Soup hearty, economical choice for winter dinner

Soup often comes to mind when summer gives way to sweater weather.

It’s delicious, usually pretty easy to make, works well with whatever is lingering in your fridge and/or pantry, and warms both the body and soul as soon as a spoonful touches your lips.

Remember how a big bowl of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle helped chase away a head cold when you convinced your mom or dad you were really, really sick and needed to take the day off from school? Such is the magic of soup.

There’s another reason soup strikes a chord with so many home cooks. Even though inflation is easing, going to the grocery store can still be a gut punch. So any way we can get a good meal onto the table and not break the budget is a good thing.

Soup is economical because it lends itself to cheaper cuts of meat and simple ingredients such as canned beans and dried noodles, no-nonsense veggies like carrots and cabbage and spices that most people already have in their spice rack.

This warm and filling wonton soup that headlines our latest installment of “Dinner for Two” is a pretty good example.

Honestly, it probably takes longer to shop for all the ingredients than it does to stir a pot together — about 20 minutes — though you can let it simmer longer if you’re not in a rush and want to deepen the flavor. And except for the (optional) white miso paste in the broth, it won’t have you running down any fancy ingredients.

This soup requires only boxed broth, some everyday greens, carrots and a bag of Trader Joe’s Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons, which was my biggest purchase. Total cost: $10.45 for two (and more likely three) generous servings.

I used the whole 12-ounce, $3.49 bag in the soup, which is technically four servings instead of two, so it would have cost even less if I hadn’t been such a fool for dumplings and added half the bag. (Sorry, but I really like them, especially when they’re so cute!)

Both the appetizer — a spicy cold cucumber salad — and the maple-kissed baked pears I made for dessert were even more economical. The salad cost just $2.21, and the pears $2.30 — just a little more than $1 per person per course.

Once again, I was able to cut down on costs by using ingredients I already had on hand such as the honey and chili crisp used to give the cucumbers their sweet and spicy kick and the vanilla and cinnamon that sweetens the dessert.

I also just happened to have some shiitake mushrooms in my fridge leftover from another dish that I happily threw into the pot so they wouldn’t go to waste.

But that’s the thing with this particular soup recipe. It’s completely adaptable to personal taste and what you have in your kitchen.

Total cost for the entire meal, which had leftovers: $14.46, or 54 cents under my $15 budget.

Bon appétit!

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Serves 2. Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

This recipe is so easy, and starts the meal off with a pleasant crunch. I added chili crisp because I always have it on hand and I can’t get enough of its spicy, umami flavor. But you could substitute soy sauce or leave it out altogether.

6 mini cucumbers

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

2½ tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon chili crisp or garlic chili sauce, optional

Slice cucumbers into bite-sized disks and place in a large bowl. Toss with salt and set aside while you make dressing.

In a small bowl, stir together rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil and chili crisp or chili sauce, if using.

Strain the cucumbers (do not rinse) and place in a large bowl

Pour dressing over cucumbers and toss to combine.

Dumpling Soup

Serves 2. Adapted from nyt.com

Soup is often an afterthought, a way to use up any stray veggies in your refrigerator crisper. But it also makes a great main dish, especially if you add a few (or a lot) meat-stuffed dumplings.

The star that makes this dish so filling is Trader Joe’s Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons, which are a budget buy at $3.49 for a 12-ounce package. The fragrant vegetable broth is flavored with fresh ginger and ground turmeric, two spices that don’t just add depth, but are also are great for chasing away colds.

You may not want to buy white miso paste, a fermented paste made from rice, barley and soybeans that is on the expensive side (you’ll find it in the Asian section of most larger grocery stores). You can substitute a little soy sauce instead. Even a packet that comes with takeout Chinese is enough to add some umami flavor.

Baby bok choy (a type of Chinese cabbage) and broccoli florets provide a healthy serving of greens.

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon sesame oil

4 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

32 ounces vegetable stock

Salt

2 medium carrots, julienned

2 tablespoon white miso paste or 1 tablespoon soy sauce

12-ounce bag frozen dumplings (not thawed)

1 baby bok choy, trimmed and each cut into 4 pieces through the stem, or a handful of fresh spinach

Handful broccoli florets

Handful of cilantro or chopped scallions, for serving

Heat sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add ginger and garlic. Stir and cook for 30 seconds, until aromatic. Add turmeric and stir for 15 seconds, until fragrant.

Pour vegetable stock into the pot and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Add julienned carrots, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat to allow flavors to meld.

Remove the lid and add miso paste, stirring constantly until it is dissolved. Taste, and season with more salt, if needed.

Increase the heat to medium-high, and carefully drop the dumplings into the broth. When they float to the top, add baby bok choy and broccoli, and cook for about 2 minutes, just until the broccoli is crisp-tender.

Ladle the broth, dumplings, baby bok choy and broccoli into bowls. To serve, top with cilantro or chopped scallions.

Maple Baked Pears

Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Pears are in season throughout fall, and are as easy to cook with as apples. In this simple recipe, they’re halved, scooped and then drizzled with maple syrup for a quick bake in the oven.

My budget didn’t allow for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but the pears were delicious without.

2 large pears, ripe but still slightly firm

Pinch ground cinnamon

¼ cup pure maple syrup

Dash of pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Cut pears in half. (Don’t worry about peeling.) Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the core and seeds. Arrange pears, facing up, on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with a dusting of cinnamon.

Whisk together maple syrup and vanilla extract. Drizzle over the tops of the pears.

Bake uncovered until the fruit is soft and lightly browned on the edges, around 25-30 minutes. (Firmer pears will take a little longer.) Remove from the oven. Serve warm with granola and yogurt, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.