13 Hot Soups for Cold Times

 

I am a great maker of lists. What I’d like to become, however, is a great user of lists. When the air hurts my face and I get pinned in by blizzard conditions and lingering cold, I begin to believe that such a thing could be possible. Perhaps, with the right list I could become more than just a scribbler. Perhaps I could start by cooking (and eating) my way through a list of hot, steamy, satisfying soups.

There are many kinds of soups here, each from The Messy Apron Archives. Most are heavily vegetable based, but some have a bit of meat or are made with chicken broth. Most ingredients can be free-wheeled, switched up, swapped out, converted to vegetarian, or made meaty for carnivores. The important thing about them all is that they have the potential to nourish well and warm from the inside.

Here are the recipes and ideas I stand by throughout the winter. Most of them I return to often, sometimes making exactly as printed, other times taking advantage of soup’s flexibility.

They may take a little extra time, but creamy pureed soups like these are thick and hearty and flavorful:

Creamy White Onion Soup (above)

Spicy Carrot and Apple Soup with Coconut Milk

Chard Soup with Cilantro and Lime

Creamy Cabbage and Potato Soup

 

I love the extra nutritional boost from beans that make these soups eat like a meal:

Black Bean Soup with Salsa

Roasted Squash Soup with Black Beans and Salsa

White Bean Soup with Bacon,Squash and Kale

Chickpea and Barley Soup with Fennel and Tomatoes

Thick vegetable soups like these may help you fall in love with both vegetables and winter:

Root Vegetable Soup with Mustard

Tomato and Roasted Pepper Soup

Broth-based soups with a little meat are classic and they can be kicked up like these two to ensure a complete lack of boredom:

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Sausage and Spinach Soup

And finally, this Noodle Bowl with Spicy Greens starts with an especially flavorful broth and is composed to taste by the serving.

 

No matter how cold the weather, it’s important to be able to keep our hearts warm and help warm the hearts of others. Soups, which are not hard to make and are so easy to share, can help us accomplish that by literally warming us all from the inside out. Enjoy!