Name: Leftovers Soup in the Crockpot
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Dinner Recipes
Ingredients: 1/4 - 1/2 lb chicken or beef, either cooked or uncooked; 4 cups vegetables of your choice; 2 potatoes, chopped, or add rice or pasta at the end; 6-8 cups broth

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If you find yourself with lots of little containers in the fridge at the end of the week, why not make Leftovers Soup? This easy and versatile recipe helps you not to waste food.

finished leftovers soup made in white slow cooker

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I love having a place to throw those sad-looking carrots, spoonfuls of peas and beans leftover from the week’s meals. If you have any meat left over, throw that in too!

I can stretch 1/4-1/2 lb of meat or chicken into a full meal for my family of five this way. Add potatoes or another starch (rice, pasta, etc.) and you’ve got a one-pot meal that’s easy to make and easy to clean up.

What leftovers should I use?

For the photos in this post, I used leftover beef from a pot roast I had made earlier in the week along with all the veggies that were left in the fridge.

Another time, I used chicken sausage with some bits of spinach, carrots, and leftover pasta. You can make lots of great combinations while cleaning out the fridge!

These leftover (or fresh) vegetables work well in soup:

onions
carrots
celery
turnips
corn
mushrooms
bell peppers
green beans
zucchini or yellow squash
spinach or kale
potatoes or sweet potatoes

Can I add carbs to this Leftovers Soup?

I like to add either potatoes, rice or pasta to bulk up the soup and make it more of a filling meal. This is an easy way to make this Leftovers Soup gluten-free or low-carb.

If you’re using previously-cooked carbs, you can add them in at the end and let the soup heat them up. If you want to add fresh potatoes or uncooked rice, they can cook in the crockpot for hours. Pasta will get mushy, so I typically cook it separately and add it at the end.

What else can I add to Leftovers Soup?

To add more protein, just drain and rinse a can of your favorite beans and add them. We often add garbanzo beans, Great Northern beans (white beans), or lentils. They also add a great texture!

You can also skip the meat and use beans or tofu as your main protein, making this soup vegetarian or vegan.

Avoid food waste with this Slow Cooker Leftovers Soup recipe

What other soup recipes can I make?

I love making a big pot of soup over the weekend and then eating for lunches throughout the week. Soup is such a frugal meal!

Try these other easy soup recipes:

For more easy & family-friendly slow cooking recipes, take a look at my Slow Cooker & Crockpot board on Pinterest.

Printable Leftovers Soup recipe:

Yield: 8 servings

Leftovers Soup in the Crockpot

Easy leftovers soup uses up what you have in the fridge. Cook in the slow cooker, crockpot or on the stovetop.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 - 1/2 lb chicken or beef, either cooked or uncooked
4 cups vegetables of your choice
2 potatoes, chopped, or add rice or pasta at the end
6-8 cups broth

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook at low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Check for tenderness of the vegetables and potatoes, if included.

If you'd rather, cook the soup in a regular pot on the stovetop. Cook 45-60 minutes, again looking for tenderness in your vegetables.