How to Use Leftover Soup to Make an Entirely Different Dish

Making a small amount of soup can be near to impossible. No matter how hard one tries, there is most often lots of soup leftover for the next day, or possibly even the day after that.

Although soup can be even more delicious after a couple of days, eating the same soup repeatedly can become somewhat monotonous. Instead of wasting the soup, why not look for ways in which to use the soup as a part of another recipe? A couple of delicious options are that of a shepherd's or pot pie.

Simple Recipe for Shepherd's Pie

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of shredded cheese (any kind will work however, some suggestions include a cheddar, mozzarella or Romano cheese).

3 cups of soup (works well with a beef, chicken or turkey vegetable soup, and a chicken or corn chowder).

2 1/4 cups of instant mashed potatoes (for a variation, consider using a garlic flavored mix).

Optional ingredients:

1/2 cup of sour cream

2 tbsp of chopped parsley

1/2 cup of bacon bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lightly grease a standard size casserole dish.
3. Warm left over soup and thicken with 1/4 cup of potato flakes (add more potato flakes if needed).
4. Follow instructions on box for preparing instant mashed potatoes. Remove from stove. Optional: Add 1/2 cup of sour cream to mashed potatoes.
5. Add soup mixture to casserole dish.
6. Spoon potatoes on top of soup mixture.
7. Top with shredded cheese.
8. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until dish becomes somewhat bubbly.
9. Optional: Garnish with bacon bits, a dollop of sour cream and/or parsley if desired.

Simple Recipe for a Pot Pie

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

Packaged/pre-made pie crust

3 cups of soup (works well with a vegetable soup or any type of chowder)

1/4 cup of dried potato flakes.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Add potato flakes to soup and warm on stove top until thickened (if necessary add more potato flakes).
3. Place pie crust in baking dish.
4. Add soup mixture to dish.
5. Place top crust over mixture.
6. Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes (watch for crust to turn a golden brown).