Since today is trash day and we go back to school and work on Tuesday, I want to make sure that my refrigerator is cleaned out of any leftovers. So, this morning I opened up the fridge and took out the following items: mashed potatoes, butter, ham bone, corn, broccoli, and some cheese. I didn’t have any milk, but I decided to make do and get some chicken broth and an onion out of the pantry. I chopped up the onion, and took as much meat off the ham bone as I could.
I melted the butter in a stockpot on the stove and sauteed the onion for about 5 minutes. I then added a little bit of flour and made a roux to which I added the chicken broth and stirred until I had a good consistency. I then added mashed potatoes and stirred until I had a creamy consistency. Afterwards I added the ham and a little bit of cheese. The cheese is really just optional, and I thought the soup tasted really good without cheese. I decided not to add the broccoli or corn, and that is the beauty of making soup from leftovers. You can add any ingredients that you decide to use.
Mashed Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
8 ounces shredded yellow cheddar cheese
Directions:
In a medium pot or Dutch oven, heat butter until melted.
Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle flour into the pot and cook with a wooden spoon for 1 minute.
Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a bubble.
Cook until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Whisk in mashed potatoes.
Stir in the cheddar cheese with a wooden spoon.
Cook until the potatoes are hot and the cheese is melted.
Here is the finished product:
One of the best ways to save money in our homes is to use up items we already have. Rather than throw these items into the garbage, I used them to create a whole new dish, which saves me money. My daughter slept in late today and woke up around 11 a.m. and this is what I fed her for breakfast/lunch, and she loved it. This soup was nourishing, easy to make, tasted good and best of all it was inexpensive. What’s not to love about that?
Belinda
© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”
Belinda, we are both in a use it up before it goes to waste mood today! I spent an hour or so addressing the rest of the turkey from Christmas, the stock I made from the carcass. I have 4 additional future meals from this free to me turkey (spend $300 at Shoprite during a certain time period and "earn" a free bird for thanksgiving deal). I also made a soup for my work lunches (and teen snacks), froze 1/2 the breast for sandwiches. Other than my soup, it is all tucked away in the freezer.
ReplyDeleteI love it, Carol! Sounds like we have both been busy today! Will be so nice to take these meals out of the freezer on a busy day and not have to cook. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes. Absolutely. No $ in my food budget for take out/restaurants, so it's at home cooking.
ReplyDelete