Cold day? Trapped indoors? Raid your pantry & freezer, and make your own version of Stone Soup! Hearty, simple, and a life-saver on those days when you can’t make it to the store. Stone Soup isn’t just for children’s stories anymore!
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Once upon a time, there was a harried and frazzled spouse, trying to manage work, home, family, two four-legged kids, and everything in between. She was used to planning ahead for most weeknight dinners, but let’s face it, sometimes those days of “I got nothin'” crept up on her. Suddenly it was mid-afternoon and no ideas for the evening meal were in sight. She fretted. She fussed. She may have used some inappropriate language (the poor dogs tried to cover their ears to no avail). What to do?
Suddenly, she remembered the old fairy tale of Stone Soup. You know the story: an old man has nothing to eat, so he wanders into the middle of the village and lights a pot of water over a fire, and starts gathering stones, placing them into the boiling water. When the townsfolk begin to ask him what he’s making, he says “Stone soup, of course!” Long story short, he convinces everyone to bring out a random assortment of vegetables, meats, and other edible items to put into the pot. In the end, the villagers all enjoy a bowl of hearty–and tasty–soup. Everybody won.
Well, this poor spouse didn’t have anyone other than two dachshunds to help her out on this particular afternoon. I mean, they’re cute and all, but without opposable thumbs, they weren’t much use in the kitchen. She began poking through the freezer, and came upon several bags of vegetables she had forgotten were in there. Then she found a rope of smoked sausage. After that, she wandered to the pantry and stumbled upon some cans of beans and tomatoes, and a couple cartons of low-sodium broth.
When the fairy tale came to an end, the spouse was rewarded with a fabulous new stoup (a cross between a stew and a soup?). And the crowd went wild! And dinner was saved, and served. So I guess it DOES take a village (or a woman and two dogs). Poof-–Stone Stoup!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 4 hours |
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A few veggies, a random protein, some various broths, and like magic, a meal is created. The great thing about dishes like this is that you truly can throw just about anything found in your freezer and pantry in there, and the chances of a tasty meal are a mere couple hours away. Basically, if you have a crock pot, dinner is saved! Whew!
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- 1 ring frozen, smoked sausage
- 4 cups frozen, shredded kale
- 2 cups frozen, chopped bell peppers
- 1 bag frozen corn
- 1 - 12 oz. can great northern beans
- 1 - 12 oz. can low-sodium diced tomatoes
- 1 - 32 oz. carton low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 - 32 oz. carton low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp. Frank's Red Hot, or other hot sauce
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Slice smoked sausage into 1 inch pieces. With it frozen, it will make slicing it even easier.
- Open the can of beans and drain excess liquid.
- Place the meat, beans, corn, kale, peppers, and tomatoes into the crock pot insert.
- Add broth to ingredients.
- Add paprika, garlic powder, salt & pepper; stir to incorporate into stoup.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Serve with crusty bread, and enjoy your stone "stoup"!
Let's face it--this was an easy "save" for dinner. And because the stars of this fairy tale are a rotating cast, this can be made to meet the needs of those who are vegetarian or vegan or who have any other dietary restrictions.
My crock pot was the real star here. I mean, what is better than tossing everything in a big pot, hitting a button, and walking away for several hours while dinner makes itself? Um, not much is better than that on a busy day. You agree with me, I just know it. Wait, you STILL don't have a crock pot to rely on? Of course, any old slow cooker will do the trick, but this one is the best out there IMHO. Whichever you wind up with, you'll be on your way to a great meal in no time flat.
The bonus round on this one? There can be a sequel to this fairy tale! Even though many of the ingredients came out of the freezer, the "stoup" can go right back in there and used at a later time. Now that's what I call a happy ending!
What would wind up in YOUR Stone "Stoup"?
Stone Soup was one of my favorite tales…I used to have a record of Danny Kaye narrating it. WONDERFUL memory!
that always was one of my favorite stories to read to the kids!! and what a great soup it makes 🙂
LOVE this post! Great writing!
I love soups made with “whatever you can find in the pantry!” They always turn out so good. You were smart to write down what you used. I don’t always to remember to keep my recipe notebook on hand when I go on a clean out the fridge/freezer rampage. Then we end up with a one-of-a-kind soup that is impossible to repeat.
I love the story of stone soup! Your version with the kale and sausage sounds wonderful!
The dish looks so tempting. I love your combination of ingredients and the outcome. Welldone
Dee Dee,
I need to disagree with one part of your lovely fable. The wiener dogs. My darling dearly departed one eyed Wee Oliver Picklepants would have provided a squirrel tail for the soup. His traveling companion, Vincent Barbarino, would just have barked about all the commotion, but Wee Oliver was an excellent hunter and could provide something for the soup. Miss that dog.
This soup looks delicious–and I love how stuff from the freezer and pantry turns an ‘I got nuttin’ meal into something blog-worthy.
Thanks!
Kirsten, you’re right, they probably could bring me something dead. LOL Our yard here in Texas though is devoid of the normal chipmunks, squirrels and other whatnot that they love to chase. Love our wiener dogs! :o)
Sometimes the dinners that are just thrown together turn out to be the absolute best! This looks perfect!