We've all been there, you see a great recipe on Pinterest, or one of those great facebook videos and suddenly you want to make it, but by the time you get all the ingredients together on your next shopping trip, you've lost your momentum, or forgotten about it!
Whether you want to try a new recipe or just whip together a quick new version of a classic soup, keeping ingredients on hand to throw together soups fast enough for a weeknight meal, only requires keeping a few key ingredients on hand, so you have some flexibility for quick meals.
Some of these ingredients might surprise you, some will not, but may be worth checking your pantry, fridge, or freezer for supplies and stock up. These are meant to help you pull soups together in just mere minutes, but with that yummy slow cooked taste!
1. Wonton Skins: Look for these in your produce section. Using your pizza cutter, cut these into thin strips for noodles and drop them into simmering broth. In just a mere minute or two you'll have noodles! (way faster than cooking up dry pasta).
2. Short-cut Instant Meatballs: Use Italian Sausages or Brats and cut open the casings. roll the meat into small balls for fast meatballs, already seasoned and ready to go. You can quickly skillet cook them while starting rest of soup and then add to soup to simmer for a few minutes to finish cooking.
3)Tiny Pastas: Using Orzo or acini di pepe,, refrigerator tortellini's means they don't soak up as much broth (which would normally make your soup too thick), plus the cook in less than 10 minutes usually.
4) Canned Beans: Can't live without them! Whether I'm tossing one can drained and dumping into a diced kielbasa/ bacon and bean soup, taco soup, chili, white chili, it just goes on and on. I keep great northerns, pintos, black beans, kidney beans, chili seasoned beans all on hand in my pantry!
Jan's Tip: If you are using beans and you want to thicken your soup, you can use 2 cans, one can to dump into the soup, and the other to puree and add as a thickener.
5) Bases: Fast bases that reduce prep times such as peeling and chopping is the game: So think; Frozen hashbrowns, frozen corn, etc, both of which can be turned into a quick chowder. (I keep frozen hashbrowns in shreds and dices on hand at all times)
6) Quick Cooking Vegetables: Quick cooking Vegetables and short cuts is what we're talking about: (Both fresh and frozen) so for example, if it calls for cabbage, grab a package of shredded coleslaw mix, precut veggies such as carrots, butternut squash, onion peppers, Spinach, etc.
7) Flavor Boosters: To help recreate the taste of slow cooking, lets start with a few key ingredients to help you get there. They are worth keeping on hand.: I like to use: Balsamic Vinegar, Asian Fish Sauce, Plenty of good chicken, beef, and even ham soup base/boullion, any seasonings you like that adds depth of flavors to the recipes.
This Spinach and Tomato Tortellini Soup I got from my local newspaper, is a perfect example of a soup you can throw together in minutes from ingredients from your "soup pantry" of ingredients and feel warm and satisfied. I like to add little sausage meatballs (from the above list) to the recipe as well! Put a grilled cheese sandwich on the side and .. well... you have comfort right there!
Spinach and Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion diced
- 3 Garlic cloves minced
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 (14 oz) can Petite diced tomates NOT drained
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (9 oz) pkg. refrigerated tortellini (any flavor)
- 2 cups baby spinach chopped
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 cup Water
- Optional: Mini brat meatballs (see above article)
Instructions
Heat Olive Oil in Large Stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently 2-3 minutes until onions start to soften.Stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds.Add the chicken broth, dice tomatoes with the juice, oregano and 1 cup water.Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add in any optional ingredients, such as mini meatballs.Bring to a boil and add the tortellini.Reduce heat and simmer until tortellini are cooked through, 50 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook just until it begins to wilt, about 2 minutes.Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 Servings
