Leftover Soup

Leftover Soup
by Marilyn Mackenzie


Just what do you do with your leftovers? Feed them to the dog? Throw them away? Keep them in the refrigerator until they are unrecognizable?

While I was attending college, I worked part time in an office in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. On the first floor of the office building where I worked was a small diner that served the most wonderful soups. The best one of all was the homemade vegetable soup. It was always served on Friday, and it was never quite the same from one week to the next. I discovered why. Each day, the cook took whatever vegetables were not served from the day's "blue plate special" and saved them for the soup on Fridays.

I had forgotten about this idea, until one of my frugal friends suggested this as a way of serving a scrumptious soup. She calls her soup "Leftover Soup".



Here are the directions for Leftover Soup:


Take two plastic containers (tupperware, rubbermaid, takeout tubs, etc.) and mark one, "Liquids" and the other, "Solids."

If you have a small piece of pot roast and vegetables left over from dinner one night, simply chop them into little pieces, place in the "Solids" container and freeze. Have some lasagne left? Put it in!

If you have a little bit of tomato soup left over, pour it into the "Liquids" container and freeze.

Every time you have a little leftover from a meal, place it in the appropriate container and stick it back into the freezer.

In no time, the containers will be full, and it's time to make soup! Simply toss them into a pot or crockpot and simmer. If you need more liquid, add chicken broth or a canned soup. If you need more solids, add frozen mixed vegetables, beans or cooked pasta.

Season to taste, using salt, pepper, soy sauce, chili powder, or whatever you desire.

Serve your Leftover Soup with a smile, knowing that nothing has gone to waste! You'll soon discover, just like that little diner in Pittsburgh, that your soup will always be different.