Simple Dumpling Soup
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This simple dumpling soup is one of the most affordable meals you can make at just $.21 per serving. It’s easy and nutritious, and my children love it. This is a great dish to serve alongside a more ambitious meal that your kids may not like. When I serve a new, “challenging” dinner that my children may not go for, I try to make sure there’s something else on the table that everyone can handle. This soup fits the bill in my house.
Dumpling soup is a nice alternative to a sandwich in a school lunchbox. It also freezes well, so it’s a good idea to stash some away for a day when you need it. The whole grain dumplings are adapted from a dumpling recipe in Joy of Cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 tbs baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbs butter
- 1 cup milk
- 8 cups chicken broth (or water/broth combo)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
Instructions
- To make the dough, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and milk until the butter melts. Add the warm milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.
- In a large pot, bring the broth just to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Add 1 cup of the carrots.
- Form 1/2-inch balls of dough and add them to the pot. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. The broth will thicken as the dumpling batter breaks down a bit.
- Divide the soup into bowls and sprinkle each bowl with the remaining carrots.
Approximate Nutrition Info
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Dumpling Soup Price Breakdown
This recipe yields 8 servings of 1¼ cups each. The total cost is $1.66, or $.21 per serving. That’s about as cheap as it gets. Serve this soup with a salad and some cheese on the side for an easy, child-friendly dinner.
For other easy, affordable dinner recipes, check out my roundup of 30 healthy dinners that each cost less than $1 per serving.
What are your go-to affordable family dinner recipes? Please share in the comments.
I liked the sound of this until I saw the ingredients list. SO basically all the kids get to eat is flour and carrots. A disappointingly unbalanced meal! I want/need to cook frugal but still want to provide the kids with the nutrients that they need 🙁
Don’t underestimate the benefits of chicken broth, Simone. And of course you could always add some chicken for additional protein.
Dear Annemarie, Just something from a new subscriber. Great start with your dumplings
The sky is the limit on this one, and I have the basics here. With rents going through the roof this is well timed. All the best. Envobuddy
Thanks, Truida. I hope you enjoy some of my other frugal recipes. I have lots of them!
Never made homemade dumplings before. Sounds good (and easy)!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back later tonight when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂
Sounds so comforting, for kids and adults as well 🙂
Sometimes it’s easier to make two dinners than to try pleasing everyone with one dish!
I like that tactic, food shouldn’t be forced upon kids (or grown-ups, either!) The first time I had dumplings like this was in the 3rd or 4th grade. We learned the song “She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain” and never knew what dumplings were, so a few days later our teacher took us to the school cafeteria where the lunch ladies made a big pot of chicken and dumplings for our class! So we all gathered around and started singing, “Oh we’ll all have chicken and dumplings when she coooomes!” hahaha, that was awesome!
Thanks, Jennifer. I love that memory! It’s great that your school went to such lengths to teach you about food – I can’t picture that happening in a school cafeteria these days.
Music and food…what a great way to teach kids, huh? We didn’t suspect any learning was involved at all!