“I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something. ” Mich Ehrenborg, author
It’s a mystery comparable to why single socks go missing. Every time I make soup, which is often this time of year, we wind up with about one cup left over. It’s technically enough for a snack-sized serving. So, I’m hesitant to toss it. But, no one ever seems to eat that last little bit.
For a while, I was freezing the remnants of each soup batch and using them as a part of the stock for the next recipe that contained similar flavors. This week, I stumbled on another use that is even more fun in a frugal, flavorful kind of way.
Simply take that last cup of soup, puree it if it isn’t already pureed, thin it with water and use it instead of just water for cooking jasmine rice. The result is a side with enhanced nutrition and flavor — plus a creamy texture similar to risotto without all the stirring.
Here’s the basic technique:
Souped-up Rice
Puree one cup of leftover soup. (Vegan butternut, vegetable and lentil soups are great choices as they puree well and there is no dairy to scald.) Put the soup and about 1 1/2 cups of water* in a sauce pan. Bring to boil.
Add 1 1/2 cups rinsed jasmine rice, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat, let rest five minutes and then fluff with a fork. Taste. Add a bit of salt and pepper if needed.
*The thicker the soup puree, the more water you will need for the rice to cook properly. Experiment. If the water/soup mix looks too thick at the start, add a bit more water and increase the cooking time. Check as the liquid cooks out to make sure your rice is not burning on the bottom of the pan.
Nora Edinger -- JOY Journal 
My mother taught me to save leftovers. Sometimes they’d be more like stew than soup but always hearty and good.
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🙂 I love leftovers!! I think it’s a Hal Borland quote. Something about his mother serving nothing but leftovers for 30 years and no one remembering what the original meal actually was. It makes me laugh every time. A real mom thing to do!
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Ha! That’s funny
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This sounds like a delicious recipe to try. I’m now so sorry I finished the last bit of my soup yesterday. I’ll have to try it next time.😁😁🙏🏼🙏🏼
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🙂 Hope you like it! Have a blessed weekend.
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What a great idea for leftovers! I’m having soup this weekend. I’ll have to remember to do this with the leftovers. 🙂
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Hope it turned it out well!
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Great idea! Thats good that u save the last bit of soup like that and gained this fabulous idea. That quote at the top is a riot!
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Thanks! I love quotes. GoodReads has an almost endless supply.
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Such a good idea for making rice that little bit more tasty, and using up the last of that soup!
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🙂 Thanks, or merci if appropriate.
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Thanks is good. I have Belgian relations but English is my first language. I often think I should learn another language properly 😃
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🙂 I can barely scrape by speaking/listening in Spanish. I read French at about a third or fourth grade level, but aspire to get better.
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Nice!
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Thank you!
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My pleasure!
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