Do you ever get the winter blues? The trees are bare, the wind is cold and the sun sets at 4:30 p.m. Winter! It’s hard not to feel a little out of sorts. (Meanwhile, this comic always makes me laugh.) To boost spirits, my friend Liz came up with a brilliant idea…
SOUP GROUP. You invite a few friends over for an evening of soup and bread. A few weeks later, another friend hosts. And so on. That’s it!
The first one was at Liz’s apartment. She invited five women over for a pot of ribollita. It felt so good to just cozy up, talk about our days, and eat soup. And soup group is more casual than a regular dinner party because there aren’t multiple courses or any fancy trappings. You’re basically expected to show up in sweats.
So, now I’m curious: What soups do you like? This tomato and bread soup has only five ingredients.
On Emily Henderson‘s recommendation, I made this lemon-y chicken vegetable soup last Sunday. The flavors were bright and delicious.
And Alex has whipped up this recipe many times. It tastes like it has a gallon of cream, even though it’s mostly zucchini. SO good with a baguette and chunk of gruyere on the side.
This winter, I’ve been making soup for our family, too, because it’s such a bang-for-your-buck way to cook. If you double the recipe, you’ll get multiple lunches and dinners. As Emily said, “soup is the salad you don’t have to make again and again.”
What soups do you recommend? Please share! I also like this 15-minute gem.
P.S. Five winter blues antidotes, and Liz’s full home tour, if you’d like to see.
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soup groups are the BEST! two of my coworkers and i decided to start a lunch soup group one January, rotating who brings the soup each week. well, we’re going on year 3 (!) of this awesome lunch plan :) it isn’t always soup, but it is so nice to have a couple weeks of not planning lunch while someone else does the work :)
how about sweet potato and coriander soup with coconut milk to die for
I’m making Italian Sausage soup with Tortellini tonight with homemade multigrain bread on the side. I use spinach instead of zucchini because I like it better.
While traveling in England several years ago, we fell upon an ancient pub that served among other things creamy parsnip soup. As a Texan, I had never seen a parsnip! We recreated it and make it every winter. Delicious!
My latest favorite is the hearty lentil minestrone in Love Real Food, the book by the creator behind the blog https://cookieandkate.com/.
Indian Mulligatawny! Many recipes around the internet, but I prefer the ones where I have to get out my immersion blender. YUM.
What a great idea! My girlfriends and I are always down for a night in—especially if it involves food haha. Sounds like this has our name written all over it.
-Grace
love all the soup ideas! i would love to see a post about winter and what your readers love about it…there are a few sprinkled in here. or more Hygee ideas….love your blog!
Every season, I make a warm your heart, crock pot, chicken with home style noodle soup. But my now 14 yr old has gone vegetarian and is actually sticking with it. (Proud mama moment! ) So, this winter I have adapted with a simple Black Bean, crock pot, sub the carrots for red pepper, soup. So yummy. We add toppings of shredded cheese, chopped chives, and avocado. Delish!
When the rest of us are having chicken soup (with matzo balls!), I make a pot for my daughter using Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Broth and my usual aromatics. You cannot tell it’s vegetarian.
I make a really unhealthy and delicious potato soup, filled with butter, cheese, milk, and cajun seasoning. It’s sooo good.
‘Soup group’ is a common weekend family/friends practice in all Latin American culture ✌
Oh! I really love soup and really love this idea – just wish my friends enjoyed cooking and entertaining as much as I do! 😔
those recipes look so delicious. thanks for sharing.
in the cold winter days, soups are my go-to dishes. here’s a tip for tomato soup. when the soup is ready, add 2 or 3 tbsp of plain greek yogurt, then stir immediately until it is completely absorbed. yum!
Chicken sausage, white bean and spinach soup isn’t go to. Soo tasty, especially when topped with parm. Freezes well also!
My Mom held a weekly soup night all through the winters when my siblings and I were in high school. All of our friends at school had a standing invitation. She invested in a few crock pots and would put out bread and cook up two or three different types of soup. Sometimes 4 people would show up and sometimes 30 but there was always enough soup and our friends absolutely loved it. It meant my Mom got at least one night a week with all her teenagers home and for some of my friends it was their one home cooked meal each week. I’m almost 30 now and anytime I run into an old high school friend, they’ll say without fail, “Remember Soup Night? Man that was the best!”
That is so cool! I love your mom’s idea :)
This is so endearing! What a kind and generous mom you have!
Pinch of yum has great soup ideas. I made the wild rice and mushroom (which I normally won’t eat, the secret is to cut the mushrooms super small) earlier this week.
I’m obsessed with Ina Garten’s roasted tomato and basil soup. Pozole is oddly easy to make and so yummy. People always think it’s way more involved than it actually is. I make mine with a pork shoulder and add lots of dried oregano and red chili flakes, lemon juice, white onion, radishes and shredded cabbage once it’s done.
I’ve been looking for the best dairy-free tomato (or yellow tomato soup) if y’all know of a good and creamy recipe please hit me up! <3
One way to fake the creamy is by blending in some cooked white beans. You can also add a touch of unsweetened nut milk, too
https://ohsheglows.com/2011/09/23/creamy-roasted-tomato-garlic-onion-coconut-soup/
I made this one recently and thought it was very good!
https://food52.com/recipes/78495-j-kenji-lopez-alt-s-15-minute-creamy-vegan-tomato-soup
Making soup is my favourite pastime. My husband and I once got in a fight about our finances and I said through tears, “I just want a soup pot!!!!”
Here are my favourites, the ones I make again and again:
1) Four corners lentil soup by My New Roots (so simple, but so good)
2) Damn Good Chili on Epicurious (don’t ever make another chili)
3) Slow-roasted tomato soup from My Father’s Daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow (hot tip: freeze slow-roasted tomatoes)
4) Moroccan Carrot Soup on Epicurious
5) Caramelized onion + roasted tomato soup from Rebar (THIS IS THE BEST SOUP EVER, all-time favorite, serve with crusty cheesy bread)
And the one I am dying to make, hopefully Sunday … THE STEW!!! Allison Roman, if you’re reading this, can we have coffee sometime? I love you.
Oh and then I had the most insane lentil + smoked pork soup the other day from a butcher.
Can you tell that I’m obsessed?
I have made the stew!!! It lives up to the hype! I sometimes add grilled tofu / broccoli for the kids but the original recipe is amazing. I used half the coconut milk though. Also loooove the cabbage and farro soup from smitten kitchen! So good – simple, healthy, hearty!
I second four corners lentil soup / my new roots! So simple and soooo good! Double the recipe and done in 45 mins.
The Stew is soooo good! Very rich though, so I think next time I will also try half the coconut milk. But the spices are so nice — it’s a very warming and soothing meal!
What’s Rebar? I love tomato soup! Thanks
#5 sounds amazing, but not sure where you mean… is Rebar a food blog?
This it the Rebar recipe (it’s one of the OG vegetarian cookbooks, restaurant on Vancouver Island I believe):
http://portandfin.com/slow-roasted-tomato-caramelized-onion-soup/
Ok I made The Stew and it is insane. My husband said it was the best thing I’ve ever made!?!?
Such a timely post as I prepare to embark on a twice-per-winter tradition I call “Soupapalooza,” during which I make several different soups (this year there are 6 on menu!) over the course of a weekend and freeze them for later use. A couple healthier favorites are the Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower Soup and the Turkey Meatball Vegetable Soup from Skinnytaste, and the ultimate indulgence is always Tyler Florence’s French Onion.