How To Use Leftover Egg Whites To Transform Thin Broth Soups

While soup is enjoyed all year long, nothing is welcomed more than a steaming bowl on a cold winter's day. Aside from warming our bodies from the inside out, US News and World Report finds that soup is a great way to get veggies into our diets when the thought of a cold salad isn't appealing. Fresh or frozen vegetables can be left chunky or puréed into a thick, velvety soup. Since veggies and proteins are cooked directly in the broth, the soup is superinfused with the component's nutrients. Water is the primary ingredient in most recipes, so enjoying soup is a great way to stay hydrated during cold months when our bodies burn more energy to keep warm, per the National Library of Medicine.

According to New York Times Cooking, soups are classified into three categories, "brothy, chunky or puréed." Brothy soups, like the common cold's nemesis chicken soup, are quick-cooking, with ingredients floating in a flavorful broth. Chunky soups require more time on the stove to develop flavors. Soups like Italian minestrone and chowders contain starches that break down, thickening the soup. Puréed soups are thick and smooth. Lobster bisque and tomato soup fall into this delicious category.

On days when a bowl of soup is your entire meal and you want something hearty, skip calorie-laden ingredients like cream and reach for an egg white to transform thin broths into a thicker, luscious soup.

According to Better Homes and Gardens, there are five ways to change soup's texture and thicken a broth. Two of them contain a mixture of flour and fat, often butter. A roux cooks this paste until it's golden brown before adding it to stock, and a ​​beurre manié adds the paste raw. Meaty soups are often thickened with a slurry, a mix of cornstarch or flour stirred with cold water. Vegetable soups containing starches, like potatoes or beans, can be puréed fully or partially and added back in to thicken the soup naturally.

The final method adds egg whites or whole eggs to simmering broth, similar to Chinese egg drop and Italian stracciatella soup. If you have leftover egg whites from baking or want to add some protein to a thin broth, drizzle whisked egg whites into simmering stock to create rich ribbons throughout the soup. Life Hacker suggests using a squeeze bottle to control the egg whites while you stir the soup.

When adding the whole egg, temper the eggs by adding one half cup of hot broth to the whisked eggs. This will prevent them from scrambling when they hit the soup. Stirring constantly, slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the broth until thickened. An egg adds 6 grams of protein and 71 calories to the dish, whereas egg whites adds 4 grams of protein and only 18 calories, per Healthline.