Turn Leftover Soup Into Something New With This Creative Cookbook

When I first heard the premise of Indiana food writer Shelly Westerhausen Worcel's playful new cookbook, Every Season is Soup Season, I thought it sounded a little gimmicky: Each soup or stew recipe comes with ideas for completely reinventing some of the leftover soup as a different meal. I wondered, "Does anyone want to do this?" But then I got to thinking. The truth is, while I happily eat leftover pasta, pizza or casserole for days, when it comes to soup, I get bored after the first meal. Maybe this book is … exactly what I need in my life?

Organized by season, Worcel's soups are nutritious, colorful and tempting. And her leftover ideas are so inventive! Gruyère, Cauliflower and Potato Soup becomes the "gravy" for biscuits and eggs. Chipotle Cocoa Three-Bean Chili fills next-day empanadas. We tested several recipes in the Midwest Living test kitchen and especially loved the vibrant, herby White Bean Stew with Marinated Radicchio, which comes with a suggestion to puree some of the leftovers into White Bean and Dill Dip for healthy snacking. (Worcel also provides detailed freezing and storage tips for each soup, so you can just hold onto extras for another meal if you prefer.)

Worcel, who has a blog and Instagram called Vegetarian Ventures, doesn't eat meat, but her husband, Wyatt, does. So, as in her other cookbooks, the recipes are vegetarian, with suggestions from Wyatt for how to add shredded chicken, bacon, shrimp or mini meatballs.

"I can't think of many dishes that are as versatile as a big pot of soup," Worcel writes. "I hope this book is just what you need to kick off your soup obsession." As a soup skeptic, I have to say, I think it is.