When the air gets chilly and Spirit Halloween starts popping up in your neighborhood, you know it's soup season. Soups and stews are my favorite one-pot dishes, and here are 22 that are perfect for when the leaves turn golden.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Roasted vegetables are one of the best bases for a pureed soup, and perhaps there's none better than butternut squash. Make sure to leave room on the roasting tray for airflow; you want it roasted and golden, not a stodgy mess.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Leave room between the squash cubes so their cut edges brown instead of steaming in a crowded pan. That roasted flavor carries through the smooth soup, with browned butter and finely chopped sage stirred into the whole pot rather than left floating on top. The cream rounds out the squash without turning the bowl into a heavy sauce. Blend until the texture is even, then check the consistency while it's hot. A spoonful should pour easily back into the saucepan, leaving a thin coating on the spoon rather than standing in a stiff mound.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper on a large rimmed sheet, spreading into one layer. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 7 to 8 minutes until soft, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add roasted squash, broth and remaining salt. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until completely smooth.
- Melt butter in a small light-colored saucepan over medium-low heat for 3 to 5 minutes until its milk solids turn golden brown. Stir in chopped sage for 15 seconds and immediately pour the butter into the soup.
- Stir in cream and vinegar. Warm over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes without boiling, stirring until evenly combined, then divide among 6 bowls.
Thai Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin is a common addition to red curry in Thailand, and this Thai-inspired recipe reimagines it as a puree. Red curry paste varies widely in quality, so it's worth experimenting with different brands.
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Thai Pumpkin Soup
Red curry paste gives this pumpkin soup warmth without needing a long list of individually ground spices. Cook it briefly with the onion and ginger before adding the liquid, so it spreads through the coconut milk instead of remaining in little concentrated streaks. Fresh sugar pumpkin softens into a light, smooth puree. Use a vegetarian curry paste if you need the finished soup to stay vegetarian, since some versions contain shrimp. Lime juice goes in at the end, when the pumpkin is tender and the coconut broth has had time to come together.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 6 to 7 minutes until softened, then stir in ginger and curry paste for 1 minute.
- Add pumpkin, broth, coconut milk, soy sauce and brown sugar. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover partly and cook for 22 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pumpkin collapses when pressed with a spoon.
- Remove from the heat and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in lime juice, then warm gently for 1 to 2 minutes if needed and divide among 6 bowls.
Sausage, Kale and Butternut Squash Soup
One great thing about autumn soups is that they tend to be chock-full of nutrients and low in calories. With this sausage, lentil, kale, and butternut squash, getting your macros isn't a chore.
Sausage, Kale and Butternut Squash Soup
Brown the kielbasa before adding the lentils so its smoky flavor seasons the broth as well as the sausage itself. Green lentils give the soup substance while leaving the squash and kale easy to recognize. Add the squash after the lentils have had a head start; it shouldn't disappear into the liquid before the lentils soften. The kale goes in last and cooks only until tender. This is a brothy soup with distinct sausage coins and orange vegetable pieces, so keep the simmer gentle once everything is in the pot.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Brown kielbasa coins for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, then transfer to a plate.
- Cook onion in the same pot for 5 minutes, scraping up browned bits. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds, then add lentils, broth and bay leaf.
- Bring to a simmer, cover partly and cook for 15 minutes. Add squash and browned kielbasa and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes more until lentils and squash are tender.
- Stir in kale and pepper and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until the leaves are tender. Remove bay leaf, stir in vinegar and divide among 6 bowls.
Beef and Barley Soup
Bone-in beef really does level up your stews. If you don't have a pressure cooker, this is just as easy to make in a conventional pot, but the cooking time will be significantly longer (2 to 3 hours until fork-tender).
Beef and Barley Soup
Bone-in beef shank makes a substantial broth while the pressure cooker handles the long tenderizing step. Cook the hulled barley separately so you can drain it when it's pleasantly chewy without guessing whether it will finish at the same moment as the beef. Turnips and leeks keep the vegetables distinct from a familiar carrot-heavy beef soup. Pull the cooked meat into short pieces and discard the bones before returning it to the pot. The finished bowl should have enough broth around the barley to stay spoonable after a brief rest on the stove.
Ingredients
Method
- Season beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil using the saute setting of a 6-quart electric pressure cooker and brown beef for 4 minutes per side, working in 2 batches if needed; transfer to a plate.
- Cook onion in the cooker for 4 minutes, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds. Pour in broth and scrape the bottom completely clean before adding beef, bay leaf and thyme.
- Lock the lid and pressure-cook on high for 50 minutes, allowing about 15 minutes to reach pressure. Let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure according to the cooker instructions.
- Meanwhile, bring barley and its water to a boil in a saucepan. Cover partly and simmer for 50 to 65 minutes until tender but chewy, then drain thoroughly.
- Transfer beef to a board and discard bay leaf. Add turnips and leeks to the cooker broth and simmer uncovered on the saute setting for 12 to 15 minutes until tender.
- Discard beef bones and tough connective pieces, then pull the meat into short pieces. Return meat and drained barley to the broth with remaining salt and vinegar, simmer for 3 minutes and serve.
Chicken Meatball and Wild Rice Soup
I love chicken meatballs because they manage to feel both substantial and light at the same time. Here, the chicken meatballs are accentuated by celery root, providing celery flavor without the texture that so many people find objectionable.
Chicken Meatball and Wild Rice Soup
Small chicken meatballs turn this wild rice soup into a clear-broth supper with a different texture in every spoonful. Ricotta and breadcrumbs keep the meatballs tender, but the mixture still needs a short chill before shaping. Celery root brings a gentle earthy flavor without covering up the rice. Cook the wild rice separately and add it near the end so its darker cooking liquid doesn't cloud the chicken broth. Once the meatballs go in, keep the liquid at a quiet simmer rather than a rolling boil that knocks the soft pieces against one another.
Ingredients
Method
- Bring wild rice and its water to a boil in a saucepan. Cover partly and simmer for 45 to 55 minutes until many grains split and become tender, then drain.
- Mix ground chicken, ricotta, breadcrumbs, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper gently. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then shape into 24 equal small meatballs with damp hands; the chill is included in prep time.
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat and cook leeks for 6 minutes. Add celery root, broth, sage and remaining salt and pepper and simmer for 12 minutes.
- Lower meatballs individually into the gently simmering broth. Cover partly and cook for 10 to 12 minutes without vigorous stirring until the largest meatballs reach 165°F and celery root is tender.
- Fold in drained wild rice and lemon juice and warm for 2 minutes. Divide the broth and vegetables among 6 bowls with 4 meatballs per serving.
Vegetable Beef Soup
Of the thousands of vegetables that we can eat, Americans restrict themselves to awfully few, especially in the home kitchen, which is a shame. Rutabagas and parsnips are two criminally underappreciated vegetables worth a second look.
Vegetable Beef Soup
Braise the brisket until it cuts easily, then add the roasted vegetables near the end so they keep their browned edges in the tomato broth. The long oven time makes this a good soup for a quiet afternoon when the kitchen can stay warm. Rutabaga and parsnip bring more bite than a handful of frozen vegetables. Cabbage softens directly in the broth while the beef rests on the board. Cut the brisket across its grain into short pieces, leaving the meat tender enough for a spoon without shredding it into threads that hide the vegetables.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 325°F. Season brisket with 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, then heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven and sear beef for 5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.
- Cook onion in the same pot for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then add crushed tomatoes, broth and bay leaf, scraping the bottom clean.
- Return beef to the pot, bring to a simmer and cover. Braise in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until a fork slides easily into the meat, turning it halfway through.
- Move the covered pot to the stove and raise the oven to 425°F. Toss rutabaga, parsnips and carrots with remaining oil and salt on a rimmed sheet and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until browned and tender.
- Transfer beef to a board and discard bay leaf. Add cabbage to the broth and simmer uncovered on the stove for 15 minutes until tender.
- Cut rested brisket across its grain into short bite-size pieces, discarding any remaining hard fat. Stir beef, roasted vegetables and vinegar into the broth and simmer for 5 minutes before dividing among 8 bowls.
Autumn Minestrone Soup
Minestrone is one of my favorite clean-out-the-fridge dinners, so this is pretty modifiable. In this recipe, though, I think it's worth seeking out fennel for the anise kick it provides.
Autumn Minestrone Soup
Roast the squash while the fennel and tomato broth simmers, then fold the browned pieces into the beans and small bow-tie pasta for a minestrone that keeps its vegetables distinct. Borlotti beans give the pot a soft, substantial base, and the kale only needs enough time to lose its raw toughness before the soup comes off the heat.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a rimmed sheet, then roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until browned and tender.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook fennel and onion for 8 minutes, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes with their juices, broth, oregano, beans and remaining salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in farfalline and simmer for 4 minutes, then add kale and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more until pasta is tender.
- Fold in roasted squash, lemon juice and pepper and warm for 2 minutes. Divide among 6 bowls while the pasta still has a little bite.
Tomato Basil Bread Soup
In Tuscany, they call tomato and bread soup "pappa al pomodoro," and while a Tuscan might balk at this much garlic, they don't make the rules here. Day-old bread gets new life here as it soaks up all those good Italian flavors.
Tomato Basil Bread Soup
Stale bread belongs inside this tomato basil soup, where it breaks down and thickens the broth into soft spoonfuls. Tear it small and give it time to soak through before deciding the pot needs more liquid. Canned whole tomatoes provide enough body for the bread without a separate cream or flour thickener. Chop the basil and stir it through the soup after the bread has softened. The finished texture should be rustic and uneven, with tiny softened bread pieces throughout rather than a smooth puree or large dry croutons floating on top.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Cook onion for 8 minutes until soft without browning, then stir in sliced garlic for 1 minute.
- Add hand-crushed tomatoes with their juices, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in torn bread and simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring and pressing with a wooden spoon until the bread is fully softened and mostly broken into the broth.
- Remove from the heat and stir in chopped basil and vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes, stir again to distribute the softened bread and divide among 6 bowls.
Vegetarian French Onion Soup
For a lighter take on French onion soup, this vegetarian soup uses vegetable broth and Sherry as the base, with onions that are roasted rather than cooked on the stovetop to provide darker flavors. You won't even miss the beef stock.
Vegetarian French Onion Soup
Start the onions and shallots in the oven so they soften and brown across a broad roasting pan before becoming soup. Stir them at intervals, especially around the edges where the sugars darken first. A good vegetable broth keeps the bowl vegetarian, while sherry adds depth after the onions are fully tender. Toast the baguette before adding cheese so it doesn't dissolve as soon as it meets the broth. The Gruyere-covered slice should soften underneath while retaining a browned top you can break with the edge of a spoon.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Toss onions and shallots with melted butter, oil, salt and pepper in a large roasting pan, spreading evenly.
- Roast for 70 to 85 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes and more often near the end, until softened and deeply golden without blackened edges. Transfer the onions to a soup pot.
- Pour sherry and 1/2 cup of the measured broth into the still-warm roasting pan and scrape up browned juices with a wooden spoon. Add this liquid to the soup pot with remaining broth, thyme and bay leaf.
- Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toast baguette slices on a sheet in the 400°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp, then heat the broiler.
- Discard bay leaf and divide soup among 6 broiler-safe bowls set on a rimmed sheet. Top each with one toast slice and an equal share of Gruyere, then broil 6 inches from the heat for 2 to 4 minutes until cheese bubbles and browns.
- Let bowls stand for 5 minutes before serving and warn diners that the bowls remain hot.
Apple Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger
Apples work great in savory contexts as well as sweet, especially when paired with a sweeter vegetable like butternut squash. It's worth seeking out a tart, cloudy English or French cider for this recipe.
Apple Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger
Keep some squash in pieces and saute the apples separately for a soup that stays chunky instead of becoming another smooth orange puree. Ginger and apple cider season the broth, while the apples go in near the end with their browned faces intact. Choose firm sweet-tart apples that keep their shape in the skillet. Partly blending the squash gives the liquid enough body to hold those pieces without adding cream. You'll still see pale apple cubes and orange squash in each serving, with a gentle cider flavor rather than a dessert-like sweetness.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 7 minutes until softened, then stir in ginger for 30 seconds.
- Add squash, broth, cider, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover partly and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until squash is tender.
- Meanwhile, melt remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apple cubes in one layer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and just tender.
- Transfer about one-third of the squash pieces and 1 cup of the broth to a heatproof bowl and puree with an immersion blender. Return puree to the pot with the sauteed apples and vinegar.
- Simmer gently for 3 minutes, keeping the remaining squash and apple pieces intact, then divide among 6 bowls.
Sweet Potato Peanut Soup
Every country in West Africa has its own local version of peanut soup, and it can be made vegetarian just as well as with meat. Peanut butter works so well to thicken and flavor the soup that you might wonder why more dishes don't use this trick.
Sweet Potato Peanut Soup
Whisk the peanut butter with hot broth in a separate bowl before it goes into the soup. That small step prevents thick pockets from sticking to the bottom while the sweet potatoes finish cooking. Tomato and ginger keep the broth savory, with spinach folded in once the orange cubes are tender. This is a chunky soup, so don't blend away the vegetables after adding the peanut mixture. A modest amount of cayenne gives it warmth, and the lime juice at the end keeps the nutty broth from tasting flat.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 6 minutes, then stir in ginger, garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute.
- Add sweet potatoes, diced tomatoes with their juices, broth, salt and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and cook partly covered for 18 to 22 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender.
- Ladle 1 cup hot broth into a bowl and whisk in peanut butter until smooth. Stir this mixture back into the pot and simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring along the bottom.
- Fold in spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Remove from the heat, stir in lime juice and divide among 6 bowls.
Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Red lentils are great when you want lentils but don't want to wait for them to soak, and I think they're probably the tastiest lentils to boot. The spiced butter finish makes this richer than any low-calorie meal has any right to be.
Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Red lentils soften quickly enough to make a smooth soup without a long afternoon on the stove, especially when the carrot is diced small. Blend the cooked lentils before stirring in warm mint butter so the finished bowl has a light, even texture with tiny herb flecks throughout, and add the lemon after the heat is off to keep its flavor clear.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion and carrot for 7 minutes, then stir in garlic, tomato paste and cumin for 1 minute.
- Add lentils, broth and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, lower the heat and simmer partly covered for 20 to 25 minutes until lentils and carrot are very soft, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Return to low heat if the soup needs warming.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in dried mint and paprika for 20 seconds, then immediately stir the seasoned butter through the soup.
- Remove the soup from the heat, stir in lemon juice and divide among 6 bowls.
Roasted Leek and Potato Soup
Few vegetables roast up as well as leeks do. Instead of pureeing them, as leek soups normally do, this recipe keeps them whole, and I personally don't mind if those leeks go from golden edges to straight-up charred — heck, I prefer it.
Roasted Leek and Potato Soup
Roast the leeks until their edges turn golden, then chop them into the soup after the potatoes soften. That gives the bowl a roasted onion flavor while keeping plenty of recognizable potato pieces. Red potatoes can keep their skins here, so scrub them well before cutting. Mash only a small portion against the side of the pot to thicken the milk broth. The rest should stay in tender cubes, with the leeks dispersed through the soup rather than blended into a completely smooth base.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Pat leek halves dry, place cut-side up on a rimmed sheet and brush with oil. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until tender with golden edges, then chop crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 6 minutes, then add potatoes, broth, bay leaf and remaining salt.
- Bring to a simmer and cook partly covered for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Discard bay leaf and mash about one-quarter of the potato pieces against the side of the pot.
- Stir in roasted leeks, milk and Dijon. Warm over low heat for 5 minutes without boiling, then remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice.
- Divide among 6 bowls, keeping plenty of potato cubes in each serving.
Ground Turkey Vegetable Soup
When you don't want to go to the trouble of rolling out meatballs, this recipe has you covered. Ground turkey works here, but sub out whatever ground meat you like, or a vegetarian substitute.
Ground Turkey Vegetable Soup
Roasted tomatoes give the broth enough depth for the ground turkey and pale fall vegetables without adding a heavy sauce. Break the turkey into small crumbles as it cooks, leaving them loose enough to spread through the soup. Turnip and cauliflower need different amounts of time, so the turnip gets a short head start. Spinach goes in after both are tender. This is a useful soup when you want vegetables in most spoonfuls but still want a little meat throughout the pot, rather than a large piece that needs cutting at the table.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Place tomato halves cut-side up on a rimmed sheet, brush with 1 tablespoon oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until softened with browned edges, then chop coarsely, saving the juices.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook ground turkey and onion for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking turkey into small crumbles, until turkey reaches 165°F. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add turnips, carrots, broth, thyme and remaining salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes.
- Add cauliflower and chopped roasted tomatoes with their juices. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until turnips, carrots and cauliflower are tender.
- Stir in spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Remove from the heat, stir in vinegar and divide among 6 bowls.
Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper Soup
I love stuffed red peppers, but I don't love the process of making them. I always manage to screw at least one up. This soup gets that perfect red pepper bite without the hassle.
Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper Soup
Roasted red peppers supply a soft, sweet base while diced green pepper keeps the familiar stuffed-pepper flavor in the broth. Black beans and quinoa make the filling substantial without ground meat. Rinse the quinoa before cooking it directly in the soup so it doesn't bring a bitter edge to the tomatoes. The pot will thicken as it rests, especially after refrigeration. Serve it while there's still plenty of broth around the beans and pepper pieces, and stir gently so the quinoa stays loose rather than settling into a thick layer at the bottom.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Brush red pepper halves with 1 tablespoon oil and place cut-side down on a rimmed sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until softened and blistered, then cover loosely in a bowl for 5 minutes, peel off loosened skins and chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion and green pepper for 7 minutes, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add crushed tomatoes, broth, quinoa, beans, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover partly and cook for 18 to 22 minutes until quinoa is tender with visible curled germs.
- Fold in roasted red peppers and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in lime juice and divide among 6 bowls.
Vegetarian Lasagna Soup
When you want veggie lasagna but don't want to spend the afternoon layering pasta and vegetables, lasagna soup is the solution. Make a warm veggie soup with lasagna sheets, and build it in a bowl, with ricotta and Parmesan at the base and mozzarella on top.
Vegetarian Lasagna Soup
Roast the eggplant and mushrooms first so they bring browned flavor to the soup instead of releasing all their water into the tomato broth. Fresh lasagna sheets cook quickly once they're cut into short ribbons. Keep the ricotta mixture at the bottom of each bowl and ladle the hot soup over it, letting it soften around the pasta without boiling it in the pot. The result still tastes like lasagna, with tomato, tender pasta and cheese in every serving. Stir once at the table if you want the ricotta to spread through the broth.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss eggplant and mushrooms with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper on a large rimmed sheet. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until eggplant is tender and vegetables are browned.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 7 minutes, then stir in garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes, broth, oregano and remaining salt. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Stir roasted vegetables and fresh pasta ribbons into the soup. Simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring carefully, until pasta is tender.
- Mix ricotta and Parmesan-style cheese and divide among 6 bowls. Ladle hot soup over the cheese mixture and top each bowl with an equal share of mozzarella; let stand for 1 minute to soften the cheese before serving.
Wild Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Kale Soup
Don't worry, wild mushroom soup is in name only; I'm not asking you to go forage. Rather, a mix of mushrooms provides varied aromas and textures, and the porcini in particular are absolute flavor bombs, so they're worth seeking out.
Wild Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Kale Soup
Strain the porcini soaking liquid through a paper filter before adding it to the soup; a few grains of grit can spoil an otherwise good bowl. Caramelized onions give the clear mushroom broth sweetness and body without cream. Brown the fresh mushrooms in batches so their irregular edges color properly. Kale adds a little chew after the onions have softened into strands. Keep the fresh mushroom pieces large enough to recognize, with the finely chopped porcini spreading their deeper flavor through the liquid around them.
Ingredients
Method
- Cover dried porcini with boiling water in a heatproof bowl and soak for 20 minutes. Lift mushrooms out, rinse away any grit and chop finely; strain soaking liquid through a damp paper coffee filter set in a sieve, reserving the filtered liquid.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring often, until deeply golden and soft.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown fresh mushrooms in 2 batches for 5 to 6 minutes per batch, leaving them undisturbed briefly between turns.
- Stir garlic into caramelized onions for 30 seconds, then add sherry and simmer for 1 minute. Add chopped porcini, filtered soaking liquid, broth, thyme, browned mushrooms and remaining salt.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, then add kale and pepper and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until kale is tender. Stir in vinegar and divide among 6 bowls.
Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup
Carrot and ginger soup was one of my go-to poverty foods in my youth, and it's still in my rotation because nothing accentuates the flavor of carrot quite like ginger. Coconut milk brings the richness.
Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup
Roasting brings out the carrots' sweetness, so ginger and a measured splash of rice vinegar matter as much as the coconut milk in this smooth soup. Cut the carrots evenly and roast them until their centers are fully tender, since a blender won't hide a woody piece that never softened. Blend long enough to remove the grainy texture, then warm the finished puree gently so the coconut milk stays evenly mixed.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss carrots with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a rimmed sheet. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once, until fully tender with browned edges.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 7 minutes, then stir in ginger and garlic for 1 minute.
- Add roasted carrots, broth and remaining salt. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until very smooth.
- Stir in coconut milk, vinegar and white pepper. Warm gently over low heat for 3 minutes without boiling, then divide among 6 bowls.
Roasted Parsnip Soup
I love an earthy, sweet roasted parsnip, and they work just as well pureed into a soup as alongside a roast dinner. The white miso does so much to highlight their natural umami.
Roasted Parsnip Soup
Parsnips turn sweet in the oven, and white miso gives this soup a savory finish without covering their flavor. Cut out any hard central cores before roasting, especially when the roots are large, so the puree doesn't stay stringy after blending. Butter softens the texture while a little lemon keeps the finished bowl from tasting overly sweet. Stir the miso into warm liquid separately and add it after blending, when you can distribute it smoothly without leaving salty lumps in the pot.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss parsnips with oil, salt and white pepper on a rimmed sheet and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once, until tender with golden edges.
- Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 7 minutes, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add roasted parsnips and broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth, then blend in remaining butter.
- Ladle 1/2 cup warm soup into a bowl and whisk in miso until smooth. Stir the mixture and lemon juice back into the pot, warm gently if needed and divide among 6 bowls.
Vegetarian Borscht
Even in carnivorous Eastern Europe, there are still great vegetarian recipes, particularly for the Lent season, and veggie borscht is one of the best. Vinegar and dill keep flavors bright, even with long-cooked root vegetables.
Vegetarian Borscht
Grate the beets so they soften into the broth without requiring long strips that slip off the spoon. Cabbage and potato make the bowl substantial, while vinegar preserves a bright, sharp finish beside the earthy vegetables. Stir the dill through the hot soup rather than leaving a decorative bunch on top. A small spoonful of sour cream softens the flavor as it melts into each serving. This borscht stays chunky and deeply red, with enough liquid to move freely around the vegetables instead of resembling a thick beet puree.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion and carrot for 6 minutes, then add grated beets and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in tomato paste and garlic for 1 minute. Add broth, potatoes, cabbage, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
- Cover partly and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until potatoes, cabbage and beets are tender. Remove and discard bay leaf.
- Stir in vinegar and chopped dill, then remove from the heat. Divide among 6 bowls and add 1 tablespoon sour cream to each serving.
Creamy Chestnut Soup
Chestnut soup is an old-school French fine-dining favorite that is actually pretty easy to reproduce at home. Chestnut spread just doesn't work here, so skip it if you can't get whole chestnuts.
Creamy Chestnut Soup
Use plain cooked, peeled chestnuts here, not sweetened chestnut spread or raw nuts with their skins still attached. They soften in the broth and blend into a naturally substantial soup without potato or flour. Onion, celery and a small measure of sherry keep the flavor savory. Add the cream after the chestnuts are fully smooth so you can judge the texture before the final warming step. The bowl should be pale brown and pourable, with the chestnut flavor doing most of the work rather than a thick layer of toppings.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion and celery for 8 minutes until softened, then stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add sherry and simmer for 2 minutes. Add chestnuts, broth, salt and white pepper and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover partly and cook for 20 minutes until chestnuts crush easily against the side of the pot. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Stir in cream and lemon juice. Warm gently over low heat for 3 minutes without boiling and divide among 6 bowls.
Ham and Cabbage Soup
Ham and leafy greens are a natural winter pairing. This winter soup focuses on the veggies, with just enough ham to provide smoky, meaty goodness.
Ham and Cabbage Soup
Sear the ham cubes before adding the cabbage so their browned edges season a clear broth that doesn't need cream or cheese. Caraway gives the vegetables a warm, savory note, and a little vinegar at the end keeps the cabbage from tasting dull after its gentle simmer. Keep the carrots thin enough to finish with the cabbage, and taste the soup only after the ham has warmed through because its saltiness varies from one ham steak to another.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown ham cubes for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, then transfer to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium and cook onion and carrots in the same pot for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and caraway for 30 seconds.
- Add broth, cabbage, bay leaf and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover partly and cook for 15 to 18 minutes until cabbage and carrots are tender.
- Return ham to the pot and simmer for 3 minutes until heated through. Discard bay leaf, stir in vinegar and divide among 6 bowls.
