I hope you all were able to read our first budget post last week. If you missed it, you can find it here. Today we are talking about the times when the budget says no more grocery money, but the calendar says you need meals. I have a solution for you, my pantry soup recipe!

When we decided it was time to revamp our finances and get out of debt, we realized quickly that we were spending way too much money on groceries and eating out. Not only were those items causing financial stress, but we weighed more than ever before and felt awful. I like to refer to that time as when my face got eaten by another face.

It’s crazy to me how finances and health go hand in hand, but that is for another day.

Today, I want to share with you some tips for cooking on a budget. Last time we talked about budgeting I gave you a printable to write your shopping list out on. If you missed it, head over to the post linked above and scroll to the bottom. We also discussed pantry staples that you should always keep in your pantry. Today we are going to talk about how to use those items to make due until your next budget month.

One thing I learned right away was that I was going to have to get creative with my cooking if we were going to trim our budget from almost $500/month in food expenses down to $150.

Trimming the fat

First, I needed to figure out a way to get groceries cheaper, while still purchasing healthy items for my family. The solution? Aldi. When I first started grocery shopping after we got married, I shopped exclusively at Meijer. The prices there didn’t seem outrageous and I liked the atmosphere. Once I realized that we had to trim this down, I decided to try another venue. I wanted to shop at Walmart, but at that time, there wasn’t one super close to our home. There was however, an Aldi across the street.

I quickly realized that I had been spending way too much on basic items like Milk, Eggs, Rice and canned goods. Milk was averaging $3 at Meijer compared to $1.20 at Aldi. That’s over 50% saved on one item! Eggs were $2 at Meijer and $.67 at Aldi! This drastically reduced our grocery bill, just by changing where we shopped. The quality was just as good and we were able to buy healthy options for a fraction of the price.

Once I was able to cut down our grocery bill, I just needed to get creative with cooking when the money didn’t stretch far enough. Hence my recipe for Pantry soup!

This is a super easy recipe, that comes with a ton of options, so you can literally use anything you have in the pantry!

What helped me the most with getting creative with cooking, was learning what parts make up our food. Once I understood the basic structures, I was able to swap out ingredients with what I had on hand!

Soup is composed of a few elements: broth, flavor, and spices. So, when you are assembling your pantry soup think of it as a pyramid. The broth is your base and you build onto that with flavors and textures (additional ingredients), and you finish with spices.

Step 1 Create your base

For your broth you want to use something that has liquid or will create liquid. I often use crushed tomatoes or tomato juice. If I have a can or a box of broth or stock this works too. I also like to consider what my options are for other ingredients at this point. If I have shredded chicken I might use chicken stock with a goal of making some sort of chicken noodle or chicken and rice soup. If I don’t have any meat I will try to create a thicker base to add substance. Just keep in mind that your base is going to support the structure of your soup. The more you add the more important your base becomes. If I’m using crushed tomatoes I typically add water to thin them out. I suggest waiting until you’ve added your other ingredients so you don’t add too much water.

Step 2 Add flavors and textures

This is seriously the easiest step in this soup. Whenever I have a little extra grocery money, I stock my pantry with extra canned goods. They make this a super quick dinner option. You can also use fresh veggies, but you’ll need to cook them out and simmer your soup longer.
Aldi sells canned mixed vegetables that make this beyond easy. You can also use individual cans of veggies to make your own mix or to add extra of your favorites! I typically throw in 2 cans of mixed veggies, a can of green beans and canned or fresh potatoes. If using fresh potatoes, make sure you add them early and cut them into small pieces so they cook quicker.
You can also use frozen veggies for this step, just remember that they will add liquid as they defrost, so either heat them separately and drain off extra liquid or make sure your base has enough flavor to withstand watering down a bit.

This is where you can get creative with what you have.
If I need something to get us through a few days, I add extra canned beans. Usually white Great Northern beans, but you could add kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans or all three! If you are using canned beans, make sure you rinse them first.

When I really need to stretch this meal, I also add a cup of rice, quinoa, or barley. If you add one of these just keep an eye out so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom or get too thick. If I’m adding a grain like this, this is when I would thin out my broth with water or stock.

Step 3 Add your spices

This is the fun part! Start tasting your soup and make adjustments with seasonings. You will most likely want to add salt and pepper. But be careful, if you’ve added broth or stock, these can be salty so you’ll want to make sure you taste first. If I’m using a tomato base, I like to add in some Italian seasonings like oregano, basil, and parsley. If I use black beans, pinto beans and other southwestern flavors, I’ll add cumin and chili powder. Get creative and use what you have in your cupboards!

I love this soup because once you’ve added everything, you just have to let it simmer for 20-30 minutes and its good to go. It cost me about $2 to make a giant pot of soup that feeds us for multiple meals. You can’t beat that!

What do you cook when your grocery budget is about gone?