Ron and I delivered a gift basket and then took the dogs for a walk today. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I’ve operated a gift basket and gift service business for the past 23 years.
By the time we returned home, we were both hungry and tired. So I turned to one of my all-time easy, last-minute, quick to fix vegetables that I call Recycled Soup.
This dish is so easy to fix that you don’t even need a recipe. After cooking for a family, cooking for two doesn’t come easy for me so I usually tend to have leftovers. They could be some of the meat, the vegetables, or even the side dishes.
The bits of meat, vegetables, pasta, rice etc that are left in the bowls at the end of the meal are all added to a covered plastic carton that I keep in the refrigerator (if I’m going to use them in the next 2-3 days) or usually in the freezer. After each succeeding meal, new leftovers are added to the carton and I usually have several of these filled cartons in the freezer.
When I need a quick meal, I dump the leftovers from a carton into a cooking pot and add broth that I keep on hand. Heat until hot and serve. Some shredded cheese or a dollop of sour cream can be added to the top of each bowl if desired.
Packages and/or cans of beef, chicken, and vegetable broths are staples in my pantry and no two soups are ever alike. For a heartier meal and depending on the ingredients, I have served this soup with tortilla chips, croutons, crackers, and even tortillas that I break up and cook in just a little olive oil until crispy and brown.