By Connie from Cotter, AR
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I know this is easy, but I am a first timer and need vegetable soup recipes. Thanks.
By Lavoris McGhee from Little Rock, AR
I make vegetable-beef soup in my crockpot.
If you don't want the meat in it, just leave it out and add a few more vegetables.
Vegetable Beef Soup
1 lb. stew meat
1 14&frac;-ounce can tomatoes
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
3 cups water
&frac; teaspoon coarse black pepper
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 10-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables
Put all ingredients in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 12 hours
Clean the Refrigerator Soup
We were raised poor & had to make do with what we had, I take all of my leftovers for the week and make what I call, "Clean the Refrigerator Soup". I always make my own vegetable, and Chicken soup each and every Friday. We never knew how it would be, but the refrigerator got clean on Friday of all its leftovers!
Because of this, I learned to take leftovers of any and turn them into a wonderful, filling and delicious soup. Taste as you go. I use ham and bacon with beef and chicken. beef dish makes a wonderful soup.I add a cup of diced onions & a can of tomatoes or a cup of catsup & 1/2 cup celery. I cook it in a slow cooker the day before I serve it, then when I get up the next morning I cook it on low heat till 12 noon, serve with saltines or corn bread, good luck.
First thing needed is the must have large stock pot. The kind your Granny used and has a lid.
Not sure what size you will need? Round up the ingredients first and this will give you an idea.
Cut it back if you want more or less soup, but it does freeze well in those disposable bowls that we all reuse.
Vegetable Ingredients are to your taste - Don't like it? leave it out! Love it and don't see it here? Add it.
I have only one must do for this soup and that is broth. Canned corn juice, crushed tomatoe and beef broth makes it the best. I season with some onion powder and some celery salt, and of course a good salt base is a must have for an all veggie soup.
Here are some suggestions:
Half a head of chopped green cabbage
3 carrots, peeled and sliced - could use canned
4 potatoes peeled and small chunked
3 turnips peeled and small chunked
1 white onion peeled and thickly sliced
frozen baby lima beans
2 cans yellow corn, with juice!
2 cans cut green beans - drained!
Bon apetit!
Quick Minestrone Soup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup small seashell
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
Cook garlic in oil in large saucepan over medium heat for about 30 seconds.
Add broth and pasta and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and zucchini; cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until both zucchini and pasta become tender.
Stir in beans, basil and oregano and simmer for 5 minutes.
I use stew meat and whatever veggies you have on hand and 1 can tomato juice. It's pretty tasty. Use whatever spices you want. You have a pretty good bunch of veggie soups here. I'm going to try all of them.
I learned to make soup without a specific recipe from my mother and grandmother. If we had it, used leftover meat and drippings, if not, browned whatever meat was handy with onions, added water or broth. Added whatever fresh veg's we had on hand, potatoes, celery, onion, carrots. No set amounts, used more of what we had more of. If you have cabbage and family likes it, added some thinly sliced cabbage, or used some coleslaw mix like I do today. If no fresh veg's could use canned tomatoes, carrots, green beans (I like to use fresh green beans when in season), corn, whatever you like.
I can't make vegetable soup without the tomatoes, just use diced canned ones, or whole or sliced ones and break them up with your fingers. I like to used canned stewed tomatoes. I would add a can of tomato paste if a large pot of soup or can of tomato sauce if not so large, for extra tomato flavor. If you like dry beans, add some of them, just allow for the cooking time. Seasonings are the same, basic salt and pepper, or whatever is handy. Like I said, there is no set recipe or amounts. I have made many a pot of soup starting with browned hamburger, one of my favorite ways to do it. Just play it by ear and enjoy. Now I am hungry for some homemade soup. Guess I know what I am making tomorrow.
Anything goes. An quick way I make soup is:
one can broth (any kind)
one can tomatoes (if you don't have, its OK too )
veggies-frozen, fresh or can
black beans
a handful of chopped onion
noodles or rice
any meat
Feel free to omit anything you do not have or add anything interesting.
I use garlic powder, cumin, Italian seasonings or throw a bay leave in the soup mixture.
don't forget to cook the pasta or rice separately, then add to the bowls right before you serve.
Soup freezes well too.
All the suggestions given so far sound great! My "secret ingredient" for any beef soups or stews is Kitchen Bouquet. It adds a gentle flavor, but mostly darkens the broth and makes it look very appetizing.
I use any meat, steak, ground beef, etc. For ground beef I brown it well and then add tomatoes (or tomato juice), canned mixed veggies, chopped onion, chopped celery, barley or lentils, bouillon or canned broth and chopped cabbage. Salt and pepper to taste.
We love it served with sweet cornbread. You can hardly go wrong with veggie soup, just about any veggie will work in it.
