Great Garden Soup - $5.55 a serving
Every non-staple ingredient matched to a real product on the shelf, priced on 2026-07-19 at Kroger - Kroger On the Rhine (ZIP 45202). 1 pantry staples excluded. Prices change without notice - this is what we paid attention to on that date, not a quote.
| The recipe says | We found | Package | Uses | Costs | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nonstick cooking spray | Kroger® Nonstick Canola Oil Cooking Spray · 8 oz | $2.99 | - | $2.99 | - |
| 2. 4 ounces Ground beef, at least 90% lean, raw, fresh or frozen | Kroger® 85/15 Ground Beef Tray 1 LB · 1 lb | $8.99 | 113 g | $2.24 | $6.75 |
| 3. 2/3 cup Onions, fresh, 1/4" diced | Jumbo Yellow Onions · 1 lb | $1.19 | 100 g | $0.26 | $0.93 |
| 4. 2 cloves Garlic, fresh, minced (1 clove is about 1/2 teaspoon minced) | Kroger® Whole Garlic Bulbs · 5 ct | $2.49 | 2 | $1.00 | $1.49 |
| 5. 1 tablespoon Jalapeno pepper, fresh, seeds and veins removed, minced | Fresh Jalapeno Peppers · 1 lb | $1.99 | 15 g | $0.07 | $1.92 |
| 6. 2/3 cup Butternut squash, fresh, 1/2" cubed | Butternut Squash · 1 lb | $1.49 | 93 g | $0.31 | $1.18 |
| 7. 1/4 cup Green beans, fresh, cut into 1/2" pieces | Fresh Bagged Green Beans · 1 lb | $2.19 | 38 g | $0.18 | $2.01 |
| 8. 3 tablespoons Corn, frozen | Kroger® Frozen Super Sweet Corn · 12 oz | $1.29 | 45 g | $0.17 | $1.12 |
| 9. 1 tablespoon Thyme, dried, ground | Private Selection® Thyme Leaves Shaker · 0.68 oz | $3.49 | 4 g | $0.72 | $2.77 |
| 10. 1/4 cup Summer squash, fresh, unpeeled, 1/2" diced | Yellow Squash Tray · 3 ctSIZE UNREAD - 1 PKG ASSUMED | $2.50 | 35 g | $2.50 | - |
| 11. 1/4 cup Zucchini, fresh, unpeeled, 1/2" diced | Zucchini · 1 lb | $1.79 | 35 g | $0.14 | $1.65 |
| 12. 11 ounces Kidney beans, low sodium, rinsed, and drained (1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp) | Light Red Kidney Beans · 15.5 oz | $1.00 | 312 g | $0.71 | $0.29 |
| 13. 1/3 cup Tomato sauce, canned | Contadina Tomato Sauce · 8 oz | $0.89 | 80 g | $0.31 | $0.58 |
| 14. 3/8 cup Tomatoes with juice, canned, diced | Kroger Diced Tomatoes · 14.5 oz | $1.00 | 90 g | $0.22 | $0.78 |
ground beef drives this basket at $8.99, 27% of the total. The next biggest lines are dried thyme ($3.49) and nonstick cooking spray ($2.99). $21.47 of the basket - 64% - is package remainder: food you buy because stores sell packages and recipes call for amounts. It does not vanish, it sits in your kitchen for the next meal.
- Kroger® 85/15 Ground Beef Tray 1 LB · about 341 g left, $6.75 of value
- Fresh Bagged Green Beans · about 416 g left, $2.01 of value
- Fresh Jalapeno Peppers · about 439 g left, $1.92 of value
- Zucchini · about 419 g left, $1.65 of value
- Kroger® Whole Garlic Bulbs · about 3 left, $1.49 of value
- Butternut Squash · about 361 g left, $1.18 of value
This soup is reminiscent of chili. It is a traditional Native American stew consisting of squash, corn, and beans. Native American stories of the Three Sisters refer to a tradition of planting corn, beans, and squash together in the garden. This practice was good for the soil and yielded healthy vegetables.
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 4 ounces Ground beef, at least 90% lean, raw, fresh or frozen
- 2/3 cup Onions, fresh, 1/4" diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, fresh, minced (1 clove is about 1/2 teaspoon minced)
- 1 tablespoon Jalapeno pepper, fresh, seeds and veins removed, minced
- 2/3 cup Butternut squash, fresh, 1/2" cubed
- 1/4 cup Green beans, fresh, cut into 1/2" pieces
- 3 tablespoons Corn, frozen
- 1 tablespoon Thyme, dried, ground
- 1/4 cup Summer squash, fresh, unpeeled, 1/2" diced
- 1/4 cup Zucchini, fresh, unpeeled, 1/2" diced
- 11 ounces Kidney beans, low sodium, rinsed, and drained (1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp)
- 1/3 cup Tomato sauce, canned
- 3/8 cup Tomatoes with juice, canned, diced
- 1/4 cup Water
This recipe is credited to a partner program (Source: Adapted from Oneida Indian Nation's Three Sisters Cookbook.), so we don't reprint its directions - read them on the archived original.
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