One of my biggest goals here is to help you eat healthy without feeling overwhelmed. I love a good meal prep and this soup recipe is as easy as it comes. The premise here is that you make one broth, but depending on what flavor profile you want, you can switch up the other ingredients!
Step one is making the broth. If you have an Instant Pot, plug that baby in. If you don’t, then grab your biggest pot. If you’ve been following me on Instagram (here!), then you may have seen my veggie broth made from scraps. This is one of my favorite tips!! I call it… making food from garbage! So what you do is this: when you are cutting up veggies on any day, throw the carrot tops, mushroom stems, parsley stems, kale stems, onion peels, etc., into a bowl as you work. As long as it’s not moldy or dirty, put it in your bowl. In your freezer, keep a large container or 1 gallon zip-top bag. Throw the scraps in there. When you have a container/bag full of stuff, make broth.
Dump the frozen scraps in your Instant Pot or regular pot. Add in enough veggies to fill the pot. If your frozen scraps are lacking onion or carrot, supplement with a fresh one. Add in about 5-10 black peppercorns, parsley, thyme, garlic or a bay leaf. All of those things, however, are optional, just use what you have. Then add enough water to cover the top of the veggies. If you are using the Instant Pot, do not fill past the max line! Set the Instant Pot to high for 20 minutes, then manually vent at the end of the cycle. If you are using the stovetop, bring to a boil, then cover with a lid. Simmer for about 1 hour on the lowest temperature. Turn off the heat after 1 hour and allow to steep for another hour or so. For both methods, strain when done cooking and then you are ready to use the broth.
For this recipe to last you several days, you will need a large volume of broth. If you have the small instant pot, you will need to make 2 batches of broth. I like to store my broth in the fridge in extra large mason jars – it’s very convenient.
Now you have decide how you want to assemble your soup. If you’re in the mood for some Mexican flavors, then grab some rice or quinoa, corn, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, kale, Swiss chard, chick peas, cilantro, and lime. Throw in some spices like cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, or cayenne powder, and you are set!
Or, if you fancy a more classic chicken/tofu noodle soup, then look for some whole grain pasta, carrots, celery, zucchini, parsley, leeks, and shredded chicken or cubed tofu.
Lastly, if you would rather go for ramen, which is one of my absolute favorite meals, then start off with some ramen noodles. Look for noodles made from whole grains or you could also try soba noodles, which are made from buckwheat. Good veggie options are mushrooms, baby bok choy, bean sprouts, carrots, bell pepper, snap peans, and green onions. You will also want to add some soy sauce to the broth and try adding white miso (it’s SO good). I highly recommend throwing some kimchi in there, too.
So, while your broth is cooking, cut up all of your veggies for however many servings you are planning to have during the week. Use as many as you like, there is no wrong way to do this. About one to two cups of cut up vegetables per serving is a good ballpark. Put the veggies into storage containers. Cook your noodles, grains, or pasta and keep them in their own container. Rinse any noodles or pasta with cold water after cooking to keep them from becoming totally stuck together in your fridge.
When it’s time to eat the soup, heat up your broth. I recommend to put the broth you will be using for that meal into a pot and heat it on the stovetop. Once the broth is simmering hot, throw in your serving of veggies to cook for 2-3 minutes. In your bowl, place the noodles, grains, or pasta, plus any other add-ins, such as the spices, chopped tomatoes, tofu, or kimchi. Ladle the broth over top and scoop the veggies into your bowl. Done!! Isn’t that so easy?? I think the actual time to assemble all of that at dinnertime is maybe 10 minutes. That is why I love making this easy soup! I hope you enjoy it. It’s so easy to change out the veggies and come up with whatever combination suits you.
How to make 3 (or more) different soups using the same broth as a base. Make the broth from veggie scraps you save from other meal preps. You can switch up the veggies and seasonings in your soup to make many different yummy flavor combinations! Think of this as a no-recipe, recipe. Fill your bowl with as many veggies as you want, there is no wrong way to do it!
Author: Leah Romay
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