What do you get when you combine operation pantry clean out and limited culinary skills? Cheater soup.
I’m pretty good at making soup when I’m standing on the shoulders of giants like Dr. McDougall. He’s pretty much my idol.
Cheater Soup
[vegan & gluten free]
- 18 oz. lentil soup (2 cups)
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup water/vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup oil
Add contents to crock pot and cook on low for 3 hours.
Voila!
The rice absorbed the delicious flavors of the soup and added some extra carbs to give it staying power and make it a perfectly balanced meal.
You could add any grain at all – millet, quinoa, etc. We just happen to be scrapping the bottom of the barrel in the rice department and I’m trying to help the movers out as much as possible by eliminating freezer and pantry foods.
[As you can see I feel semi-guilty for messing up the nutrition of this perfectly healthy store bought soup]
Dear Dr. McDougall,
If you’re reading this – I promise I don’t ruin your products on a daily basis. Adding oil to meals isn’t commonplace in the hippie household. Will you hire me?
Sincerely,
Elise
Other healthy cheater meal ideas?
- soup as a pasta topping (spaghetti & black bean soup is a recent winner)
- combining canned squash/pumpkin with leftover veggies
- adding TVP to marinara
- grains + greens + pre-packaged seasoning packets
Any ideas you want to add to make quick meals from pantry goods?
I think I have cheater meals for lunch almost every day. Just throw things together and hope they turn into something good. I love it when they work out like this!
I use Mori-Nu silken tofu (the one in the aseptic box that doesn’t need to be refrigerated until opened) as a “sauce” for pasta. Just mash up until still chunky, then add herbs and seasonings (basil, oregano, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper), then add tons of fresh veggies and whole wheat pasta, and you have a fresh pasta dish.
You de-McDougalled it, lol.
i love soup and rice! it’s how i grew up eating perfectly healthy soup and it’s the perfect cold weather meal 🙂
Pingback: Stretching soup
Pingback: Jazzing up soup