A fun, unique idea for easy entertaining

How to make a build-your-own soup bar!

Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.

My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.

Get every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.

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This issue is a reheat

If you’ve ever listened to the podcast The Sporkful, you know that when they re-release an episode, they call it a “Reheat”. I love this and am stealing it. :-)

I’ll be on vacation in Europe through must of April and so am re-publishing a few of the most popular past issues while I’m away.

This issue was originally published in April of 2024. It contains a lot of my favorite recipes, ones you may have missed if you subscribed at some point after then. I hope you enjoy!

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The build your own soup bar!

Hello friends! I am so excited about this issue! Instead of several recipes, this issue is devoted to one super fun and unique idea that you can use for easy entertaining any size group.

• Everything can be made in advance 👏

• Scale up or down to feed as many people as you like 👯

• This idea is just as well suited for a sit down meal as it is for a buffet or an open house 😌

• There’s only one thing to keep warm - everything else can be served at room temperature 🙌

• Serve this meal inside or outside - it’s perfect for camping or entertaining in a small space - AND if you’re not in an entertaining kind of mood, it’s also a great way to meal prep 😍

As most of you know, my husband and I sold our house in April of 2020 and moved into a 43-foot 5th-wheel RV. In comparison to many RV kitchens, mine is humongous. But, compared to the kitchen in our former suburban house, it is absurdly tiny - especially for someone who makes a living as a recipe developer and food photographer.

I was nervous about how I could work in my new tiny kitchen and kind of thought that my days of entertaining more than a small handful of people were over.

But since moving into our RV, I’ve cooked my way across 38 states, created and published a few hundred recipes, and hosted gatherings with as few as 2 guests and as many as 40. (For those of you with a small kitchen, I piled a whole bunch of tips and tricks for organizing a small kitchen into this article.)

Along the way, I’ve learned a few things about easy entertaining.

But regardless of the size of your kitchen, the idea I’m going to share with you today is my new favorite way to cook for a group.

The Build Your Own Soup Bar

Here’s the basic idea: Prepare a really flavorful, super delicious and complex broth. Then, prepare as many different ingredients as you like for people to build their own bowls of soup. Set all the options out in separate containers and let your guests go to town.

Every single thing can be prepared in advance and the only thing that needs to be kept hot is the broth.

Every good bowl of soup begins with really good broth

If you are the kind of person who occasionally makes a roast chicken, you can turn the bones into a pot of rich chicken broth for nothing more than the cost of the water in the pan. Here’s how to make chicken broth.

So, you can start there if you like, with a pot of homemade chicken broth.

But you can also just start with some veggies, herbs and spices, Better Than Bouillon, and some water and have a rich, flavorful broth in about an hour.

Ingredients:

• A few cloves of roughly chopped garlic

• An onion or two

• Carrots

• Celery

• Bell peppers

• Mushroom stems - remove the caps from mushrooms and roughly chop the stems. Save the caps to sauté for one of the soup ingredients. (If mushrooms are not one of the ingredients you want to offer, just leave them out.)

• Tomato paste - about 1 tablespoon for a small pot of broth and up to a 1/4 cup for a large stockpot of broth. I like to use the tubes of concentrated tomato paste that you can find in most supermarkets.

• Dried herbs and spices - about 2 tablespoons for a small-ish pot of broth and up to a half cup for a large stockpot of broth. Use whatever herbs and spices you like. Scroll down for herb and spice combos I love.

• Better Than Bouillon soup base and water - OR your own homemade stock. If using Better Than Bouillon, choose the flavor that matches the flavor profile you want to create.

• Chopped fresh herbs (optional)

• Lemon juice

1. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to a large saucepan or stock pot (any kind of oil you like). Roughly chop all the veggies and add them to the pot. How many vegetables you use depends on the amount of broth you are wanting to make.

2. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are starting to brown. This could take as long as 20 minutes if you’re cooking a lot of veggies.

3. Add the tomato paste and whatever herbs and spices you are using. Stir everything around in the pan for a couple of minutes.

4. Add the Better Than Bouillon and water OR your own homemade stock to the pan. How much you add depends on how much broth you want to make. Please note that as the liquid simmers, some of it will evaporate. Also, the veggies will be strained out of the broth before serving - so add more liquid than you think you’ll need. For example, if you want 6 cups of broth, add at least 8 cups of liquid to the pot.

5. Bring the liquid to a boil then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and let the broth simmer for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour.

6. Pour the broth into a strainer that’s been set inside a large enough pot or bowl to hold all the broth. You want to strain the veggies out of the broth. Use the back of a spoon to press all the liquid out of the vegetables, then discard.

7. Taste the broth and add as much salt and pepper as you like.

8. If chicken is an ingredient you want to include in your soup bar, return the broth to the stockpot or saucepan and add pieces of chicken. You can use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces or boneless, skinless chicken pieces. Bring the liquid to a boil and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth and let rest until cool enough to handle. Shred the chicken into bite size pieces.

9. If you want to add some chopped fresh herbs to the broth, add them now along with some lemon juice. Lemon juice adds a remarkable brightness to the flavor of the broth. Start by adding a couple of tablespoons, taste and add as much more as you like.

10. The broth can now be poured into a covered container and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months. The shredded chicken can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Delicious flavor profiles for your broth

These are a few of my favorite ways to flavor broth for a soup bar.

• For Thai inspired flavors: Lemongrass, turmeric, ginger, coriander, and basil. Or use a good Thai spice blend and/or red or green curry paste. Stir in some coconut milk and/or coconut cream and lime juice instead of lemon juice.

• For Chinese inspired flavors: ginger, garlic, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorns

• For Japanese inspired flavors: chili powder, sesame oil, wasabi, sansho pepper, ginger, and garlic

• For Indian inspired flavors: turmeric, cumin, coriander, cilantro, garam masala, ginger, or a good curry powder or Indian spice mix + thicken the broth with a cornstarch slurry as described below

• For Mexican and Latin American flavors: anchiote, allspice, cacao, cinnamon, chili powder, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and Mexican oregano. You might also want to add some chopped green chilies and enchilada sauce to your broth.

• For Italian flavors: basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme + the egg and cream enrichment described below

• For Greek flavors: basil, oregano, cinnamon, dill, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, nutmeg, thyme. Serve plain yogurt or tzatziki sauce as one of the toppings.

• For Cajun flavors: paprika, garlic and onion powder, oregano, cayenne, thyme + thicken the broth with the roux described below

It’s also important to add at least one ingredient that adds some umami to the broth.

Umami is a savory flavor that's one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. It's that thing in a dish that makes it taste rich and satisfying. Tomato paste (in the broth ingredient list) is an umami ingredient that I add to nearly every pot of broth, but you might want to add another one or two - or more!

Some of these ingredients are quite salty so add them to the broth before adding any additional seasoning. Also, be cautious about how much of each of these you add to your broth - they are highly concentrated flavors. Add a little bit, taste, add more, taste, etc.

1. Miso paste

2. Soy sauce

3. Fish sauce

4. Worcestershire Sauce

5. Anchovies or anchovy paste

How to thicken and enrich the broth

Here are 5 easy ways to thicken up and enrich the broth.

1. To thicken the broth with a roux:

A roux is a nothing more than mixture of flour and fat that’s cooked, then used to thicken soup or sauces. To make a roux, use equal amounts fat (I usually use butter) and all-purpose flour.

A good ratio is 1 tablespoon of fat + 1 tablespoon of flour for each cup of broth.

1. Add the butter to a saucepan and set it over medium heat.

2. When the butter has melted, use a wooden spoon or whisk to mix the flour into the butter, stirring constantly until smooth and lightly golden in color- at least 5 minutes of cooking time.

3. Remove the roux from the heat and add some of the broth - Add the broth very slowly, bit by bit, while you whisk constantly to prevent lumps. When the mixture is the consistency of a thick gravy, whisk it into the rest of the broth.

4. Bring the broth back to a boil and cook for a few minutes to thicken. If your broth isn’t as thick as you would like it, add more roux.

2. To thicken the broth with a cornstarch slurry:

1. Add a few tablespoons of cornstarch to a small bowl. Slowly whisk in some broth to create a slurry.

2. Whisk the slurry back into the broth. Bring it to a simmer and cook for a few minutes.

A good ratio is one tablespoon slurry to 4 cups of broth.

3. To thicken the broth with starchy vegetables or grains:

1. Add some peeled and chopped potatoes (any kind of potato, including sweet potato) to the broth and let them simmer until they are so tender that they are beginning to fall apart.

2. Pour the broth and the potatoes into a blender and puree. The starch in the potatoes will start to thicken the soup before you puree it, but blending it will thicken it further.

Corn and squash also work well if you’d rather use them instead of or in addition to potatoes.

You can also use rice or quinoa. Add some rice or quiona to the pot (you won’t need much - about a tablespoon per cup of broth) and let it cook until very tender then puree in a blender. Arborio rice works particularly well for this.

4. How to thicken broth with cooked beans or lentils:

1. Add some cooked or canned beans or lentils to a blender and about an equal amount of broth.

2. Puree until completely smooth then stir the mixture back into the rest of the broth.

1 cup of beans or lentils is enough to thicken 6-8 cups of broth. White beans and chickpeas work particularly well for this purpose.

5. How to thicken and enrich broth with cream and eggs:

This is one of my favorite way to create a slightly thickened, silky broth that tastes utterly indulgent.

1. Add a few egg yolks to a bowl along with some cream. A good ratio is 2 egg yolks + 1/2 cup of heavy cream per 6 cups of broth.

2. Whisk the egg yolks and cream together to blend then very slowly drizzle in some broth, whisking constantly as you trickle it in.

3. After you’ve added a cup or so of broth, whisk the mixture back into the rest of the broth. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then remove the broth from the heat.

Please note that if you enrich the broth with eggs and cream it cannot be frozen. It will still keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Or, you can just add the enrichment right before you serve it.

Soup bar ingredients and toppings

This is the fun part!!! You are really only limited by your imagination when it comes to ingredients to add to your soup bar. My only suggestion here is that you match the soup bar offerings to the flavor profile of the soup.

For example, if you flavored your broth with Thai spices and coconut milk, the soup bar offerings might include:

• rice noodles

• cooked white rice

• caramelized mushrooms

• a handful of veggies that have been sautéed with some oil over very high heat until slightly charred: bok choy, sliced red bell pepper, and carrots

• Cubes of sweet potato that have been boiled in salted water until tender

• Toppings: thin sliced red chilies, scallions, chopped fresh cilantro, peanuts, chili garlic sauce, fresh lime slices

If you flavored your broth with Latin American flavors, the soup bar offerings might include:

• cooked white rice

• black or pinto beans

• Red bell peppers and sliced onion that have been sautéed with some oil over very high heat until slightly charred. Or, char the peppers and onions on a grill or in the oven under the broiler.

• Roasted corn

• White or yellow potatoes, or sweet potatoes, or yucca, peeled and cut into cubes then boiled in salty water until tender

• Chopped chilies - roasted poblanos, Hatch green chilies

• Pickled jalapeño and quick pickled onions

• Aleppo pepper oil

• Any kind of squash, roasted until tender

• Toppings: toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh chopped cilantro, sliced avocados, chopped fresh tomatoes, tortilla chips for crumbling

For Italian flavors, include cooked pasta, tortellini, ravioli, or gnocchi plus plenty of veggies and shredded parmesan cheese.

For Cajun flavors, include Andouille sausage, cooked shrimp, potatoes, beans, and shredded cheese in addition to several types of veggies.

You get the idea.

You can add additional protein to the spread:

• Italian sausage, cooked crispy bacon, chorizo, ham, pork carnitas, Andouille sausage Polish sausage, cooked or smoked seafood, Italian meatballs, or Greek meatballs.

• Tofu, hard or soft boiled eggs, or any kind of cooked beans or lentils.

Top tips for ingredients for your soup bar:

1. Cook everything ahead of time. The beauty of the soup bar is that all the ingredients can be made in advance and served at room temperature. As long as the broth is piping hot, it will heat up everything in the bowl.

2. Season the ingredients. It’s important that every ingredient taste good on its own. If boiling vegetables, add enough salt to the water to make the water taste salty. This will ensure that the vegetables are properly seasoned. Likewise for sautéed, roasted, or grilled vegetables.

3. Cook vegetables until crisp-tender. No one likes mushy vegetables in their soup. Whether boiling, sautéing, roasting, or grilling, cook vegetables just until they are crisp-tender then dump them into a bowl of ice water to stop their cooking.

4. Don’t forget toppings. The main ingredients for your soup bar will include foods you would put in a soup - vegetables, beans, noodles, rice, etc. But, it’s also great to add some toppings: toasted pumpkin seeds, croutons, thinly sliced radishes, thinly sliced chilies, tortilla chips, fresh herbs, thinly sliced scallions, etc.

5. Add enough ingredient options for your guests to have fun picking and choosing what they want in their bowls but not so many as to be overwhelming or exhausting for you, the cook, to prepare.

Putting it all together

About an hour before you’re ready for everyone to dig in, pour the broth into a large saucepan or stock pot and set it over low heat so it can reheat slowly. Then set all the ingredients for your soup bar out so they can come to room temperature.

That’s it! Give everyone a bowl and let them have fun choosing the ingredients they want in their bowl then ladling the hot broth over the top and adding any toppings.

Bread and dessert options

1. Buttery homemade dinner rolls are a delicious accompaniment to pretty much any kind of soup.

2. Tall, flaky buttermilk biscuits pair particularly well with creamy soup or flavor profiles that are warm and comforting

3. Homemade flour tortillas are a must with Mexican and Latin American inspired flavors

In keeping with the spirit of the make-your-own soup bar, I think serve-yourself dessert options are also appropriate.

1. Anything Cookies {One Basic Cookie Dough, Endless Kinds of Cookies}

2. Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

3. Brookies (Chocolate chip brownie bars)

4. Cherry crumble bars

5. Lemon bars

6. Raspberry cupcakes

Two more ideas before wrapping this up:

1. This is also a great way to meal prep. Prepare the broth and a variety of ingredients and dinner for several nights of the week is just a matter of putting everything into a bowl and heating it in the microwave.

2. Instead of making everything yourself, do a soup bar potluck. You make the broth and a couple of the essential ingredients then ask your guests to bring what they like to contribute to the soup bar.

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