End-Of-Month Vegetable Soup
Submitted by paramedicswife
End-of-month vegetable soup made with whatever is in the fridge: cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery, bacon ends, and a bouquet garni simmered in white wine. A frugal, flexible pantry-clearing soup.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
60 minREADY
70 minThis is the soup you make when the fridge is getting bare and payday is still a few days out. Cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery, red pepper, whatever you’ve got on hand goes into a pot with bacon pieces, prosciutto ends, bouillon, garlic, and a bouquet garni. A cup of white wine rounds out the broth, and an hour of simmering turns it all into something that tastes far better than the sum of its scrappy parts.
The bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, and bay leaves tied in cheesecloth) flavors the broth cleanly and gets pulled out at the end. No fishing around for loose herb stems.
Bacon and prosciutto ends are the secret weapon. They’re the cheap, ragged bits your deli counter might even give away, and they add smoky, salty depth to a soup that’s essentially just vegetables and water.
Kitchen Tips
- Skim any scum that rises to the surface after the first boil. It’s protein foam from the meat and it makes the broth cloudy.
- Dice the potatoes and add them first. They take the longest and benefit from the full simmer.
- Adjust the liquid so it just covers the vegetables. Too much water dilutes the flavor.
- Go easy on salt if you’re using bouillon cubes. They’re already heavily salted.
Variations
- Bean addition: Toss in a can of drained white beans for more substance and protein.
- Pasta version: Add small pasta like ditalini in the last 15 minutes for a heartier, minestrone-style soup.
Ingredients
Directions
Make the bouquet garni by tying the herbs up in a cheesecloth or coffee filter.
Put a quart of water to boil with about ½ teaspoon salt (I don’t like to use too much salt if I use bouillon), the bouquet garni and the bouillon.
Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and add these to the soup together with the bacon and/or prosciutto ends.
Bring this to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes.
If scum forms on the surface, skim it off.
Dice the potatoes and add to the boiling pot.
Cut up everything else and add it.
Add the wine. Adjust the liquid so that it covers the vegetables.
After it boils again, adjust the seasoning and simmer for about an hour, or until it is done (this is quite subjective).
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