Soup Recipes

Cream of cauliflower soup blends mashed cauliflower into a buttery half-and-half base with onion, celery, parsley, and a pinch of nutmeg. Silky comfort soup ready in 20 minutes.

A light vegetable soup simmered with potatoes, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, and dill weed in vegetable stock. Vegan, low-calorie, and on the table in under an hour.

Curried corn chowder pulses half the corn into a silky puree, then folds in whole kernels with onion, peppers, cumin, and curry powder. Dairy-free, light-bodied, and ready in 40 minutes.

This old-fashioned egg drop soup drizzles a thin batter through a colander into rich beef broth, creating tender, wispy noodle-like strands in minutes. A frugal, warming bowl that stretches pantry staples into something special.

Rustic dried tomato soup simmered with garlic, olive oil, basil, oregano, and a touch of ginger. Made entirely from pantry staples, this low-effort soup deepens in flavor the longer it cooks.

Duxelles is a mixture of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots and herbs cooked in butter. It is used to flavor soups and sauces, as a garnish, and a stuffing. Take a thinly pounded pork chop, veal or chicken cutlet, or even a flank steak. Spoon the precooked duxelles down the center. Roll the meat and then sauté or roast it.

Lazy French onion soup with canned condensed broth, French bread, and bubbling Swiss cheese broiled until golden. Four ingredients and 15 minutes from pantry to bistro-style bowl.

Easy tortilla soup with pureed tomatoes, garlic, green pepper, and onion in chicken broth, topped with crisp baked tortilla strips and Monterey Jack cheese. A 35-minute weeknight Mexican soup.

Microwave minestrone with celery, carrots, potatoes, green beans, zucchini, and broken spaghetti in tomato broth. Low-calorie one-pot soup that cooks entirely in the microwave in 30 minutes.

Egg ribbon soup: a 15-minute Italian-style stracciatella with chicken broth, escarole or spinach, beaten eggs swirled into silky strands, and grated Parmesan. Four ingredients, weeknight comfort in a bowl.

Chestnut soup with roasted chestnuts, sauteed onion and celery, simmered in a blend of water and apple juice with soy sauce and nutmeg. A naturally creamy vegetarian soup with no dairy.

End-of-month vegetable soup made with whatever is in the fridge: cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery, bacon ends, and a bouquet garni simmered in white wine. A frugal, flexible pantry-clearing soup.

Russian borscht with grated beets, tomato passata, and a tempered-egg finish for body. Served hot or chilled with a swirl of sour cream and the unmistakable ruby color that defines the soup.

Cold soups make for excellent summer fare. The best vichyssoise I ever had in my life was at a French restaurant during a Montreal summer. Humor me. Try the soup in the traditional manner but then, if you must heat it up, (sigh), go ahead.

Microwave creamy mushroom soup with fresh mushrooms, onions, sour cream, and Worcestershire. A quick single-serving soup ready in 15 minutes for two with no stovetop required.

Jerusalem artichoke soup: simple light soup made with boiled sunchokes, chicken broth, scallions, and fresh dill. Five-ingredient farm-to-table starter.