This Unexpected Soup Topping Comes Straight From The Lunch Meat Drawer

Garnishing soup bowls is one of the easiest ways to elevate a quick meal. Whether serving a homemade recipe or soup poured from a can, the simple effort to top servings with extra ingredients can add texture and taste to classic favorites. Drizzles of finishing oils and toasted seeds and nuts can bring elegance to a simple recipe, and for those looking for a more muscled-up meal, the deli meat in your fridge can be prepared to be used as a crown for steaming bowls of soups and stews. 

You can use deli meat to make soup recipes, but you can also use your favorite lunch meats to garnish bowls of soup once the soup has been divvied up into bowls to serve. Instead of simply shredding pieces of meat to sprinkle on top of ladled bowls of soup, heat up deli meat using an oven or stove. Feel free to add extra spices and seasonings while the meat cooks to crispy perfection. Depending on the kind of deli meat you have, you can slice or chop the pieces before adding them to a heated skillet or browning the pieces in the oven. You can adjust how many pieces you need per portion, but start with at least two or three slices per person. Even a few shreds of meat can elevate a simple bowl of soup.

If your fridge is already stocked with roast beef, bologna, prosciutto, or ham, those are perfect ingredients for topping bowls of soup. Cooked pieces of turkey or sausage can provide a fresh take on classic bowls of chicken noodle or tomato soup, and the crispy texture of bacon can add a satisfying crunch to any meal. Layer flavors by combining garnishes — load up lunches with soup bowls that have been crowned with deli meats, homemade croutons, shredded cheese, and a final flourish of your favorite finishing oil. 

For those who don't have deli meat in the fridge, try reheating some of the protein that was served for last night's dinner. Vegetarian eaters can prepare meat substitutes, tofu, and mushrooms similarly. Regardless of your culinary choices, combining different ingredients to sprinkle on top of your soup recipes allows you to enjoy simple presentations in a deliciously new way.