College Soup Ideas

There is nothing like warm soup on a cold day! I promised my college student daughter that I would make this post just for her. Here’s to many days without ramen ?. A couple of money saving tips before we begin: 1) Chicken bouillon can be found in the Hispanic section for a lot cheaper than on the soup aisle. 2) Frozen cubed hash browns and frozen peas will save you time. Keep some in the freezer to add to your soup. (You could also get frozen carrots, but since my husband really doesn’t like them, we generally grate the baby carrots so they cook fast)

Chicken Dumpling Soup

3 cups water

4 tsp chicken bouillon

1/2 cup cubed hash browns

1 tsp dried parsley (optional)

1 tsp dried onions (optional)

3 or more baby carrots, grated

Pepper to taste

(add part of a can of cooked chicken, drained — if you have some)

Place above ingredients in a pot. Heat, but don’t boil until you get the dumplings ready to drop in.

Dumplings (thanks to my sweet grandma):

1 TBS milk

1 egg

½ cup flour plus a little

Dash onion salt (if you have some)

Salt and pepper

Add flour until stiff. Spoon teaspoon amounts into the gently boiling soup. (I use two small spoons. I scoop the dumpling with one spoon and use the other spoon to knock the dumpling off the spoon into the water.) Boil until done, which will take about 10 minutes.

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Chicken Noodle Soup

Use the same soup base as Chicken Dumpling Soup, but add a cup of elbow macaroni instead of the dumplings. Add more water and bouillon, if needed. (To create broth you usually add 1 tsp bouillon to 1 cup water)

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Red Soup

1 ½ cups elbow macaroni (or a similar sized pasta)

1 eight ounce can tomato sauce

1 can water

Chili powder to taste

¼ lb cooked ground beef (if you have some)

In a sauce pan boil water and cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain off the water. Add the can of tomato sauce and the can of water. Stir. Add cooked ground beef, if you want. Sprinkle with chili powder. Stir. Serve!

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Egg Drop Soup—Morgan Style

3 cups water

4 tsp chicken bouillon

1 tsp dried onion (optional)

1 heaping TBS cornstarch

2 TBS water

3 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup frozen peas

Ground black pepper

In a sauce pan bring 3 cups water, bouillon, and dried onions to almost a boil. Mix the cornstarch and 2 TBS water together in a small bowl. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the bouillon mixture. Bring to a boil. Stir until thickened slightly. Reduce heat and continuously pour the lightly beaten eggs into the soup while stirring in one direction with a spoon. (Don’t use a whisk—you’ll whisk you hadn’t ?). Let cook for 2 minutes. Add ½ cup frozen peas and heat until they thaw and warm. Serve!

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Borscht (Easy)

1 can sliced beets and juice (cut beets so they are bite size)

3 or so baby carrots, grated

1/2 cup cubed hash browns (optional)

1 tsp dried onion

1 2/3 cup water

2 tsp chicken bouillon

1 TBS vinegar

A sprinkle of dill weed (optional)

Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

In a saucepan mix all ingredients together. (Don’t forget to add the beet juice). Heat. Simmer gently to cook carrots—about 3 minutes or so. Serve with a dab of sour cream.

(Yes, this seems like a strange soup to promote, but beets are so healthy for you! Google the health benefits of beets and you’ll be impressed.)

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If you are still a skeptic about the other soups, this next one is right up the lane of college life. You buy ramen, frozen peas, frozen cubed hash browns, and a bag of baby carrots. The frozen foods can be used as needed with the extra placed back in the freezer. The carrots and ramen have a long storage life…so here you go.

Ramen Plus Vitamins

1 pkg ramen

¼ cup frozen peas

¼ cup frozen cubed hash browns

2 grated baby carrots

In a saucepan bring 2 ¼ cups water to a boil. Add hash browns and ramen noodles. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the peas and carrots. Cook for one more minute. Stir in the ramen seasoning. Serve.