No Waste Tastes Great /Make A Save With Soup

It’s Friday Guys – time for No Waste Tastes Great.

Click here to learn more about my simple 2013 Friday routine.

No Friday fridge this week. I’m not home. We’re happy camping.

So instead I thought I’d share my top tip for making a food-waste-save.

Soup.

So simple, and yet so effective. There’s not much that can’t be cooked and blended into a tasty soup  (well maybe not salad….but as we all know salad is a tricky one when trying to save!).

I like to slow-cook mine.  And one of the simplest to make is cauliflower cheese. Which is what I made a save with last Friday.

Simple Slow-Cooked Cauliflower Cheese Soup Recipe

Serves 4-6

You will need:

Standard Slow-Cooker (Crock-Pot) Internal capacity 3.5 litres (approx. 6 pints)

One head of Cauliflower – all of the leaves removed, but you can use as much of the stork as possible to reduce waste. Actual chopped cauliflower used in this recipe was 300g/10+1/2oz.

150g/5oz Mature Cheddar Cheese. Or another hard full flavoursome cheese of your choice.

Approx. 2.5 pints of hot stock. Chicken works well if not a vegetarian dish, alternatively vegetable stock. Even water alone could be used with a pinch or 2 of salt. (If using stock cubes rather than home-made – 1 x cube is enough for the 2.5 pints of water).

Blackpepper (I add about 8 grinds of the mill)

(You could add a chopped onion if you wish to. Originally I did, then one-day didn’t have one, so carried on regardless! I didn’t think it affected the taste)

Instructions:

Chop and wash the cauliflower. Dice the cheese.

Add to pot

Top up with approximately 2.5 pints of hot stock/or slightly salted hot water.

The pot should be 2/3 full

Leave for 4 hours on high or 8 on low

Blend and serve. I use a hand-blender directly in the crock-pot, ensuring it is placed firmly on the bottom to avoid the hot liquid spraying out of the pot.

Eat within 3 days if left in the fridge, or up to 1 month in the freezer.

*Don’t forget that as tempting as it may be to lift the lid and have a stir or a sniff of the lovely aroma, that every time you do it will increase cooking time by 20 minutes.  Reduce the need to stir by always ensuring that you have stirred well when adding everything initially.

** Please note that I am not a qualified nutritionist or professional cook.  My recipes are what I put together at home and all amounts etc… are approximate. What I write is my own experience of cooking the recipe.  Ovens and ingredients do vary – just go with it,  have fun and apply common sense at all times!  Practise makes perfect!

How’s your Fridge looking this Friday? Anything to declare? Or is it nice and bare? Please share…and don’t forget to drop a link in the comments if you’ve blogged about it!

No Waste Tastes Great is bought to you (as always) with thanks to The Frugal Girl for the original inspiration.