Produce Bin Vegetable Soup

If it's not completely obvious from the previous posts, I'm a pretty frugal shopper. I've seen much discussion on frugal vs. cheap. I've come to the conclusion that frugal means you're selective with your purchases, determining what's the best value for your money; whereas cheap means you're going to buy the product that has the lowest price tag. 

Being frugal in the kitchen also means I'm going to do my best to use whatever groceries I've purchased before they spoil. It has been said that the average American family throws away over $500 in spoiled food each year. 

Five.Hundred.Dollars. Let that sink in for a moment.

Where most people come from, that's a LOT of money! For me, that's a great weekend away, a couple of coach flights, or a darn good payment on a week at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean! 

For your budget or family, that same $500 might represent something else. Perhaps an extra car payment to give yourself financial breathing room at the holidays? Maybe that new TV for the bedroom? Tickets to a concert? Or maybe you just want to see that bit of padding in your savings account? 

Whatever your best idea for that money, I think we all can agree that it doesn't need to go in the garbage can in the form of spoiled, expired food.

This is where I can help!


Here's what I did tonight with my extra vegetables, and you can do it too:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can light red kidney beans
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• Half a package of frozen green peas
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1/3 small package of baby carrots, sliced
• 4 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 small head of cabbage, thinly chopped
• 3 cups water
• 2 beef bullion cubes
• 2 vegetable bullion cubes
• Salt, Pepper, Parsley, Rosemary, Herbes de Provence, Celery Seed, Oregano, Thyme

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot. Saute onion and garlic. 
2. Add carrots, water, and bullion cubes. Heat to boiling and stir to dissolve bullion cubes. Boil for five minutes to soften carrots.
3. Stir in potatoes, turn heat down to medium and simmer for five minutes. 
4. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, green peas, zucchini, cabbage.
5. For the seasonings, I do not have measurements. I simply added and tested along the way. You can do the same, using any combination of what I used or use your favorites. Add the seasonings of your choice, then simmer on low-medium heat for 20 minutes. 

The basic idea here is to use a base of bullion or broth, plus sauteed onion, tomatoes and tomato sauce, then add whatever vegetables you have on hand. There are no cut and dried rules here. Each pot of soup will be different from the last, depending on what vegetables you're trying to use up. This version is almost fat free, and would probably be considered low calorie. Add broccoli, corn, alphabet noodles, ground chuck, chicken...make it whatever you want! You could easily put a theme on it: chicken breast chunks, cilantro, corn, and black beans instead of kidney beans would give it a Mexican flair and could be served with a squeeze of lime and tortilla chips on the side. 

Go, experiment, and report back with your spin on the humbly satisfying, frugal, hearty Produce Bin Soup!