c/budget-friendly-meals

My bean soup came out watery 3 times before I figured out the trick

I kept making 15 bean soup from a $2 bag and it was always watery and bland. Turns out I was adding the acid (tomato paste) way too early, like in the first hour of cooking. My grandma finally told me to cook the beans almost done before adding anything acidic, and now it comes out creamy every time. Anyone else ruin a cheap meal by not knowing the order of ingredients?

1 comments

the_sam•1d ago

My $3 bag of lentils turned into a week of meals and a kitchen disaster last Tuesday

Last Tuesday I decided to be super thrifty and bought a 2-pound bag of lentils for $3 at the local grocery store here in Phoenix. I figured I'd make a big pot of soup and stretch it for days. But I got distracted by a phone call and let the pot boil over, covering my stove in a sticky mess that took 45 minutes to scrub clean. Somehow the soup turned out edible though, and I ate it for lunch and dinner until yesterday. Has anyone else had a good budget meal turn into a huge cleanup job like this?

1 comments

amy_murphy15•4d ago

That $1 bag of frozen veggies I always ignored is actually good

I used to think frozen mixed vegetables were just sad filler, but last week I was broke and threw a bag into a stir fry with some soy sauce and it was actually decent. The texture wasn't mushy at all and it stretched my ground beef into three meals instead of one. Anyone else got a cheap pantry item they wrote off but now swear by?

c/budget-friendly-meals

My bean soup came out watery 3 times before I figured out the trick

My $3 bag of lentils turned into a week of meals and a kitchen disaster last Tuesday

That $1 bag of frozen veggies I always ignored is actually good

Figured out my rice was mushy because I was washing it wrong

My rice cooker gave up halfway through dinner prep last night

Spent $40 on fancy pasta sauce vs making my own with canned tomatoes for $2

Unpopular opinion: meal prepping on Sunday is actually costing you more money

My buddy swore cheap canned tomatoes taste the same as San Marzano - he was dead wrong

PSA: That blog about bulk rice deals was totally wrong about the price

Why does nobody talk about frozen vegetables for budget stir fry?

Wasted $40 on fancy pancake mix last week

Bought a $15 rice cooker from a thrift store last month...

After two years of blah chili I finally started browning the meat in batches

Why does nobody talk about how cheap lentils actually are?

My neighbor changed my mind about frozen veggies for dinner

Burnt my beans at a church potluck and learned something

Unpopular opinion: meal prep Sunday is a trap for most people

I finally caught why my rice was always mushy after 2 years of cooking

My neighbor laughed at my $30 grocery haul and it made me rethink everything

Overheard a food blogger say you can't make a decent meal for under 3 bucks and I wanted to scream

Last Wednesday I made 15 meals from a single $12 bag of lentils

My $20 rice cooker died after 4 months and I am so annoyed

Do bulk beans really save money or is the prep time not worth it?

Hot take: frozen vegetables are better than fresh for budgeting

Rant: That bulk rice at Costco had bugs after 3 weeks