Why waste a fully stacked pantry when you can pack your different kinds of soup full of deliciousness? Maybe as soup toppings or rich flavor inclusions. Whatever you need them for, there are several of the best pantry staples for soup for you to use!
Some of the tastiest pantry staples for soup are chickpeas, liver, quinoa, paprika, and parmesan cheese. But these aren’t the only tasty ingredients you can add to soup, so let’s tuck in!
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💡 Best Pantry Staples to Add to Soups
Canned Goods
Canned goods are the true unsung heroes of the pantry. Sat upon those shelves are cans of delicious flavor you can use in your soup. These are convenient splashes of flavor with long shelf lives and nutritional content. Common items like diced tomatoes and canned mushrooms are tasty additions you’ll surely have. You could even mix in other canned soups. Make sure to check for some unhealthy ingredients in canned soups and goods.
Oils and Fats
Oils and fats are crucial for building flavor in soups, as they help to sauté aromatics and create a rich mouthfeel. While often viewed as generally unhealthy ingredients for soup, used in moderation, these can be tasty and safe additions to your soup. Butter and coconut oil are great choices for almost any soup that requires sautéing.
Dairy Products
A pantry has everything you need, and dairy is one of them. Cream, cheese, and dairy products are some of the best ways to make soup creamy, especially good in creamy tomato or potato leek soup. Heavy cream and parmesan cheese are the perfect salty and creamy addition to soup.
Broths and Stocks
Those leftover broths and stock packets can be just what your soup needs. These are one of the best pantry staples to use in soup as they’re packed with some tasty flavor. A good broth can give the simplest soups the most delicious flavors. Some delicious choices you can pick are chicken broth and beef stock, as they’re common items and have rounded flavors for most soups.
Legumes and Beans
Legumes and beans are powerhouse staples to add to soup. These are packed full of protein and fiber, perfect heartiness for your soups. While being packed with protein and healthy goodness, they’re also great ways to make soup thicker. Some common versions you could have are chickpeas and black beans.
Grains and Pasta
We all have those packs of pasta and grains we never got around to using. Those packets will make for some tasty soup additions as they’re packed with fiber and nutritional content. Some great noodles for soup can use are rice noodles and Chinese egg noodles. Some filling and hearty options are quinoa and whole wheat pasta.
Spices and Seasonings
No pantry is a stranger to the accumulated total of random spices and seasonings we collect. Those collected bottles and packets of flavor are just what your soups have been calling for. You can use some of your favorite flavored spices to add to soup. Just a pinch of oregano and paprika will take your dish to the stars!
Meats
Bring boatloads of protein to your soup with fresh and leftover meat. Meat is one of the best pantry ingredients to add to soup. Tinned or fresh, these protein bites are packed full of hearty flavors that’ll truly complete your meal. Meat, in general, is a rich source of protein and nutrients like iron and zinc, but some more than others. Liver, lean chicken breast, and salmon are perfect sources of flavor and nutrients.
Veggies
Those bags of frozen, tinned, and leftover veggies are the healthy splash of flavor your soup needs! These convenient pantry staples are some of the healthiest ingredients to add to soup. These nutritious ingredients pack color and vitamins into your soups. Frozen spinach and frozen peas are some flavor and nutrient-packed choices.
🧐 FAQs
Essential pantry staples include items like canned tomatoes, beans, and vegetable broth, which serve as versatile bases for a variety of dishes. Grains such as rice and pasta, along with spices and seasonings like garlic powder and cumin are also must haves.
To enhance your soup, consider adding fresh herbs like basil or cilantro. Additionally, ingredients like a splash of lemon or lime juice, a dollop of cream or coconut milk, and spices such as cumin or paprika can elevate the overall taste and complexity of the dish.
The best homemade soups to make include classic tomato soup and hearty vegetable soup. Other favorites are creamy potato leek soup, spicy black bean soup, lentil soup, chicken noodle soup, and minestrone soup. These are packed with flavor and veggies.
Start with a good broth or stock. Sautéing onions and garlic before adding other ingredients builds a strong flavor base. Letting the soup simmer allows flavors to meld together perfectly.