The weather is cooling off – so in comes soup season! Sometimes we see soup recipes that have many steps, including chopping lots of veggies. While sometimes I have time for this, other times I don’t. On my busy days, I need a soup that I can put together in a hurry. Soups are a great way to get creative, have nutritious meals, stretch food dollars, and reduce food waste, all while saving time in the kitchen.

Some soup shortcuts are:

1. Using Leftovers: Do you have extra cooked rice or noodles in the fridge? How about some veggies that are about to go bad (like a bag of spinach)? What about that excess ground beef? Throw those extras in your soup! The good thing about soup is the ingredients do not need to be the best quality for it to still taste good because many of the ingredients take on the flavor of the broth.
2. Replacing Ingredients in the Recipe: Does the recipe call for something you don’t have? That’s okay! Use the recipe as guidance. For example, in this Slow Cooker Pork Chili, I used canned pork that is pre-cooked instead of fresh and just cooked it over the stove instead of in a slow cooker. I also replaced the onion and pepper with frozen diced onion and pepper that I had on hand, so I didn’t have to chop veggies.
3. Stocking Up on Canned Beans and Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are a good base for many soups and buying canned beans makes bean prep easy- no soaking needed! Tomatoes are a vegetable with many vitamins and minerals. Beans are a good source of protein and fiber. Put canned beans, tomatoes, and corn together for our Three Can Chili Feel free to spice it up with seasonings and other ingredients you like.

Find more soup recipes on our Soups tab on Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Written by Brianna Montross, RD, LD

Brianna Montross is a Registered Dietitian who loves finding new ways to incorporate veggies into family meals. She also enjoys reading, writing poetry, and spending time with friends and family.