Your Canned Tomato Soup Will Taste Way Better With Leftover Greens

Keeping canned soups in your pantry is a lifesaver for those lazy days when cooking feels like too much effort. Just heat up a can of tomato soup in five minutes over the stove, pour it into a bowl, and you've got a quick meal ready to go; and it can even taste surprisingly close to homemade roasted tomato soup. But if you have a bit more time, try this trick to make your canned soup taste even better: Add some leftover greens.

Not only does this help fight food waste, but the greens will also fortify the taste of the soup by matching the typical warm tartness with a burst of freshness, lending more depth to the soup's familiar tang. The veggies will also add a crunchy texture to the soup. By the end, your humble bowl of reheated tomato soup won't taste — or even look — like anything that comes out of a can anymore!

The great thing about canned tomato soup is that it's not picky about what kind of green you choose to "soup it up" with. Got a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies sitting around? Take it out of the freezer and toss the greens right into your simmering pot of tomato soup. You don't even need to thaw it beforehand. The warm soup will do a more than good enough job of bringing them up to the correct temperature. But of course, it'll be wise to fish out and taste-test a few veggie bits to ensure they're heated through before serving.

Other kinds of frozen vegetables can be used for soup, too. For example, frozen spinach is the perfect way to bulk up soups — especially if you're looking for a smoother texture — since it'll melt right into your pot. If you want something a bit heartier, you can try adding leftover kale or Swiss chard. These leafy greens will maintain their crunch in the soup, giving you a more satisfying bite.

Either way, once you've added your choice of greens, you'll find the third best thing about this trick, aside from bolstering the taste and texture of tomato soup. Although you started with a pretty monotonous-looking red soup, the pop of color made by the extra veggies is certain to rev up your appetite.