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Tip the Refrigerator Soup: Your Cheapest, Easiest Dinner

Tip the Refrigerator Soup

A flexible, budget-friendly vegetable soup made with aromatics, stock, tomatoes, beans, pasta or grains, greens, and any suitable cooked leftovers. It makes 4–6 servings and is ready in approximately 45–60 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soup Base
  • 2 tablespoons Olive oil
  • 1 medium Medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 medium Medium carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks Celery stalks, diced
  • 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Tomato paste, optional
Broth and Vegetables
  • 6-8 cups Vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 14-15 ounce can Diced tomatoes with juices
  • 2 cups Diced firm vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, cauliflower, or green beans
Seasonings and Add-Ins
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Italian seasoning or dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
  • 1 15 ounce can Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1-2 cups Cooked leftover meat, poultry, or vegetables, optional
  • 1 cup Small dry pasta or cooked rice or grains
  • 2 cups Chopped leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, chard, or cabbage
Finishing
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon juice or red-wine vinegar
  • as needed Grated Parmesan, chopped herbs, or crusty bread

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt, then cook for 5–8 minutes until the vegetables soften.
  2. Stir in the minced garlic and optional tomato paste. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring often, until the garlic smells fragrant and the tomato paste darkens slightly.
  3. Pour in the stock and diced tomatoes with their juices. Add the firm vegetables, dried Italian seasoning or thyme, remaining salt, and black pepper, then bring the soup to a boil.
  4. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 15–25 minutes, or until the firm vegetables are nearly tender when pierced with a fork.
  5. Add the drained beans and optional cooked meat or leftover cooked vegetables. Simmer for another 5–10 minutes so the new ingredients warm through and share their flavor with the broth.
  6. If using dry pasta, add it early enough to cook for 8–12 minutes according to its package directions. If using cooked rice or grains, stir them in near the end to keep them from becoming mushy.
  7. Stir in the chopped leafy greens during the final 2–3 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper, then finish with lemon juice or red-wine vinegar.
  8. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with grated Parmesan, chopped herbs, or crusty bread. Offer extra lemon or vinegar at the table for anyone who enjoys a brighter finish.

Notes

Add ingredients according to cooking time: firm vegetables first, cooked leftovers and greens last. Cook pasta or rice separately when possible if you plan to refrigerate the soup, since starch absorbs broth during storage. Keep the soup vegetarian by using vegetable stock and skipping meat, or serve meat, grains, and cheese as optional additions.