Is there is anything more satisfying than a homemade soup on a chilly day? As soon as the weather turns cool, we do a weekly pot of homemade soup to satisfy all of our soup cravings. I used to have a house full of people who did not enjoy soup. After dedicating a year of cooking to finding soups that they would eat, I am proud to say that every person in our house looks forward to soup night now.
Soup is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the week. Each Saturday, I make a double batch of soup for the week. Our first night of after school activities happens on Monday so we enjoy a bowl on that night, instead of dining out. There is less of a brown bag slump on Wednesday when I send a thermos of soup with my kids to switch up their usual pb & j routine. Surprise guests for lunch? No problem, homemade soup is always a winner!
Soup and homemade bread is an inexpensive endeavor for a weeknight meal. One lunch at that fancy bread & soup place in town for our family of four can easily cost $25 for what I consider to be, “pauper’s food.” When I can make a huge pot at home for less than $10 that can feed our family for entire week, I know that we are eating well and staying within our grocery budget.
I am looking forward to trying and sharing many more soup recipes with you this fall and winter. Today I want to share six of my favorite soups that I think you will love and a few ideas for the perfect sides to enjoy with them! You will absolutely love these soups, I just know it!
If you are looking for a soup with that tastes deliciously homemade, but can be prepared in about 30 minutes and happily feed your family for a week, then this is the soup for you. The trick with this soup is starting with a good well-seasoned base and then working from there with quicker cooking techniques and ingredients.
Soulful, satisfying, rich, delicious, comforting, and restaurant-worthy! This is the soup that my children now beg for whenever they feel under the weather. My daughter has deemed this, “mommy’s magic soup,” and it really is magical. This is definitely a lot cheaper than going out for soup and you can enjoy these leftovers all week long! Loved by all in our family, it is a recipe that I will be repeating again and again!
Easy Weeknight Chicken Noodle Soup
Serve This With: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes
Sometimes all you are looking for a dish that is simple, satisfying, and easy on your wallet. This dish is all of that and more, and this soup happened to be the first time that I have attempted a lentil soup in the kitchen. The results were nothing short of fabulous and a batch of this soup yielded a week’s worth of delicious lunches just for me.
If you haven’t cooked with lentils before, you should really give them a try! Unlike dried beans, lentils do not require any pre-soaking overnight prior to being cooked. Instead, most cooks recommend that you first pick over these legumes, and remove any that look broken or damaged. A quick rinse after you have picked out the damaged lentils, and you are ready to go. The ease and minimal prep time for cooking these is why lentils are a wonderful and easy addition to any soup!
Lentil Soup
Serve This With: Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Each family member has their own favorite soup and my husband firmly states that this California Italian Wedding Soup is the most comforting and satisfying soup on our family’s soup agenda. Satisfyingly hardy with meatballs blended with ground turkey & beef , but also surprisingly light with fresh basil, spinach, and hints of lemon in every bite… it truly is a delicious soup treat for the whole family.
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this soup and with a double batch of baked meatballs in the fridge, you will have a great soup to feed a small army with a minimal amount of effort!
California Italian Wedding Soup
Serve This With: Portuguese White Bread
Black bean soup is one of my own favorite lunches because it is rich and satisfying, while offering a delicious meat-free option for lunch. The addition of roasted red peppers in this soup makes it a clear winner because it balances out that heaviness that can exist with a basic black bean soup.
The spices are perfect in this, the roasted red pepper adds a beautiful color and flavor to the soup, the sour cream adds that perfect balance of creaminess, and the beans add that filling soup combination to help keep you full throughout the day, while the chicken broth makes this soup light enough that even black bean soup haters could learn to love it… well, most black bean soup haters.
Black Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Serve With: Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
This soup… oh, this soup. Words seem indescribable to explain how it tastes like love, like comfort, and like coming home. If ever there was a soup that a girl could be proud of, this is my soup. It is rich and creamy tasting, but lightened with lemon. It is, in my humble opinion, the best pot of soup I have ever made.
If you are looking for a soup that is entertaining worthy, than this is the soup for you. Paired with my bread machine pitas, it is like going out to your favorite Greek restaurant, but enjoying every moment of that experience in the comfort of your own home.
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Serve With: Bread Machine Pitas
This tortellini soup brought together all of the flavors that my family loves, but is a versatile recipe that could be created with what is at your supermarket that day or what your family loves to eat. For our vegetarian readers, the chicken tortellini and chicken broth can easily be switched to a cheese-filled tortellini with vegetable broth instead. I used basil pesto in this, but you could also try a sun-dried tomato pesto or omit the pesto altogether if it is not a favorite of your family. Versatility is the beauty of a good soup recipe and this recipe is quite versatile!
The broth for this is so rich and flavorful, thanks to the addition of the pesto, and the tortellini is tender and mixed with the brightness of the flavors from the diced tomatoes and spinach. It is delicious and satisfying.
Pesto Chicken Tortellini Soup
Serve With: Sinfully Sweet Cornbread
If you aren’t part of our Facebook community than you are missing out on some great information and discussions happening there. Last week I discovered that Walmart carries chilled rotisserie chickens for $3.98. It has shaved a couple of dollars off of my soup budget this week and I love to use these to start the base for my chicken soup recipes. Feel free to join in on our discussions and share your latest grocery finds!
The soup pot is on! What is your family’s favorite soup? Feel free to share your favorite recipes or links to your favorite soup dishes!