100 Best Soup Recipes

January 17, 2017
Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos
Sometimes, a comforting bowl of soup is all you need. These incredible soup recipes are our absolute favorites, and they venture into all different kinds of flavor territories. From a simple chicken noodle bowl, to a more complex beef stew, these soup recipes are sure to warm you up from head to toe.
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Bacon and Beef Stew 

Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Cat Steele
Bacon and Beef Stew  Recipe

 Savory, rich bacon and beef pair perfectly with beer, mustard, and red wine vinegar creating a well-rounded, complex flavor profile. The recipe comes together quickly and makes 16 cups--enough for 12 generous servings. Make sure to use low sodium beef broth to keep a balanced salt level. Serve with crusty bread, cornbread, or butter rolls. 

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Bacon-Corn Chowder with Shrimp

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Bacon-Corn Chowder with Shrimp Recipe

Serve this hearty chowder as either a light first course for six, or a filling main course for four. 

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Cheesy Potato Soup

Photo: Johnny Autry and Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
Cheesy Potato Soup Recipe

Serve a rich and hearty cheesy soup for a comforting cool-weather dinner.

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Slow Cooker Chicken, Bacon, and Potato Soup

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Slow Cooker Chicken, Bacon, and Potato Soup Recipe

This soup is perfect for ushering in fall: It's hearty enough for the beginning of soup season, yet brothy and veggie-packed so that it doesn't feel too heavy. Pair it with a slaw or kale side salad and crusty whole-grain bread for a light, satisfying dinner. This recipe is ideal for a weekend, when you can check on the slow cooker after just a few hours; though you won't be able to leave the soup unattended all day, this still offers the benefit of hands-free, fuss-free cooking. Either baby red, Yukon Gold, or fingerling potatoes will work well here, as they'll maintain their shape nicely during cooking.

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Onion, Kale, Chickpea, and Chicken Soup

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Onion, Kale, Chickpea, and Chicken Soup Recipe

Few things beat a steaming bowl of veggie-packed chicken soup on a crisp autumn evening, and this one happens to be a perfect potion for the seasonal chills. You can leave the thyme sprigs in the broth (just ladle around them) so they'll keep releasing herbaceous goodness into any leftovers.

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Soulful Chicken Soup

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Victor Protazio
Soulful Chicken Soup Recipe

No dish is quite as soothing as a hearty bowl of chicken noodle soup. Slow cookers couldn't have made the road to comfort any easier: Simply toss in the ingredients, switch on, and then walk away. We love old-fashioned, wide egg noodles for this recipe. To make sure they aren't mushy and overcooked, don't leave them in the slow cooker any longer than 10 minutes.

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Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck
Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings Recipe
Make a classic chicken and dumplings recipe even more Southern by topping the vegetable-and-chicken-packed stew with cornbread dumplings.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Recipe

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

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Creamy Leek and Parsnip Soup

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps
Creamy Leek and Parsnip Soup Recipe

This delicious Creamy Leek and Parsnip Soup is perfect for serving on a chilly fall evening. 

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Smoky Ham and Split Pea Soup

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Smoky Ham and Split Pea Soup Recipe

Potatoes contribute starchiness and silky thickness, while sweet carrots and salty ham balance out the peas' light, earthy flavor. Leftovers fare well in the freezer, so say hello to your new favorite make-ahead soup. Garnish with parsley and additional pepper, if desired.

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Black Garlic and Lentil Soup

Photo: Eric Wolfinger
Black Garlic and Lentil Soup Recipe

For Bar Tartine in San Francisco, chef Nick Balla created this smoky, earthy soup as a tribute to his Hungarian-America father. Dried chiles, paprika sausage, hot paprika, and black garlic--regular garlic roasted for days until it turns sweet and jet black, with a licorice-like flavor--give the soup a rounded spiciness.

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Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup

Photo: Christopher Testani; Styling: Alistair Turnbull
Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe
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Potato Soup

Oxmoor House
Potato Soup Recipe

Warm, comforting, and so delicious, this classic potato soup is the ultimate bowl of comfort food. Becuase more cheese is always better, this classic soup gets a double hit of cheese--both stirred into the soup and sprinkled over the top. Bacon bits lend a baked potato flavor and feel to this creamy, crowd-pleasing soup. Simply place the ingredients into a slow cooker and let it do all of the work for you.

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Smoked Sausage Cassoulet

Oxmoor House
Smoked Sausage Cassoulet Recipe

This hearty soup is exploding with flavors. Meat lovers will crave this bacon-packed and sausage-enriched delight. For a thicker consistency, let the cassoulet stand 30 minutes before serving.

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Loaded Faux-Tato Soup

Meredith Food Studios 
Loaded Faux-Tato Soup Recipe

This super easy soup is just like a loaded baked potato, but has half the carbs thanks to a secret ingredient - cauliflower. It's silky, thick, hearty, and filling, and doesn't contain any grainy cauliflower bits. The toppings - bacon, cheese, sour cream, and fresh scallions - cut the soup's richness by adding crunch, tang, and savory flavors. Go ahead and make it for the family on a chilly night. Nobody will know you're faking it. 

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Slow Cooker Cioppino

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Slow Cooker Cioppino Recipe

Simmering the base of this rich stew in the slow cooker allows for ultimate flavor concentration. When you're almost ready to serve, add raw fish to poach quickly. A signature dish of the West Coast, cioppino can be made with a wide variety of fish and shellfish, so feel free to ­experiment with your favorites.

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Tomato-and-Red Pepper Soup

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Tomato-and-Red Pepper Soup Recipe

Red pepper adds a tangy zest to this classic crowd-pleaser.

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Italian Wedding Soup

Photo: Jason Varney; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
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Shredded Chicken Tortilla Soup

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Shredded Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Use Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff ingredients to prepare this tortilla soup topped with homemade tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, and lime wedges. 

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Sugar Baby Butternut Soup

Sugar Baby Butternut Soup Recipe

This great autumnal soup gets a dose of added warmth, sweetness, depth from Sugar Babies, a classic candy that is comprised of caramelized sugar and buttery flavor notes. If you find yourself with leftover Halloween candy, put it to good use as a surprising ingredient in this fantastic soup. While most would probably opt to use leftover candy in a dessert, this soup takes creativity to the next level by incorprating it into a savory dish. Grab a spoonful and dig right in! 

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Creamy White Bean Soup with Smoked Ham Hocks

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Cindy Barr    
Creamy White Bean Soup with Smoked Ham Hocks Recipe
Creamy, starchy, and filling, this hearty, rustic soup is the epitome of comfort. And convenient: Beans go in dry--no need to soak.
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Soup a Sundale

Greg DuPree
Soup a Sundale Recipe

This recipe comes courtesy best-selling author Ann Hood, whose book of stories and recipes, Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food, is out soon. For convenience, Hood sometimes makes the meatballs ahead of time, freezes them, and thaws them before adding to the soup. She likes to make her own chicken stock for even richer flavor: She puts the picked carcass bones of a roast chicken (or a picked rotisserie chicken) in a Dutch oven, covers it with water, then adds three carrots before simmering.

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Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Soup

Caitlin Bensel
Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Soup Recipe

Traditional Vietnamese phở recipes require hours of hands-on cooking; this slow cooker version lets you off the hook in 40 minutes. Toast the spices and sear the short ribs first to add layers of flavor to this beautifully brothy soup.

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Ham, Kale, and White Bean Soup

Photo: Jennifer Causey
Ham, Kale, and White Bean Soup Recipe

The water used to cook a pot of beans is really liquid gold, infused with aromatics and thickened with starch from the beans. It makes perfect sense to give the cooking liquid a second life as the broth for the soup (and save the trouble of rinsing and draining). The ham hock will season the broth and the beans as they cook; you won’t need additional salt once they are done. Instead of cooking the kale and carrots in the soup, give them a quick sauté and stir them in at the end so they retain their vibrancy. 

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Roasted Carrot and Coconut Soup

Kelsey Hansen
Roasted Carrot and Coconut Soup Recipe

Avocado and coconut milk give this vegetarian soup a decadent, buttery texture; fiber-rich lentils and beans make it surprisingly filling. Keep your pantry stocked with these staples to help you throw this soup together in no time.

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Slow Cooker Lazy Lasagna Soup

Jennifer Causey
Slow Cooker Lazy Lasagna Soup Recipe

Your family will love this fun departure from the Italian classic—and you’ll love its ease and simplicity. Want to make it in an Instant Pot? Get the recipe here.

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Tortilla Soup

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell 
Tortilla Soup Recipe

Soup and the slow cooker are natural combos, and this recipe for Tortilla Soup doesn't disappoint.

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Best Ever Seafood Gumbo

Photo: Cedric Angeles; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Best Ever Seafood Gumbo Recipe

The genius of this menu is that most of the work can be done ahead of time

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Tomato-Red Pepper Gazpacho with Fresh Vegetable Medley

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Linda Hirst
Tomato-Red Pepper Gazpacho with Fresh Vegetable Medley Recipe

Topping tomato and red pepper-flavored gazpacho with fresh veggies makes a refreshing summer soup. 

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Turkey and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Turkey and Andouille Sausage Gumbo Recipe

This gumbo is a great use for leftover roasted turkey, though cooked chicken will also work. We skip the long-stirred roux here in favor of filé powder, a thickener made from the sassafras plant; look for it on the spice aisle. For the best results, stir in the filé powder off the heat.

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Slow-Cooker Jambalaya Soup

Jennifer Causey
Slow-Cooker Jambalaya Soup Recipe

Look for andouille near the smoked sausages in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Want to make this soup in your Instant Pot? Click here for the recipe. 

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Lemony Greek Chicken Soup

Kelsey Hansen
Lemony Greek Chicken Soup Recipe

This 20-minute dish provides 32g of protein and is just 261 calories per serving. To ensure this comforting soup’s velvety texture, whisk a little of the hot broth into the eggs before adding them to the pot; it cooks them gently and prevents curdling.

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Instant Pot Chicken Soup

Meredith Food Studios
Instant Pot Chicken Soup Recipe

This chicken noodle soup may be simple, but nothing's wrong with that. Your Instant Pot or pressure cooker of choice makes this comforting and savory classic in just an hour. 

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Instant Pot Turkey and Sage Dumpling Soup

Greg DuPree
Instant Pot Turkey and Sage Dumpling Soup Recipe

Can’t find turkey cutlets? Use chicken cutlets or breasts. Serve the soup with a crunchy salad and citrus vinaigrette. Gina Homolka is the founder of skinnytaste.com and @skinnytaste.

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Chilled Avocado and Yogurt Soup

Photo: Thomas J. Story
Chilled Avocado and Yogurt Soup Recipe

This fresh Greek-inspired soup comes together in minutes. Buttermilk gives it a soupy consistency without changing the yogurt's flavor.

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Golden Beet Soup with Toasted Grains

Photo: Christopher Testani; Styling: Carla Gonzalez-Hart
Golden Beet Soup with Toasted Grains Recipe

Toasted amaranth adds a nutty flavor that's truly delicious; sesame seeds make a good substitute.

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Creamy Artichoke Soup

Caitlin Bensel
Creamy Artichoke Soup Recipe

This taste-of-spring soup is made creamy with silken tofu and just a touch of half-and-half instead of the heavy cream—slashing the calories and fat found in traditional cream soups. Frozen artichoke hearts add all the flavor of fresh artichokes without the extra prep time. If frozen artichokes aren’t available at your market, you can use three 14-oz. cans drained and rinsed artichokes hearts packed in water instead. When pureeing hot liquids in a blender, it’s always a good idea to remove the center piece of the blender lid and place a towel over top. The center hole lets steam escape and prevents a hot soup accident. Serve as a light supper with a baby kale salad tossed with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette or with toasted baguette slices topped with melted fontina or Gruyère cheese.

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