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Best Soup Recipes: Soups, Stews, Chowders | The Old Farmer's Almanac

Soup Recipes: Soups, Stews, and Chowders

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Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Hearty, Healthy, Delicious Soups for Every Season

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This is the perfect season for soup recipes! Warm and nourishing in cold or rainy weather, soups serve as a delicious lunch, side, or main meal with some good bread and salad. Here are some super-satisfying soups, chowders, and stews—including Granny’s Chicken Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, German Potato Soup, and many more!

Granny’s Best Chicken Soup

This chicken soup is the classic. Yes, it’s handed down from grandma! Generations of grandmas in cultures around the world have relied on chicken soup to treat the congestion, fever, aches, and chills of respiratory infections.

Granny's Best Chicken Soup
Granny’s Best Chicken Soup

Jambalaya Soup

A hearty meal for winter months, this cold and flu fighter may even convince you to change up your chicken soup routine.

Jambalaya Soup
Jambalaya Soup
Photo credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Cauliflower and Brie Soup

Serve this rich soup with bread and a salad for a complete meal. This dish is a good example of how a soft cheese such as Brie can enhance soup’s flavor.

Cauliflower and Brie Soup
Cauliflower and Brie Soup
Photo credit: Yulia Davidovich/Shutterstock

Ginger Thai Pumpkin Soup

This Thai-inspired creamy pumpkin soup is smooth and flavorful. It has warm and cozy curry-coconut flavors but isn’t too spicy.

Ginger Thai Pumpkin Soup
Ginger Thai Pumpkin Soup
Photo credit: M Shev/Shutterstock

Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup 

Meat, legumes, and a leafy green—what more could you ask for in a soup? To add even more color and sweetness, substitute diced winter squash for the potato. Whether you use potato or squash, add cooked pasta at the end, and you’ve got minestrone!

Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup
Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup 
Photo Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Aroostook Potato and Broccoli Soup 

A hearty, potato-based soup designed for cold winters—like those in northern Maine, where this recipe originates from.

Aroostook Potato and Broccoli Soup
Aroostook Potato and Broccoli Soup 

Low-Country Chowder

Low-country cuisine stems from the South Carolina Lowcountry and Georgia coast. This recipe for Low-Country Chowder takes all of the flavors you love from a Low-Country boil and turns it into a creamy and satisfying one-pot dish.

Low-Country Chowder
Low-Country Chowder
Photo credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Vermont Butternut Squash Soup 

Sweet maple syrup really brings out the butternut squash!

Vermont Butternut Squash Soup. Photo by Becky Luigart-Stayner.
Vermont Butternut Squash Soup 
Photo credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

German Potato Soup

With vegetables, noodles, and bacon, this German Potato Soup is a wonderfully simple and hearty meal on a cool night!

recipe-german_potato_soup_final.jpg
German Potato Soup
Photo credit: Sam Jones/Quinn Brein

Potato and Kale Soup 

We served this Potato and Kale Soup to the Almanac editors, and everyone loved it! The soup is especially welcome in the winter months, when kale is at its peak.

Potato and Kale Soup. Photo by Gaus Alex/Shutterstock.
Potato and Kale Soup 
Photo Credit: Gaus Alex/Shutterstock

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Everything you love about Mexican food… made into a soup! Spices and a jalapeño pepper give this soup a slight kick but feel free to adjust it for your own taste.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Photo Credit: Elena Shashkina/Shutterstock 

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Set it and forget it—that’s the beauty of slow cookers! With just a little prep and patience, you can make this delicious French onion soup.

French Onion Soup. Photo by Becky Luigart-Stayner.
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Photo Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

More Soup Recipes

Stew Recipes

Chowder Recipes

Soup Toppings

Add interest to your soup with toppings! It can make a big difference to your everyday soups such as tomato and carrot or squash. Here are some topping ideas:

  • Toasted pumpkin seeds and pecans are great on heartier soups such as squash, pumpkin, and black bean soup.
  • Chopped pistachios adds texture, too.
  • Stir pesto into tomato or red pepper soups. 
  • Yogurt pairs well with beet soup or a spicy soup.
  • Fresh herbs (tarragon, dill) are wonderful added to soup, too.
  • You could even add potato chips for salty crunch! Be creative!

To boost the nutritional content of soups, simply add grains or beans. See our Guide to Grains.

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprise that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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