Started my left-over soup container!

**Shell** · 09-20-2005, 08:41 PM

I have a horrible time getting dh to eat left-overs. Oh we could save so much money if he'd eat it.

So, what I've finally started is a container in the freezer that I put our left-overs in and then once a month make a big pot of soup! I've been meaning to do this for a while now. I HATE throwing good food away.

I also make other dishes out of left-overs such as chicken pot pie, stew and stir fried rice.

Does anyone else make soup out of their left-overs?

**nodmicks** · 09-20-2005, 09:32 PM

I have a left over veggie container started in the freezer.

**halo475** · 09-20-2005, 09:40 PM

yes I do!!

**Sara Noel** · 09-20-2005, 10:51 PM

I don't normally make soup from leftovers, but that's only because leftovers get eaten for lunch the next day over here or the left over food is made into a new dish like fried rice. There's rarely anything left after that.

I've been known to toss some leftover meat into the spaghetti sauce though.

**lammiepie** · 09-20-2005, 11:17 PM

I thought everybody made soup out of leftovers!

If I don't cut up the old veggies at least once a week and freeze them together, I would throw away so-o-o-o-o-o many. Usually, I use all my leftover frozen veggies, add some kidney beans, fried burger meat or whatever is on sale (or leftover in the fridge) and some tomato sauce. Season it up and viola! Hey, my family loves it! I don't think any of them realize its all leftovers! I also have a bag of frozen stale bread cubes for use as stuffing mix. My mother always made a pot of leftover soup on Saturdays. You never knew what you would find in there, but she usually started with soup bones, as her meat of choice. My MIL confesses to using leftovers in goulash, and that was (and still is) one of my DH's favorite dishes. If only they knew....

**jlxian** · 09-21-2005, 10:07 AM

Yes, I have a container in the freezer for left overs to make into soup --- but my problem is I keep forgetting to make the soup!!! Its one of my goals for this winter to make lots and lots of soup.

**Michele Annette** · 09-21-2005, 10:24 AM

I don't normally make soup from leftovers, but that's only because leftovers get eaten for lunch the next day over here or the left over food is made into a new dish like fried rice. There's rarely anything left after that.

Same here! But last night for example we had mashed potatoes and homemade gravy with dinner and I had about 1 1/2 Cups of gravy left over, so I put in a container and put it in the freezer. Leftover gravy makes a really flavorful addition to soup if you decide not to use it as "gravy" again. So that's what I plan on doing.

**YankeeMom** · 09-21-2005, 10:42 AM

We're having "leftover soup" tonight

I'm making chicken noodle soup w/ the carcass & leftover chicken from Monday night. I'll use leftover veggies, and thicken the soup w/ leftover mashed potatoes.

**cheapgeek** · 09-21-2005, 11:30 AM

I never have to deal with leftover veggies - SO and I both love 'em and whatever I cook gets eaten. But I do have a couple of "soup-to-be" containers in the freezer for veggie scraps and ugly bits. One is for broccoli stems and cauliflower cores for cream of broc/cauli soup, one is tomato/onion/garlic/bell pepper for broth.

**canadian gardener** · 09-21-2005, 12:02 PM

Absolutely. Much nicer soups and more variety that way than starting from scratch.

As on the soup thread, always rinse the cooking pan to get the brown bits up, that is where the flavour lives, and put that water on top of the leftovers for soup when you freeze.

**Mom23boys** · 09-21-2005, 02:25 PM

I just started doing this recently. It sure is nice to toss the leftover veggies in the container and not throw them out.

**QuilterMom** · 09-21-2005, 02:37 PM

We've done this for years. Dh makes fabulous soup!

**peanut** · 09-23-2005, 03:30 PM

Yep! I have a container in the freezer for leftover veggie cooking water and another for the veggies themselves and other leftovers. They go into soups made during winter months.

**pkellyc** · 09-23-2005, 03:52 PM

My sister with 6 kids does this all the time and she makes the best soups! I usually don't have too many vegtable leftovers but I have some meat scraps like small amounts of beef or steak. I just started freezing these in small zip lock bags and and will be trying my own version of leftover soup.

**Telephus44** · 09-24-2005, 10:16 PM

I make a lot of chicken soup, so I'm no stranger to soup with leftovers (my chicken soup is always made with what is leftover or about to go bad), but I always wonder what exactly do you put in your freezer containers for soup? Veggies only? Starches (potatoes, rice, etc)? Meats? And how do you deal with different flavors? For example, this week I had the following leftovers:

Garlic Cream Shells and Peas
Velveeta Mac & Cheese
Green Beans
2 Chicken Fingers with a Chinese style sauce
A Steak

I certainly wouldn't think of freezing all of that for a soup! Maybe the green beans.

So I guess my question is: what criteria do you use for selecting something for the soup container?