I touched on the topic of leftover soup in my 5 Ideas to Makeover Leftovers post and here is a more detailed explanation of how I approach leftover soup.

• Assemble your leftovers and check to see their age. Always start with this. You don’t want to use items which are too old and potentially gone off.
• Check for anything that may have a sauce or seasoning on it. If the items aren’t plain, then let the sauce/ seasoning be your guide to your base.
• Decide on a base. Tomato sauce or canned tomatoes? If you have the time, you could start with fresh tomatoes. A stock or bouillon? Either of these two bases work well with a variety of leftover combinations. A cream-base is an option which I rarely use, that’s just my preference.
• Chop all leftovers into similar size pieces. This helps them heat evenly and to all fit onto your soup spoon together.
• Cook some onion in the pot with oil, garlic sometimes, too. I like them both and it depends on what mood I am in as well as what we have in the house. (No additional trips to the store during dinner time if I can avoid it!)
• Add in each chopped leftover, either all together or one at a time. This is up to you, really, and how you build a soup. I add them in as they are ready – often chopping next to the stove top and dropping items in as each is ready.
• Drop in some water, at least four cups but as many as eight depending on how much soup you want and how dense you like it.
• Add in salt or bouillon. I tend to do one cube per cup of added water, less if the soup has a tomato base.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for up to a half hour to let the flavors meld.
• Add a side of warm bread, freshly made or simply toasted bread.

Dinner is done! And, you have taken care of your leftovers. To me, this seems like a (nearly) free dinner since the items weren’t purchased simply to make this dinner. High five!