I store about 8 or more varieties of dried beans and lentils in containers, plus cans of tomatoes, corn and chicken broth. Add onions, garlic, celery, carrots or whatever you have on hand, and make excellent soups, which you can vary with leftover meats, pasta, rice or potatoes from other meals. Onion soup is easy — sliced onions cooked in beef broth, with a big slice of whole-grain bread added to the bowl and some mozzarella or parmesan cheese on top and run under the broiler. What a treat!
A large pot can make lots of soup servings, if you have enough 1-cup or 1-1/2 cup containers for the freezer. I try to keep two or three varieties going throughout the winter months. In summer months, I freeze homemade applesauce or ultralight soup, like chicken broth with julienne broccoli stems, carrots and garlic, or pureed yellow squash with spinach or parsley. Also, a great breakfast soup is the smoothie served in a bowl.
I have even made vegetable soups with camomile tea, or leftover pork roast soups with apple juice as the basis.
And the same bean soup you had last night can taste very different if you puree it and add a blob of sour cream, yogurt, grated parmesan, cayenne pepper or a tiny dash of cider vinegar.
Soup is filling and helps maintain ideal weight.
Very similar use of foods here, and it’s very inexpensive and tastes great. Leftovers make great soups...if you have a basic understanding of what goes well together it makes cooking easy and eventually you don’t need to measure too close, and can substitute if out of something.
I agree - soup is an excellent strategy.