (2079)
• United States
9 Apr 09
I just try to keep staples around, things I know that I can use for several different recipes. I've always got rice, at least 2 or 3 shapes of pasta, ground turkey (substitutes for ground beef in anything), chicken stock/bouillon, frozen veggies, plus the obvious milk, butter, etc. I also keep a jar of spaghetti sauce around, though often if I've got tomatoes that are on their way out I'll make my own sauce (and I don't measure the ingredients for that, either!). If I want creamy sauces, I tend to make it myself. I do usually keep some cream of mushroom soup on hand for a couple of dishes, but for the most part I don't use a whole lot of condensed soup.
2 people like this
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
26 Sep 09
My husband uses a similar concept to make a soup like that. If the family eats a chicken or a turkey, or another kind of bird, he'll use the bones and bit of leftover meat for "carcass soup." When he and his ex were together, he'd send the 5 kids out to the veetable garden, and tell them to pick whatever they wanted in the soup. He'd just keep adding to the soup for days, eating a bit every day until the carcass literally melted into the soup, and they'd continue adding and eating until all the liquid etc. was gone.
