TIP OF THE DAY: A Soup Bar For Parties Or The Weeknight Dinner Table

January 24, 2013 at 8:15 am · Filed under Entertaining, Recipes, Soups, Tip Of The Day

How can you make soup the most fun dish of the week?

Set up a “soup bar.” It’s similar to a baked potato bar, where bowls of garnishes are laid out so that everyone can customize his or her own soup.

The garnishes are what you already have in the kitchen, and a soup bar is a great way to use up leftovers. Scout the cabinets, fridge and freezer to see what you’ve got. Then, set out a selection of at least five options:

Beans, lentils, rice and other grains and legumes

Broccoli florets

Croutons, tortilla chips or crackers: Goldfish, oyster crackers, crumbled saltines

Crumbled bacon, hot dog/sausage slices, shredded ham

Corn kernels

A bowl of potatao soup, loaded up with choices from the “soup bar.” Photo courtesy PotatoGoodness.com.

Dairy toppings: crème fraîche, plain Greek yogurt, mascarpone, sour cream

Grated or shredded cheese

Herbs: arugula, basil, chives, cilantro, jalapeño, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme

Other leftover meats and seafood, diced or shredded

Onions: chopped green onions or red onions

Mushrooms, zucchini, cooked or raw

Pasta and noodles, including wonton strips

Peas, snow peas and other cooked vegetables

Tomatoes: halved cherry tomatoes/grape tomatoes, diced fresh tomatoes, diced canned tomatoes

Wild cards: almonds, avocado, baby corn, diced cucumber, shredded coconut, shredded carrots, olives, raisins, roasted garlic cloves, tofu, water chestnuts, whatever you have

PARTY SOUP BAR

Offer two or three different soups that provide a good canvas for the toppings: mushroom soup, potato soup and tomato soup, for example. Soups that already have multiple visible ingredients, like chowder and minestrone, don’t need more embellishment.

You’ll also want to fan the excitement by doubling the number of garnish options.

Soup’s on! Get it while it’s hot!

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