We often think of soup as a dish that takes time: you have to develop flavor at every step, or let the "flavors meld together." But it's possible to make soup—nay, great soup—quickly. With justa few smart buys—and maybe a little advanced prep (which can be done in big batches)—you can have something like a hearty, satisfyingminestroneon the table in practically no time at all come Monday night. Here are a few of my favorite time-saving soup-making tricks:
Freeze a flavorful soup base.
Call it a mirepoix, a sofrito, asuppengrün, or whatever you want. Whenever youdohave some time, sauté a bunch of chopped, bite-size (or smaller) vegetables in butter or olive oil until they're caramelized and soft. Any mix of vegetables you like will work, but onions, celery, and carrot are the most traditional and will likely go with anything else you might add to the soup later.
Start with one part onion to 1/2 parts each of celery and carrot. Don't like onion? Leave it out, or use fennel, shallots, or leeks instead. Out of carrots? Sub in sweet potato. Want caramelized onions only? That works too. The point is, your soup base is totally up to you. And don't forget to deglaze your pan when it starts to get all brown and caramelized—just toss in 1/4 cup of white wine or plain water and scrape off all the crusty bits that have collected on the bottom of the pan and continue cooking until the liquid reduces. Once you have the mixture cooked down to your liking, freeze the sofrito in 1/4 cup portions—it'll keep for several months and can be tossed right into a soup pot from frozen.
Make meat ahead of time.
为了让事情简单,去碎肉。任意hing works: turkey, beef, chicken, pork, lamb. Just sauté it in a pan until well browned and season with salt and pepper. If you'd like, a squeeze of tomato or anchovy paste added at the end will enrich the savory flavor. Again, let the meat cool, and then freeze in 1/2 cup portions. Or, if you want to step it up a notch, go ahead and freeze a batch of cookedmeatballs.
Choose fish for a quick-cooking protein option.
If you'd rather have seafood soup, keepfrozen shrimpon hand or pick up a piece of cod, halibut, or salmon on your way home. Fish cooks so quickly you can just throw it into your simmering soup and it'll be ready without any additional prep required.
Add frozen vegetables.
Grab any frozen vegetable you like. They are prime for quick soup since they're cleaned, chopped, and ready to go. Kale is great—as is spinach or any hearty green—okra andartichokes, too. And don't ignore staples like corn, green beans, or even winter squash purée. Just make sure to check the list of ingredients: don't buy anything already seasoned or sauced.
Keep your pantry stocked.
Canned tomatoesare king when it comes to quick soups. And canned beans? Well, they're king too. So keep plenty of those ingredients in the back of your cupboard. And, even if you do have a stash ofhomemade stockin your freezer, it's a good idea to keep some ofour favorite store-bought chicken brothon hand, too for emergencies. Like creamy soups? Stock up on coconut milk orboxed whipping cream(it's shelf-stable!).
Memorize this formula:
In a pot, combine equal parts of your soup base and meat (if using) with two to three times as much frozen or canned vegetables and/or beans. Add stock, water, or a combination of both to cover and bring it all to a boil. If you're using fish or shrimp instead of meat, add that to the pot after it boils and let the seafood poach until just cooked through (about 3 minutes). Season and soup's on!
Use your Instant Pot.
For soup that really comes together in the blink of an eye, reach for everyone's favorite new appliance, theInstant Pot. Toss any of the above elements into one and set it to Manual for 10 to 20 minutes. Or, if you want to be a little more ambitious, you couldmake a soup from dried beansin the Instant Pot in as little as 40 minutes.
Add a fast finishing touch.
Finish your soup with a drizzle of olive oil, a swirl of yogurt, a grating of cheese, or a sprinkling of something crunchy—like thissavory granola. Of course this finishing touch isn't imperative, but you'd be surprised how a thoughtful garnish can make your last-minute soup seem like you were thinking about it all day long.
