Hearty Minestrone soup made with Dollar Tree pantry staples.
It’s cozy, budget-friendly, and perfect for donating to a blessing box or stocking your pantry for emergencies. I used a box of deluxe mac and cheese for the pasta. It’s the perfect size for this recipe, and you can save the cheese packet for another meal.
You will need:
2-gallon storage bag
1 box deluxe mac and cheese
1 can of spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can of green beans, drained
1 can of carrots, drained
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 -2 bouillon cubes
3-4 C water
salt and pepper to taste, Italian seasoning if available
Pour sauce into a soup pot, and add diced tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and kidney beans. Crumble in your bouillon cube and bring the contents to a boil. Add just the pasta from the mac and cheese box and cook until the pasta is cooked and everything is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
My most popular #MealinaBag recipes will be reposted this week.
FAQ:
Q: Why put a meal in a bag?
A: It keeps the ingredients together with the recipe for grab-and-go prep. These started out as emergency preparedness meals in the aftermath of some devastating hurricanes and became so much more!
Q: Why do you drain some vegetables and not others?
A: I personally think that it tastes better when you drain very flavorful vegetables like green beans, but you can do it undrained if that is your preference. You’ll add slightly less water to make your soup and may need to adjust the seasoning.
Q: I can’t download the printable!?
A: You can also screenshot the recipe at the end of the video and print that.
#dollartreedinners #shelfstablemeal #budgetfriendlydinner #pantrymeals #blessingboxdonation #foodpantryideas #easysouprecipe #lowcostmeals #dollartreefinds #emergencymeals
45 Comments
Looks delicious! Great idea for the bag!
I spend the late summer canning gazillions of tomatoes – some regular, some stewed, some crushed, some fire roasted, some with herbs, some with garlic, some with herbs AND garlic….you get the idea. That would be the perfect little addition to this recipe to give it a bit of fresh simmer tomato flavor. I wish I could send a jar to everyone watching this video!
I love these simple but hearty meals! I so want to do something like this and donate them to the local food bank, or find a local group that helps out neighbours that need it <3
Are those cans $1.25 each? Because I feel like at Walmart or Aldi, you might be able to get them for half that price.
Yummy looks great!
This has been LIFE CHANGING to our church’s food pantry and I cannot thank you enough! These meals have blessed so many families in East TN. I headed straight to $Tree and got us started with two of your meal in a bag recipes, and many church members have found your recipes and replicated them. Families who have access to pots and stovetops love them. Thank you for your compassion to share these resources. They are helping so many people!!
Sodium😮
This would work great as a hurricane prep meal as well because it lets you get some veggies in, and there’s really nothing in it that would go bad if left out for a bit.
Am I the only one wondering what this soup would be like if you added the cheese packet to the soup?
This looks really lovely ❤❤
I'm sure aswell it wouldn't cost to much more to buy some Italian seasoning in a little jar to add to the bag too. Xxx
Looks like Dolly the faithful enameled cast iron pot is back. 🙂
Glad you've gotten back to your claim to fame!
I bet a chickpea curry would be a good one too for a meal in a bag with some rice. X
Thank you!
This takes me back! I'm my freshman year of college, I was getting more intentional about learning to cook. I made a mostly canned version of minestrone soup for all my friends. Anytime someone was ill, I'd bring over a pot.
I'll have to make this!
Wonderful idea for college kids or new moms too! You are awesome!!!
One of my mom's fav recipes is:
'White Chicken Chili'
1 big can of green enchilada sauce
1 qt of chicken broth
2 cans of chicken meat
2 cans of whatever white beans you have
1 can of corn
Stir, heat, serve!
Options: your choice of white cheese,
bread slices/sticks, or tortillas
Love your videos! You're the BEST!!❤
Great job❤
You can substitute frozen mixed vegetables to lower the sodium if you have access to frozen foods.
All cans cheaper at Walmart 88cents
Wheres the cut up bratwurst???
I think you have just sorted supper for either Thursday or Friday. (We're meeting a friend for dinner tonight. 😎,)
Your recipes are always so cozy! Now you got me wanting soup today.
Where do you go to get those extra large bags? I've gone to every Walmart in my area and the only ones I can find are from a name brand and they're so expensive for only 10 bags. I love your videos!
This would be perfect for a cold night! I would saute some chopped onion and garlic in olive oil before adding the other ingredients. I'd also top my bowl with some freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. This would go great with grilled cheese sandwiches or garlic toast as accompaniments!
I love this soup, but I also add zucchini and celery and leave out the beans.
👋🏻
Bottom line you are an amazing human helping us battle these ever so tough times. This could easily feed four people especially if one was able to have some cornbread or French Baguette to go with it. Thanks for all you do Rebecca. 🤗
I love this because I don’t eat much meat (not a fan of it). I usually sub beans for my protein. ❤ Thank you I wish you the very best. 🥰
I like the idea for donation but I do wish there wasn't so much wasted plastic. Just think how many millions and millions of Ziploc bags are in the landfills.
Thank you for this series ❤😊
Soup is a great budget friendly meal. You can basically put anything in there. Make it as thick or thin as you want to stretch it out. Get a bunch of meat and vegetables in there. Put it in individual containers in the freezer and it will last for months.
And your a red head.
My heart melts.
If you hate noodles in a soup after they’ve sat for a day… just boil them separately and keep them separate. Add a quarter cup of them cooked to the bottom of the bowl before you put in the soup.
I keep looking for the recipe for cheesy chicken and rice soup but I can’t seem to find it! What am I doing wrong in the search bar?
Instead of draining the carrots and green beans, why not reserve the liquid and add it back in as part of the water?
I just made this today. Can confirm it's easy and delicious. Thanks, Rebecca!
Looks delicious ❤🎉
I made this tonight and it was yummy..thanks for this healthy recipe..;)
You should add crackers at the top of the bag for this one. I love what you do! Glad I found your channel.
In the Mexican food aisle, most grocery stores sell small bags of pasta – like Moderna or Pagasa – that are 7 oz for around 50¢. I
I made thos I added chickpeas so good
Looks delicious! Thanks!
My grocery store has little bags of pasta in the Mexican food section. I have lived in Texas and Missouri and can always find these. Usually “La Moderna” brand.