Soup recipes feed the soul and keep you warm and toasty for those long wintery nights. They’re hearty and a great way to keep you full. Also, soups boost your immune system when you are sick and don’t want to get out of bed. They are loaded with nutrients to satiate your appetites and naturally heal your body. Here are 5 tasty soup recipes!
1. Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Chicken pot pie soup is creamy, comforting, and everything you need to relax and let loose from days of hard work. Who cares about the crust when you have a hearty, decadent meal without all that added effort. It is easy to make and great to boost the immune system with the familiarity of home sweet home.
Ingredients
6Tbspunsalted butter
1medium yellow onion, 1 cup chopped
2medium carrots, thinly sliced into rings
2celery sticks, finely chopped
8ozwhite or brown mushrooms, sliced
3garlic cloves, minced
1/3cup all-purpose flour
6cups chicken stock
3-4tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2tspblack pepper
1lbYukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4” thick pieces.
5cupscooked chicken(shredded)
1cupfrozen peas
1cupcorn(frozen or canned)
1/2cupwhipping cream
1/4cupparsley, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
Heat a dutch oven or soup pot over medium/high heat and melt in 6 Tbsp butter. Add chopped onion, chopped celery, and sliced carrots and sauté for 5-7 minutes, occasionally stirring, until softened and lightly golden.
Add sliced mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.
Add 1/3 cup flour and constantly stir for 1 minute until golden.
Add 6 cups chicken stock, sliced potatoes, 3 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste), and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook 12-15 minutes or just until potatoes are tender.
Add shredded chicken, frozen peas, frozen corn, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, and 1/4 cup parsley. Bring back to a simmer and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until peas and corn are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
2. Greek Red Lentil Soup
This lentil soup recipe puts all other soup recipes to shame. It has a rich flavor combination of garlic, onion, and rosemary with other unique ingredients. It is a creamy Greek-style soup that will definitely surprise your taste buds!
Ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, chopped
3 tsp dry oregano
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 tsp rosemary
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 dry bay leaves
1 cup crushed tomatoes (from a can)
7 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained
Kosher salt
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
Fresh parsley for garnish
Crumbled feta cheese to serve, optional
Instructions
Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Add spices and bay leaves. Cook for a few seconds till fragrant; keep going, so sauces don’t burn.
Add crushed tomatoes, broth, lentils. Season with kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until lentils are fully cooked.
Remove from heat. Let the soup cool a bit before using an immersion blender to puree if you have the time. Pulse a few times till you reach the creamy consistency you are looking for.
Return soup to heat, and stir to warm through. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh parsley.
Transfer soup to serving bowls and top with extra virgin olive oil. If you like, top each bowl with a generous sprinkle of feta cheese. Serve with your favorite crusty bread!
3. Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Soup
This delicious hot and spicy Korean soup dish feeds a generous amount of people; it has an incredible flavor that will have them begging for more. It’s also savory with a nice steamy flavorful broth. The smokey hot pepper flakes and the fresh vegetables add some oomph to this recipe. Pair this meal with rice and kimchi to have the perfect dining experience.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (about 4 to 4½ pounds: about 2 kilograms)
2 tablespoons sliced peeled ginger
3 large green onions or 24 green onions, washed
8 ounces soaked fernbrake (Gosari). Dried fernbrake usually expands to 10 to 11 times in size when it’s soaked. For this recipe, you’ll need a little less than 1 ounce (about 0.8 ounces) dried fernbrake.
12 ounces mung bean sprouts (about 3 to 4 cups), washed and drained
3 ounces onion (about ½ cup), cut into small cubes
5 to 7 dried red peppers (or 1/2 cup small dried red peppers), stems removed
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
⅓ cup Korean hot pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
Remove any giblets from the chicken. Rub ¼ cup of kosher salt all over the chicken and giblets, then rinse in cold water until they are very clean. Drain and put them into a large, heavy pot.
Cut 1 green onion (or 8 green onions) into 4 inch long pieces and add them to the pot along with the ginger.
Add 14 cups of water and cover. Cook for 1 hour over medium-high heat until the chicken is tender. If it’s still tough, add some more water and cook a little longer until you can pull the chicken apart easily.
Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and let it cool down until you can handle it with your hands.
Separate the meat from the bones with your hands. Tear the meat into bite-sized strips.
Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the meat and mix it well by hand. Set aside.
Put a cotton cloth, a cheesecloth folded over a few times, or a sheet of “cooking paper” made for filtering soup (the photo below) on a wire mesh strainer over a large bowl.
Pour the broth through the paper/cloth filter, so all the fat, cooked green onion, and ginger are strained. You should have about 11 cups of clear and flavorful broth in the bowl under the strainer. Discard all the stuff in the cotton cloth.
Wash the pot nicely and put the chicken broth back in it.
Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan for about 1 minute over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for about 7 to 8 minutes, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon until the onion turns a little crispy.
Break up the dried red peppers and add them to the pan with the seeds. Gently stir the mixture with a wooden spoon for a few more minutes until the red peppers turn light brown or orange.
Remove from the heat and strain the mixture over a bowl. Press it down with the wooden spoon to squeeze out every drop of oil. You will get about 3 tablespoons of orange-colored, smoky, flavorful oil.
Add hot pepper flakes, toasted sesame oil, ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon kosher salt to the hot oil. Mix it well and set it aside.
Put the mung bean sprouts into a large bowl. Chop the softened gosari 1 or 2 times and add them to the bowl.
Cut the other 2 green onions half lengthwise, then cut them into 4 inch long pieces. Add them to the bowl. If you use regular green onions, cut them into 4 inch long pieces.
Add the seasoning mixture and the garlic. Gently mix everything with your hand until all the vegetables are coated with the seasoning mixture.
Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the seasoned vegetables and cook for 20 minutes over medium-high heat.
Add the seasoned chicken and cook another 5 to 10 minutes until it boils vigorously.
4. Thai Chicken Soup
Good soup recipes make me happy, and this Thai chicken soup recipe is one of them. It has an excellent slight spice to it that really excites the pallet. The ingredients are fresh and fragrant and create a well-balanced aroma that all soup recipes can note.
Ingredients
1 tbsp of peanut oil
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 tbsps minced garlic
1 cup (200g) Cubed raw chicken
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
2-3 tbsps fish sauce
1/2 cup diced green pepper
400ml chicken stock
400ml cup of water
2 cups Enoki mushrooms
2 cups of regular mushrooms
300ml of coconut milk
1/2 cup cooked jasmine rice
1/4 cup sliced spring onion stems
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or coriander
Instructions
Heat the peanut oil or oil of choice
Saute the spring onion and garlic
Add the chicken and red curry paste, mix well to coat the chicken
Add some of the fish sauce and the green peppers
Add the stock and water and bring to a boil
Add the Enoki and other mushrooms and the rest of the fish sauce and cook for a few minutes.
Add the coconut milk and rice.
Salt to taste and add the spring onion and coriander to serve.
5. Dakjuk (Korean Chicken and Rice Porridge)
Soup recipes, soup recipes, soup recipes, what more could you need! This recipe is the epitome of good home cooking. It reminds me of home and makes spending time away more manageable. It is delectable with the perfect amount of love.
Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken
1 cup white rice
10 cloves garlic
1 slice ginger
1 cup carrot, finely diced
1 cup zucchini, finely diced
½ cup leek/ scallion, finely diced
1 tbsp light soy sauce ½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sesame oil Note: If using a pressure cooker: 5 cups water If stove cooking: 10 cups water
Instructions
Rinse the rice. Rub between the palms of your hand. Repeat another 6 times.
Soak the rinsed rice in cold water for 30 minutes. This process ensures that the individual granules are evenly plump, which cuts down cooking time and allows for even cooking.
Add the soaked rice, chicken, garlic, ginger, salt, soy sauce, and water to the pressure cooker/pot. If using a pressure cooker, cook for 15 minutes and let it rest for 5 minutes before releasing the steam. If stove cooking, make sure to whisk constantly to ensure that the rice does not burn on the bottom. Cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through properly.
Add the finely diced vegetables. Cook for another five minutes.
Turn the heat off and add the sesame oil for aroma. Enjoy!
Soup recipes wrap you up in the familiarity of a home away from home. What are some soup recipes you’ve tried and remind you of home? Tell us in the comments!
