Soup Ideas?

Hi everyone. I am new to this website. I recently got back into making soups (which I have done off and on throughout my life). Never was very good at thickening my soup, but started using a corn starch slurry and simmering the soup to thicken it, and it's made a world of difference.

I have a variety of ways to make soup, but lately have just been using a medium sized sauce pan with a lid (though when simmering to thicken I don't use the lid). It makes plenty of soup for just me, and it's super fresh and tasty that way.

My favorite soup currently is a beef and mushroom noodle soup. I start by sauteeing onions and mushrooms, and I cut up some steak into little pieces and brown that as well before adding water in. I do about 50% water and 50% beef broth, then 1 scoup of better than buillion beef as well (gives it a bit more beefy flavor!!). I toss in 3 cut up pieces of Jallepenio (About 1/2 of one) but I will probably drop that to 2 pieces in the future.

Just recently I started taking about 2 spoon fulls of corn starsh and mixing it with an equal amount of broth, before adding it into the soup once it is simmering. I do it 1/2 at a time, and stir afterwards. I also add in basil, garlic powder,red pepper flakes, black pepper and a bit of salt.

I also break up spaggeti into 4 pieces and add that in as well. Finally I take 4 broccoli florrets and cut it up to almost be dust, and add that in as well. I let that simmer and thicken for about 30 minutes and then add about 1/5th of a jar of prego sauce, stir it all and let it simmer another 10 minutes or so, and then it is done.

It is VERY yummy, but curious if there are any soup experts on here that have recomendations on how to kick it up a notch.

I do have a crock pot/slow cooker and also an insta pot (which I used to use for soup making in the past, but I prefer my current method and it's almost as fast). I could make more and freeze it/keep it in the fridge, but honestly it tastes best fresh to me, and it's not that much work time to make. I currently either use the trimmings from the fatty pieces of rib eye steaks, or cut up tri-tip steaks.

Oh also for the oil/fat to sautee my onions/mushrooms and steak, I actually use the fat pieces from the steak that I have trimmed, then a tiny bit of added canola oil as well. The fat pieces add flavor to the soup (I remove them before putting in the onions etc, so it's just the oil/liquid fat left behind).

I use fresh ground pepper and salt as well, but my other spices (garlic/basil/red pepper flakes) are all dried. I may switch back to fresh garlic (in a jar/crushed) when I remember to actually buy some again lol. I keep forgetting but it would add more flavor.

Anyway that is my current favorite soup. I do make other types of soup and have even used Alessi tuscan bean soup mix in the past (quite yum). I'm down to experiment with other soups for sure. When I used to make roasted chicken, I would use the bones etc to make a great chicken broth and make a chicken soup with the left overs. It is not worth it to do all that just for me though, so now I just use boneless skinless chicken breasts/thighs and don't have left overs or bones, so have not been making chicken soup much.

I do like lamb, and will probably substitute out my normal beef for a lamb version of the soup soon. I may even make extra and freeze it or just freeze the cut up pieces of lamb so I can make it over time.

Anyway just found this site because I am enjoying making soup again so much and wanted to introduce myself and get any advice soup experts on here might have!! I have always loved soup, and honestly even my best ever soups have never been as good as soups I have gotten when eating out. Beef wonton soup for instance at a local chineese place is so much thicker and beefier (heh) than mine. It has little cut pieces of steak, mushrooms, onions and noodles and is so delicious. My soup isn't nearly as good. I do notice that sometimes they made the soup have almost a geliton consistance (which is not good when it happens) so they must be using something different to thicken it.

Always happy to have advice on how to improve my cooking, so please let me know if there is anything you think I could improve or a different way to make my soups!!

Thank you

Wulfy

Welcome to DC Wulfy.
I like soup and sometimes make cream soups of cauliflower or broccoli. I'm not really a big soup maker. There is also Onion soup and mushroom but I think my most favourite is Won Ton. Many time I make my own Won Tons, to this soup I have either very simple extras or half the fridge and it almost becomes a stew... I get a little carried away sometimes.

I just wanted to say, you don't always have to use a starch slurry to thicken.
You could use barley will help to give it body. Beef and Barley Soup!
If it is a vegetable soup (cauliflower/broccoli/potato/squash) you thicken it with the vegetable itself. Take out a good portion and blitz it in a blender or use a stick blender.
A lot of Cream soups add a blob of heavy cream at the end.
Knob of butter can give clear soups a nice mouth feel. Again, at the end. Or a drizzle of Olive Oil.
I'm sure many others who do soups on a regular basis will be showing you their favourites.

dragnlaw said:

Welcome to DC Wulfy.
I like soup and sometimes make cream soups of cauliflower or broccoli. I'm not really a big soup maker. There is also Onion soup and mushroom but I think my most favourite is Won Ton. Many time I make my own Won Tons, to this soup I have either very simple extras or half the fridge and it almost becomes a stew... I get a little carried away sometimes.

I just wanted to say, you don't always have to use a starch slurry to thicken.
You could use barley will help to give it body. Beef and Barley Soup!
If it is a vegetable soup (cauliflower/broccoli/potato/squash) you thicken it with the vegetable itself. Take out a good portion and blitz it in a blender or use a stick blender.
A lot of Cream soups add a blob of heavy cream at the end.
Knob of butter can give clear soups a nice mouth feel. Again, at the end. Or a drizzle of Olive Oil.
I'm sure many others who do soups on a regular basis will be showing you their favourites.

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Omg, beef barley soup is one of my favorites I have not made it in awhile as I seem to go through soup periods where I make soup and then long breaks where I don't. I still have a package of unopened barley from last time (almost a year ago now!!).

I don't usually do many cream soups at all. I do use cream of mushroom soup for many dishes, but that is usually it for creamy soups. My beef and barley soups are usually just brocolli + barley + beef and sometimes potatoes and mushrooms. It is so good and yes, it's much thicker almost like a stew. Might have to start making them again as it's getting colder out and more soup like weather lol.

Been doing the beef/mushroom/onion thing though as it's much less work, the barley takes awhile, I let it rest in water a bunch before adding it to my soup and I tend to slow cook it in a crock pot (not just cook on the stove in an hour). It's more work, and more beef as well (hehe). Still it's so yummy. I also make alot more, which means left overs and it's just me....so that can get a bit overwhelming within a week or so (never been fond of freezing my soups, so just store in the fridge and then.....eat that soup every day for a week lol).

I think one of my favorite things about the barley soups was that it did come out thicker and was very beefy in flavor. Heck, I don't like carrots (especially cooked) but I can even enjoy them in beef barley soup because of the intense beef flavor of the broth...that makes the carrot....more beefy and less carroty (heh new word).

Anyway thanks for the suggestion and reminder. I had even forgotten I had that bag of barley!! I do have friends come over sometimes so making a big crock pot of it before they do is a great idea!!

Thanks

msmofet said:

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Omg I love that song by blue oyster cult. It's great everywhere (including in my playlist) but my favorite was when it was used as the intro for the original mini series The Stand by Steven King. Is my favorite mini-series of all time, and probably my favorite use of a song ever other than maybe in the original Guardians of the Galaxy. Thank you for the welcome

LOL, I used to freeze portions of my soups - and find them a year later piled up under something else at the back of freezer. I love them the day I make them and don't mind having again the next day, but that's enough. So I froze them and forgot them.
Guess that's why I don't make them often. Just knowing they would pile up in the freezer.
Clear soups, other than onion and won ton, I really don't care for at all. It is the cream soups that I like.

dragnlaw said:

LOL, I used to freeze portions of my soups - and find them a year later piled up under something else at the back of freezer. I love them the day I make them and don't mind having again the next day, but that's enough. So I froze them and forgot them.
Guess that's why I don't make them often. Just knowing they would pile up in the freezer.
Clear soups, other than onion and won ton, I really don't care for at all. It is the cream soups that I like.

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I've tried freezing soups and pasta sauce in the past, and honestly it just doesn't taste as good to me once defrosted. Many people swear by it, but the taste is different enough for me that I just don't do it. Never was a fan of freezing steak either, but have gotten better at that and I freeze steak now, so I always have backup if I need it (even use frozen beef patties for burgers sometimes!).

For soup though, it just doesn't work. I might try making my own broth and freezing it in the future, but since I generally just buy the cartons of broth when on sale and always have some, I have not needed to do that yet.

I have considered buying one of those $100 or so vacum sealing things though. Supposedly if you seal your steaks they last like a month in the fridge and become more tender, or you can store them in the freezer forever and then just toss em in the fridge to defrost a week or so before you want to use it. Next time I order on amazon I might get one, as it sounds pretty great. I prob won't use them in the freezer, just vacuum seal them and toss em in the fridge and then use steaks only after they have had a week or two in the fridge first (but always have 2 weeks of steak stored so I won't run out).

I use very little steak when making soups, and now I don't eat nearly as much with a meal anymore either (I have a hard time even eating a whole rib eye!!).

My normal method is to buy 2 ribeyes (max pack so cheaper), and then trim all the fat and save it (and the pieces of meat that are attached to it) to use when making soup. I also cut of the bottom of the rib eye (kinda like a point) and that has a good amount of meat to cut up for steak. Each ribeye then makes 1 nice large meal (generally potatoes and brocolli with it), and then one delicious soup (Fat + meat for the soup). Base price of the ribeye is 11$ a pound here, so I get 2 meals out of it (one soup, one the steak itself), and a max pack gives me 4 meals out of the 7 days that week

If I get the vacuum sealing thing though I can wait for sales (8$ a pound for ribeye) and stock up, even if I don't freeze it. Even at $100 for the vacuum sealer, I would probably make that money back in savings over 6 months or so

Hi Wulfy and welcome to DC!

I am a soup lover also, mainly because of the fun of creating something new from leftovers or an over abundance of an ingredient! I have planned mashed or baked potatoes for a meal just to have the extra/leftover potatoes for cream of potato, potato cheddar, or potato Leek soup.

Depending on the ingredients you have available, you can make completely different tasting soups by the seasonings you use.

Asian versions- use that nub of fresh ginger, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, Green Onions, Coconut milk, etc.

Mexican version- A corn chip or two, Adobo, Chipotle, Oregano, Fresh/dried Chiles, Fresh Lime, etc.

Italian- Basil, Oregano, Garlic, Tomato, Leftover pasta or beans, Parmesan, pesto, etc

Greek- Fresh Lemon, Orzo, Spinach, Feta, Olives, Capers, etc.

Arabian/North Africa- ras el hanout spice blend, harissa, Cumin, cinnamon, Coriander seed, etc.

India- curry powder and diced Apples, Coconut milk, Yogurt, etc.

Cuban- Black beans, Oregano, Cumin, Sofrito, etc.

Poland- Mushrooms, potatoes, Marjoram, Cabbage, etc.

Just search for “flavors of”. whatever country or region you choose.

Have fun!

Welcome!

I make soup all the time when it gets colder out. Which is now. It’s my favorite food!

I use an Instant Pot or a LC Dutch oven

I always make enough to freeze. That’s my lunch many days out. I think it tastes better, many times.

Cornstarch will never go in my soup, sorry.

There’s going to be split pea and veggie soup in my near future

Also, I won a soup competition with my Thai Butternut Squash Soup. I think I posted the recipe — which I basically invented since I usually don’t follow recipes.

There's little difference between my soups and my stews/curries
If I eat it with rice, I call it stew.
If with bread, I call it soup

jennyema said:

. . . Also, I won a soup competition with my Thai Butternut Squash Soup. I think I posted the recipe — which I basically invented since I usually don’t follow recipes.

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Jennyema, I searched for the recipe and didn't find it.

I'd appreciate your posting it at your convenience.

Thanks.

dragnlaw said:

Welcome to DC Wulfy.
I like soup and sometimes make cream soups of cauliflower or broccoli. I'm not really a big soup maker. There is also Onion soup and mushroom but I think my most favourite is Won Ton. Many time I make my own Won Tons, to this soup I have either very simple extras or half the fridge and it almost becomes a stew... I get a little carried away sometimes.

I just wanted to say, you don't always have to use a starch slurry to thicken.
You could use barley will help to give it body. Beef and Barley Soup!
If it is a vegetable soup (cauliflower/broccoli/potato/squash) you thicken it with the vegetable itself. Take out a good portion and blitz it in a blender or use a stick blender.
A lot of Cream soups add a blob of heavy cream at the end.
Knob of butter can give clear soups a nice mouth feel. Again, at the end. Or a drizzle of Olive Oil.
I'm sure many others who do soups on a regular basis will be showing you their favourites.

Click to expand...

Just want to mention due to your suggestion I made beef barley soup the other day. It was really thick and delicious. I then replaced my noodles with a small amount of barley (about 1/4th of what I used for the barley soup). That thickens the soup up nice (still used a corn starch slurry but the combo was amazingly nice and thick and beefy!!). That is going to be my new go-to soup I think. So yummy. I already had the pearl barley and have not even used 1/3rd of it yet. Thanks for the recommendation, you kicked my soup up another notch!!!

When I make mushroom barley soup, I thicken it with a medium roux. The roux not only thickens the soup, but ads a nice undertone flavor to the soup as well.

larry_stewart said:

When I make mushroom barley soup, I thicken it with a medium roux. The roux not only thickens the soup, but ads a nice undertone flavor to the soup as well.

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Wow! I have never heard of a roux in my life!! I just read up on it and will try it next time. I have flour and butter already. Maybe this is why some soups taste so good and I could never get the same flavor. Thank you so much (can't believe I'm 52 and never heard of that!!)

wulfy42 said:

Wow! I have never heard of a roux in my life!! I just read up on it and will try it next time. I have flour and butter already. Maybe this is why some soups taste so good and I could never get the same flavor. Thank you so much (can't believe I'm 52 and never heard of that!!)

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I learn so many things from this Forum! It's a group of many people from around the world with different experience, techniques, cultures who all share the love of cooking.

As far as the roux goes, the darker it is, the more flavor, but the less thickening ability. The initial phase is practically white, working its way to a creamy tan , then peanut butter then dark chocolate color. I usually take it to somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd phases. For me, that adds the right amount of thickening/ flavor. I works great for a mushroom barley soup ( at least for me). I make a potato soup where I keep it more on the lighter side, as im using it more a thickener than for flavor.

Key tips for roux, is low and slow, mix with whisk frequently , don't turn your back on it, as it could change quickly ( especially as it reaches the darker stages).

Although I didnt read this article thoroughly, it seems to do a pretty good job at describing the roux and their phases/ uses.

Being from the northern middle US (wisconsin), I was never introduced to a tomato 'gravy'. My tennessee (southern middle US) friend explained that they used a tomato gravy thickened with roux (as above) for all kinds of meals. I really couldn't wrap my head around 'tomato gravy' before that. Another friend, from colorado (western US), introduced me to tomato soup with dumplings I'd never heard of. That is also really good.
My grandmother from minnesota (heritage Yugoslavian), made a soup that they called 'bean and potato soup' a dish they could afford to make during the Depression Era '30's when food was scarce. She used a med-dark roux to thicken it and vinegar and salt to season it. The roux was made with whatever fat they had, chicken fat, beef fat, bacon fat, any fat they had leftover they kept in a can near the stove. They kept a garden and chickens on a small lot in west allis wisconsin. I loved that soup.

LOL, until I read your post I had never heard of "tomato gravy" nor 'tomato soup with dumplings'. Guess it's something you have to try.

dragnlaw said:

LOL, until I read your post I had never heard of "tomato gravy" nor 'tomato soup with dumplings'. Guess it's something you have to try.

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I'm sorry, maybe you haven't heard of them, you also being a northerner. I wasn't making a joke.

I’m making pea soup and vegetable soup tomorrow

No bliss, I knew you weren't joking!