10 Delicious Soups To Help You Make It Through Winter
There is just something to be said about cold weather and soups. Whether you’ve had a long day, or you haven’t gone anywhere at all and decided to be cozy indoors, there is nothing quite like ladling yourself a piping hot bowl of soup to fend off the chill of winter. This winter, consider making these 10 soups to help you stay warm and full.
1. Broccoli Cheddar
This soup is for those of you who want to eat their vegetables, but don’t really want to eat their vegetables. Or maybe you’re trying to get somebody else to eat their vegetables. Either way, This soup is an excellent option if you are, or have a picky eater on your hands. If the texture is the real issue, consider ricing the broccoli into the soup, rather than adding whole florets. For added flavor, use chicken stock or vegetable stock when cooking this soup. Serve in a bread bowl to complete this cheesy meal.
2. Tortellini Soup
Try not to finish the whole pot of soup in a day when you whip up a batch of this addicting soup! A roux base gives this soup a creamy, thick consistency that will have you reaching for a second bowl. Brown Italian sausage and save the rendered fat. Use the fat for your roux, and use it to cook your vegetables. You’ll reduce your food waste and add flavor to your soup. Throw in your favorite tortellini, and let the tortellini cook right in the soup! Serve this soup with pillowy breadsticks to dip and sop up every last delicious drop.
3. Black Bean Soup
It’s always amazing how a soup so simple can be so flavorful and filling. This is an excellent recipe for those lazy winter days when you don’t feel like doing much at all. Simply put your ingredients in a crockpot and forget about them for a few hours. Soak beans in stock the night before, or use canned beans if you can’t be bothered to soak beans. Throw in your favorite warm and aromatic spices like cumin, paprika, chili powder, and pepper, and wait for the magic to happen. Garnish with fresh cilantro and avocado, and dig in!
4. Shrimp Bisque
This recipe takes me back to the winter of 2012 when my husband and I started dating. This is the first dish he ever cooked for me, and when I knew he was a keeper. We were both young and broke, and the furnace in his house never wanted to work in the wintertime.
Cold and hungry, we bundled up and made a trek to the local grocer, where he picked out a myriad of ingredients. I questioned him about each and every one because we had a very strict budget. When we got home, he told me to wrap myself up in blankets and watch some television until he was done cooking. For the next hour or so, it took everything in me to not walk to the kitchen and bother him, because the food smelled so good. The heat and aroma from the kitchen slowly worked its way through the house, making me even more anxious to see my surprise dinner.
When he finally came back into the living room, he had two piping hot bowls of shrimp bisque, with crusty rosemary and garlic bread on the side. I never had shrimp bisque before that day, but it was a meal that changed everything. To this day, it was the best bowl of soup I’ve ever had, and now we enjoy it every winter and look back on how far we’ve come.
Long story short, shrimp bisque changes lives. You should eat it.
5. Ramen
Whether you’re making yours from scratch or heating up your favorite instant flavor in the microwave, ramen is a soup that brings back so many memories. For me, it brings back memories of snow days spent with my grandmother. She always had instant ramen on hand as a special treat for all of the grandchildren. My sister, cousins, and I would gather in front of a furnace vent waiting for the warm air to kick on while my grandmother would make each one of us a steamy bowl of ramen. We would happily slurp our noodles and warm our toes while we bathed in the glow of the television. Eat a bowl of this brothy noodle soup and see what memories it stirs up for you!
6. French Onion Soup
Buttery, slow-cooked onions in rich, beef broth with slightly sweet, savory, golden brown crusted gruyere on top? This isn’t just soup; this is comfort food at its finest. Place your hands around the warm ramekins you’ll serve this soup in to help warm your winter chilled fingers. Flaky croissants complement this rich soup incredibly well. You’ll feel like the most luxurious snowed-in person around when you make this meal.
7. Chicken And Wild Rice
This is the creamy, herby soup your winter soup dreams are made of. Rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves paired with the nutty, earthy flavor of wild rice reach a full circle with the addition of vegetables and juicy chicken. Top off your serving of soup with fresh parsley and chives for a fresh and delicious addition.
8. Moroccan Sweet Potato Lentil
Turn up the heat with this hearty, well-spiced recipe. Coriander, cumin, curry, paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and turmeric warm and flavor this ample soup. Lentils and sweet potatoes provide a starchy, gut-sticking base that soaks up all of the flavors from the broth and spices. If you want a smoother texture to your soup, consider putting your ingredients through the food processor or blender. Top off your soup with thin slices of sweet and hot peppers for an added kick.
9. Mushroom Barley
If you eat a plant-based diet or know somebody who does, this soup makes for an excellent option. Plump, juicy mushrooms simmered in vegetable stock with tender pearl barley and vegetables create a dish packed with umami taste. This soup is best served with a nice, dairy-free buttered slice of sprouted grain bread. Make large batches of this soup to enjoy throughout the week as a healthy, meat-free meal option. Even meat lovers can appreciate this soup!
10. Split Pea And Ham
If you have an old ham hock you’ve been saving in your freezer, you can finally put it to good use with this soup. Add your ham bone to a large stockpot or crockpot, and add vegetable stock and spices. Cook on low for a few hours to leech all the flavor from the ham bone to the broth. Soak your peas beforehand for a shorter cook time, or give them an hour and a half or so to cook in the stock before adding your vegetables and ham. Season your soup with bay leaves and thyme, and enjoy the warming sensation it will send all through your body when you finally dig in.
