Just Add Water? Three Ways to Stretch Your Soup Further (2024)
by Tayla Blaire•
If you are like me, you may have a penchant for eating quickly. You may have had people, specifically a waitress in a Toronto hotel, comment that you are ‘really fast at eating’. No, I have not let that comment go. My point is, whenever I have something delicious, I often wish there was just more of it. However, if I make too much of something, I’m likely to get sick of it if it’s the only thing I eat for a week. I’m faced with a bit of a conundrum which is also paired with my lifelong instinct for frugality. These have led me to investigate how I can use simple little cooking hacks to stretch my soups a little farther without having to make enough to feed an army!
Ok, this may be a little obvious, but just adding water is going to make your soup go a little further. If you stick to a 50/50 ratio between water and whatever flavoured liquid you’re using in your soup (be it tomatoes, a stock type, or a cream), you’re unlikely to dilute it to the point of making it unpalatable. A lot of people are worried about adding water without stock or something to give the soup extra flavour when it is a little thick, but as long as you stick to that golden ratio, you’re not likely to get a gross version of the soup you love!
As we all learned about five years ago when the Banting diet craze hit a head, fat makes you full. The fuller you are, the less you eat, and the less you eat, the more of that delicious, delicious soup you save for later. I can understand some people not wanting to make their soups too fatty – they are meant to be a healthy choice after all. Dumping a bunch of fatty meats (like cut-up sausage or bacon) into a pot of soup seems counterintuitive and even quite sickening. Committing softly by adding beans or lentils to your soup will have a similar effect – it keeps the vegetable content high, adds extra protein to your soup, and makes you fuller faster!
Starch
Contrary to what a lot of food websites, diet plans, and Instagram influencers will tell you: starch is not the enemy! As a species, we have been living off starch for tens of thousands of years – the cultivation of cereals was literally the impetus for civilization! The enemy isn’t starch, it’s lack of moderation. Our bodies crave as much starch as possible: it fills us up and helps us retain weight – this was an important evolutionary trait for when we were hunters and gatherers, which is less important now that we have cars that can drive to a supermarket. If I want to stretch my soup a little further, I’m not opposed to having a nice slice of bread on the side or adding a few croutons or crackers into the bowl when I’m eating. The key is to make sure that your soup outweighs the starch you decide on.
These are my tips – what about you? What kinds of magic spells do you put on your food to make sure you don’t blitz through it too quickly?
Ready to make soup? Find the Creamy Potato, Turnip soup recipe with Microgreens here!
Take a chicken soup, for example: Make a big batch one day, then add roasted veggies (winter squash, sweet potatoes, cauliflower or broccoli) or some cooked beans the next.
Take a chicken soup, for example: Make a big batch one day, then add roasted veggies (winter squash, sweet potatoes, cauliflower or broccoli) or some cooked beans the next.
Adding/mixing water in the soup makes the soup less thick. (discrepencies apply. You could use more vegetables/fruits/ingredients with water in them in your soup or just plain ol' pour in water, though ratio applies. Some ingredients have more water than others.
Just like leftover proteins, extra cooked pasta or rice is a lovely addition to most soups, and can help stretch leftovers across several meals. I usually keep those convenient packages of precooked rice in the house, just for this purpose. I also keep frugal ramen noodles in the house.
The simplest way to stretch your soup is to add more liquid. This not only increases the volume but also dilutes the flavors slightly, making it more suitable for larger gatherings.
All you need is water. I know, I know—you think you need stock, or cream, or beer. But the pure flavor of the vegetables is going to shine through so much better if you just use water.
Ok, this may be a little obvious, but just adding water is going to make your soup go a little further. If you stick to a 50/50 ratio between water and whatever flavoured liquid you're using in your soup (be it tomatoes, a stock type, or a cream), you're unlikely to dilute it to the point of making it unpalatable.
"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.
You can extract a clean, strong broth from a combination of water and several pantry ingredients. It's all about layering powerful flavor-enhancers that you probably already have on hand—bacon, tomato paste, herbs, peppercorns, a Parmesan rind, and, of course, kosher salt.
Just add beans! Beans are one of the single best ingredients you can add to leftovers to help stretch them out. The heartiness and flavor they can add to just about any dish makes them the perfect addition to any leftovers that are lacking and could use and extra protein boost.
Add Your Liquid- Select what liquid you are using for the soup you are making. Add 4 to 8 cups, depending on how much you want to make. 4 cups will make a chunkier, thicker soup, while 8 cups will make a runnier soup. If you use a warm liquid, this will expedite the cooking process.
Add more cold water as evaporation occurs and as bones and vegetables are exposed. Cold water prevents impurities that have risen to the top of the stock from melting and redispersing back into the stock.
Make a cornstarch slurry to give your broth more body.
Cornstarch is similar to flour as a thickening agent, but it works better and won't affect the taste of your broth. Mix a tablespoon (7.5 g) of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of cold water for each cup of broth.
Brown rice, quinoa, millet, barley, and wheat berries are other whole-grain staples in my pantry that boost the satiating power of a brothy meal. Throw in some legumes, and you'll be bulking up the protein as well. Dried lentils are great because they cook quickly.
In this case, adding a bit of water to the soup while you're heating it can reduce the overall thickness while cutting back on some of its sodium content. If you want to enhance the flavor of canned soup, you can also thin it out by adding a bit of broth.
Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.
Blended lentils and rice can also add body to a soup. Red lentils work in tomato soups such as this recipe, and rice can be used in green soups or where a vegetable like cauliflower has been used. Cook them until they're tender, then blend them into the soup.
Celery, carrot, and onion are the base vegetables for most preparations of this kind. That's because when you gently fry them in extra virgin olive oil, they become a tasty flavor base for your soup, adding depth of flavor.
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