Tips for a super soup

Soups are one of those universally loved meals because they are so easy to customize. Whether you're vegetarian or a self-described carnivore, soups can be made with a variety of ingredients. If your soup didn't come out exactly the way you expected, here are ways to kick the flavour up a notch.

Enhance flavour by dissolving a beef or chicken bouillon cube in hot water and whisking it into the soup.

If you're heating up leftover soup for two or more people and it looks skimpy, stir in some cooked rice or pasta. Pearl barley is also a good soup stretcher, and instant or quick-cooking barley will cook in the simmering broth in less than 15 minutes.

To thicken a soup, try one of these helpful hints:

• Frozen spinach: While your soup is cooking, put clumps of frozen spinach into the pot. If you prefer, defrost the spinach in the microwave and drain off excess liquid.
• Sweet potato: Prick a few holes in a small sweet potato and microwave it on high for a few minutes until it's partially cooked. Slice into quarters, mash with a fork, and then add the lumpy pulp to the pot. As the soup cooks, use a fork to mash the pulp further, if necessary.
• Bread: As the soup cooks, remove the crust from a slice or two of bread and dice the bread into small cubes. A hearty multi-grain will work like a charm, and rich white bread will do the job, too.
• Mashed potatoes or instant potato flakes: Don't want to change the flavour of your soup? Then add either of these two forms of potatoes.
• Oatmeal: Toss a small amount of uncooked plain, quick-cooking oatmeal or even leftover cooked oatmeal into the pot. Because it's bland, oatmeal shouldn't affect your soup's flavour — but to counteract the blandness you may need to add more seasoning.

Soup is really everyone's comfort food. These helpful hints will help you spread the warmth among family and friends.