Kitchen Sink Chicken Soup!
This ended up being Chicken Vegetable Orzo Soup, but honestly it started out with “how many leftovers can I prevent from wasting today?”
I’m including what I did here as a general idea of what you can do with leftovers so you don’t waste them! You really can’t go too wrong if you start with a good veggie base and broth. Add whatever leftover veggies, beans, rice or pasta you have on hand and make sure you add flavor boosters like ginger, lemon juice, fish sauce or others (otherwise it could fall flat). Also, don’t forget the salt!
What I used:
🔸4 stalks Wilty celery (Of course you don’t have to use wilted of course), diced
🔸3 large carrots, sliced
🔸2 small onions, diced (or one large)
🔸1 tbsp coconut oil
🔸6 cups broth (I only had 3 so I used water for the rest)
🔸1 tsp minced ginger (optional)
🔸1 cup Leftover mashed potatoes
🔸1/2 cup (the rest) of a can of corn
🔸2 cups Leftover rotisserie chicken, pulled
🔸1/2 cup dry uncooked orzo pasta (not necessary but I wanted the carbs)
🔸salt and pepper to taste
Throw the celery, onions and carrots in a pot on medium-high heat on the stove with the coconut oil and sautée until the onions are a bit translucent.
Then add the broth, ginger, potatoes, and corn and bring to a boil (the mashed potatoes will reincorporate and blend right in with the soup). Ginger is totally optional here, but it’s my personal “secret ingredient” for chicken soup and we had a jar of minced ginger on hand.
Add the pasta and chicken and cook 10-15 more minutes, checking after 10 min to see if the orzo is cooked. Add a large pinch of salt (1/2 tsp) but taste first to make sure it needs it, and add a few shakes of black pepper.
When the orzo is ready the soup is ready, but you can turn the heat down and simmer longer If you want. If most of the liquid gets absorbed by the pasta, feel free to add more to your desired consistency.
This made 4 large adult portions, so I have 2 days of lunch leftovers!