Garbage Soup

Garbage Soup may not sound very appealing, but in Rochester, New York, the Garbage Plate, Trash Plate, and plant-based Compost Plate are signature restaurant meals. So why not Garbage Soup?

The idea behind this soup is to use the fresh vegetable that you are likely to have on hand, if you have any fresh vegetables at all. Here’s what I mean: so many Americans don’t eat fresh vegetables or enough of them; and so many dislike cooking or are afraid of cooking. As a result—in spite of all those foodies you see filling their carts in the produce section of the supermarket—many people never go there (to the produce section, that is.)

But if you buy fresh veggies at all, the ones that are likely to last more than a week are: onions and garlic on your counter; potatoes in a dark pantry or drawer; carrots and cabbage in your fridge. This recipe uses those. It’s a good recipe to go to when you are a day away from a big food shopping and don’t have much fresh food left. Don’t be afraid to add some frozen or leftover cooked veggies to the soup, either.

A tip regarding cabbage: Do not slice off a section of the cabbage to chop and cook. Instead, pull off and use the outer leaves, and as many inner leaves as you need to get the amount you want. In other words, use the cabbage from the outside in, and store what’s left in the fridge, and you will be able to use the whole cabbage without any of it going bad. This tip works for any kind of lettuce that forms a head (whether round or oblong), such as romaine or iceberg—you’ll get less wastage if you work from the outside in.