Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

Chilly temperatures make a bowl of soup one of the best meals for fall. Not only is soup comforting in cold weather, but it is also one of the most economical meals you can make.

With multiple servings out of one big batch, you can keep eating it all week long—or pop it in the freezer and enjoy at a later date. And all you need is a big pot or slow cooker and some new recipes to try out.

Looking for cheap soup recipes? Soup lovers on Reddit shared their affordable and easy soup recipes that will save you money while still keeping you full.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Vegetable soups

"I purchase bottles and jars of various soup broth concentrate flavors (Shiro dashi; Udon; Pho; Tom Yum, etc) at my local Korean market; just add water, — or coconut milk—veggies of your choice; tofu (or shrimp or chicken, if you prefer); add whatever additional spices you prefer; add noodles — glass or rice or zoodles — spiralized zucchini noodles) and it’s very healthy, nourishing, filling and inexpensive." - Silverspnr

"Frozen peas soup. WARNING this recipe makes a ton of soup. I use a 12 oz bag of peas with a good amount of celery and onion, and enough broth to cover it all. I add some hard cheese (shredded or shaved) while blending. I find it thin, so I also add mashed potato flakes at the end as a thickener." - campbowie

"Roasted red pepper and tomato soup: cut up tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, drizzle with oil and roast on sheet pan for 20 min on 400°. Remove skins if necessary, put in pot with vegetable or chicken stock, salt and pepper, heat though. Blitz with blender. Optional ad ins: chili, grate in ginger root instead of garlic, herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary,) And ons: parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, Greek yogurt, pesto." - Glass_Maven

"Leek and potato soup. Peel and cut potato and leek in equal amounts (~225g/8 oz in weight each) into small pieces. Also peel and chop an onion. Melt a generous amount of butter in a pan. Add the veg, stir, season, stir again, cover and leave on a low fire 10 mins. Meanwhile, boil 500 ml/1 pint water with half a stock cube, or reheat your own stock if you have it. When it boils, add to the veg, cover again and simmer 5 mins more. Finally, take it off the fire and blend it (with an immersion blender if you have it) and add 70 ml/ 1/3 cup cream. Stir, serve." - zeptimius

"Butternut squash, potatoes, bit of onion/shallot/garlic broth. Boil and mash or puree. (I take some out, smash and puree the rest so there is some texture. Salt pepper or some herbs. Add some cheese if you like. Or cream but really its fine as is. (Crisp up some prosciutto and crumble it is my favorite). I've done it with fresh and with frozen squash and potatoes both are great and filling, and tasty." - anathene

Bean soups

"Black bean soup: olive oil to pot, heat and throw in cumin, salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, garlic, half chopped onion. Let it sizzle until onion soft, add 1 can black beans, one can water. Heat and eat. Mash beans or buzz with a blender if you like smooth soup. Optional Add ins: cubed sweet potato or squash, sausage, corn, tomatoes. Add ons to serve: cilantro, cheese, crema/sour cream/plain yogurt, avocado, hot sauce, salsas, pepitas, rice." - Glass_Maven

"HamBeens brand 15 bean soup, regular or cajun, is less than $3 for a bag. You can keep it meat free or add in some smoked sausage, which you can also get for about $3 when on sale. Only other ingredients needed are a can of diced tomatoes and an onion. So for about $10 you get a MASSIVE pot of soup that is low fat, high protein, and high fiber. You can freeze portions. You can spice it up as much or as little as you want. Just make sure that you soak the beans overnight to avoid, ahem, excess gas." - Fantastic-Dance-5250

"Lemon lentil soup. Zest and juice is added towards the end." - flipflapdragon

"This Pinto Bean Soup is pretty delicious! I made a big batch and froze some of it for later. You don't need to use fire roasted tomatoes, just use a can of the cheap stuff. Also, save your veggie scraps in the freezer to make your own broth." - Dependent_Top_4425

Chicken broth soups

"Easy Tomato Bisque Soup. One 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes; one small sweet onion, diced small; 4 cups chicken broth (or water); one tablespoon minced garlic; one cup dry orzo pasta; half cup heavy cream (or milk); Olive oil, salt, pepper. In Dutch oven over low heat, sauté onion and garlic in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil until onion is tender and translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add crushed tomato, chicken broth, and orzo and bring to a boil. Boil for about 6-8 minutes until pasta is cooked al dente.
Remove from heat and add heavy cream, stirring well to combine thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with crusty bread, green salad, or grilled cheese sandwiches." - PotatoWithFlippers

"Broccoli or cauliflower (or combo) soup: sauté chopped onions until soft, add chicken or vegetable stock and same amount water to simmer. Cut up broccoli/cauliflower in small pieces, cook in broth until soft (don't boil it to death.) Add salt & pepper. Mash or blitz with blender. Optional Add ins: other vegetables (can do soup in carrot, potato, parsnip, celery, etc. versions too,) spices (i.e. curry powder or coriander,) Add ons: cheese, plain yogurt, flavored oil." - Glass_Maven

"Sauté 1/2 to one onion, garlic, water, almond milk or milk, bouillon, 2 bags of frozen broccoli. Blend. It’s my favorite easy breakfast soup - but I also add collagen or protein powder. Freezes great." - queenmunchy83

"Diced onion, tomato, potatoes, cheese, & Chicken Knorr. So delicious and filling." - User Unknown

"Sopa de Conchas! I’m making it tonight!" - Cosmic-Princesa

"I love the mason jar soup recipes on YouTube, especially for work lunch when all I need to do is add boiling water from the kettle. My pantry/ fridge staples: chicken bouillon powder (Knorr brand), soy sauce, shredded coleslaw veggie mix (in a bag), rice noodles or glass noodles, green onions, and tofu or a rotisserie chicken! These mason jar soups are so easy to prep if you shred all the chicken first and have it ready in a separate container in your refrigerator. All you do is add these to a mason jar: 1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce Uncooked rice noodles (or glass noodles) Green onion (thinly sliced) Shredded chicken Coleslaw mix (it’s basically shredded cabbage and carrots). Add boiling water and let sit for about 3-5 minutes until noodles are cooked through! So easy. You can even level it up with ginger powder, a pinch of coriander/ cilantro, or sriracha sauce." - laterzmenjay

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Beef broth soups

"I like to make 'hamburger soup.' Ground beef, mushrooms, carrots, canned green beans, sometimes a can of corn, red potatoes, an onion, garlic, have added a can of beans for more protein, tomato sauce, beef broth (I use better than bouillon) and season how you like, I often use salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder. It's surprisingly delicious, makes a LOT and is very cheap. It's pretty healthy too, full of veggies and you can change it up every time. I've added pasta before too to make it even more filling."
- valkyrie0921

"Here's one of my struggle meal soups: beef broth, canned mixed veggies, canned petite diced tomatoes (plus the juice), cut spaghetti (or any other small pasta). Season as desired (garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, whatever else)." - KitsuFae

"Cook ground turkey little bigger pieces than if making taco meat. Dump it in a box of beef broth, one small can of tomato sauce. Worcestershire sauce to taste. Add fresh parsley, dried thyme and rosemary, garlic and salt. Chopped onions, can of green beans, corn, chopped up carrots, and zucchini. Let simmer til veggies are done. The turkey absorbs the beef broth, so it tastes like beef. Healthy way the avoid red meat while feeling like you ate some. I always use ground turkey as a substitute for beef. I make a pot and eat it all week for lunch." - Heebie-jeebies386