This here soup, they call it “Kitchen Sink Soup,” is a right good meal. It’s what you make when you got a bunch of stuff in the icebox and you gotta use it up ‘fore it goes bad. Ain’t no fancy way to do it, just throw it all in a pot and let it simmer.
Now, some folks, they call this an “everything but the kitchen sink” soup. That’s just a silly way of saying you can put near anything in it. I seen folks put in them fancy tomatoes, you know, the heir-loom kind. And that bok choy, cabbage, them green peppers, garlic… all sorts of things! I once put some leftover chicken in there, and it was mighty tasty.
You start with your pot. Big one, ’cause you’re gonna have a lot going in there. I like to start with some onion, chopped up. Then, some garlic. If you ain’t got fresh, that powder stuff will do. Gotta have some celery too, if you got it. Chop that up. Carrots is good too, makes the soup sweet. Some folks use them baby carrots, but I just chop up the big ones.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Celery
- Carrots
Then you just start throwing stuff in. Leftover cooked meat? In it goes. Got some beans? Them too. Corn? Sure, why not. This soup is all about using what you got. That’s what makes it so good, always a little different, just like a farmer’s market. No two the same!
You gotta put some liquid in there, too. Water’s fine, or you can use that broth stuff in a box. I usually just use water, myself. Then you let it all cook together. Gotta let it simmer for a good long time, so all them flavors get to know each other. This is what makes the kitchen sink soup tasty!
Now, I heard some young folks talkin’ ’bout this being a “trope” in them moving pictures. They said it’s a joke where everything gets taken away ‘cept the kitchen sink. Well, I don’t know ’bout all that, but it sounds mighty silly to me. This soup ain’t no joke, it’s good eatin’!
One thing my mama always told me: don’t be puttin’ too much of that greasy stuff down the sink. Clogs it right up, she said. And she was right! Same goes for this soup. If you got a lot of fatty stuff in there, might not be the best thing for your pipes. Gotta wash that sink out real good after you do the dishes, else you’ll have a mess on your hands. Think about them drains, they ain’t gettin’ cleaned like your sink is!
Kitchen sink soup is good for your pocketbook, too. Don’t have to waste nothin’. Everything gets used up. And it’s good for your belly, fills you right up. Especially good on a cold day. Warms you from the inside out. My grandpappy used to say this soup could cure what ails ya. Maybe he was right, maybe he wasn’t. But it sure does taste good, and that’s somethin’ in my book.
Some of them ingredients, they like to sink down to the bottom of the pot. So you gotta give it a good stir every now and then. Make sure everything’s gettin’ cooked even. Just give it a good stir every so often.
This here “Kitchen Sink Soup” ain’t got no fancy rules. That’s what makes this kind of soup a good one! No step-by-step this or that, just use your common sense. You just cook it ’til it’s done. You’ll know. It’ll smell good, and it’ll taste good. That’s all that matters.
So next time you got a bunch of stuff in your icebox and you don’t know what to do with it, just remember this here soup. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and it’s mighty tasty. And that is all there is to know about the “Kitchen Sink Soup“.
- Leftover meat
- Beans
- Corn
- Any veggies
If you got questions, you can ask, but I told ya just about all I know. Now go on, get cookin’! It will be a good soup for sure!
