IT’S NOT AT ALL SOUP SEASON, MOTHERFUCKERS, AND YET IT IS ALWAYS SOUP SEASON, MOTHERFUCKERS
My viral soup post hasn’t gotten reblogged in a while and needed to be updated, and @redheadmystic asked me about it today, so here’s a brand-new master post of soups, including most of the ones that were on the list before, as well as some newer favorites. I’ve made many more soups than just this list over the past year, but these selections are my very tip-top, most enthusiastically-recommended picks.
Chef Michael Smith’s Thai Coconut (Red Curry) Soup with Chicken & Noodles
Not A Curry’s Thai Coconut (Green Curry) Shrimp Noodle Soup with Tofu
Nigella Lawson’s Cold Cure Soup (onion, orange, lime, ginger, cinnamon, chicken: your house will smell like heaven)
BA’s Chicken Khao Soi (very rich; will stick to your ribs)
BA’s Tom Ka Gai (if you can find galangal, it makes this soup)
Ellie Krieger’s Savory Carrot Cashew Soup (healthy & vegetarian)
my recipe for Pasta e Fagioli
my recipe for Creamy Spring Onion, Pea, and Zucchini Soup (easiest imaginable prep)
Victoria Granof’s Pasta con Ceci (sometimes I like it thick, more like a pasta dish, and sometimes I add more water and loosen it up because I want it brothier, like a soup)
my adapted version of Caldo Xóchitl(-ish)
Smitten Kitchen’s 44-Clove Garlic Soup (don’t be afraid of the number; it’s surprisingly refined and understated)
Yvette Van Boven’s Daube Provençal (stew beef marinated in, then simmered with orange, olives, and a whole bottle of Côtes du Rhône)
BA’s Poached Cod with Tomato & Saffron (note: I double all the ingredients but the fish, and add olives and capers, to make this more like a stew than a poach)
America’s Test Kitchen’s brilliant Creamy Cauliflower Soup (nearly dairy free, but super creamy)
my own recipe for Vichyssoise, adapted from a 1962 recipe in Gourmet
Alison Roman’s Spicy Noodle Soup with Mushrooms & Herbs (vegan)
Sue Li’s Lemony Shrimp & Bean Stew
Colu Henry’s Roasted Tomato & White Bean Stew
Kay Chun’s Hot and Sour Dumpling Soup
Eric Kim’s Cornish Game Hen Soup with Garlic, Ginger, and Fried Shallots
With Spice’s Cabbage, Onion, and Farro Soup
Veselka’s Cabbage, Sauerkraut, and Pork Soup
Classic Billi Bi (an elegant, wine-y, old-school cream of mussels soup)
Julia Turshen’s Chicken Tortilla Soup with the Works (requires a huge pot and an entire afternoon. Worth it.)
Elaine Louie’s completely brilliant Miso French Onion Soup (vegan if you leave out the melted cheese at the end)
Adding these newly discovered favorites to the list:
Andrea Nguyen’s Vietnamese Canh. Shrimp, onion, ginger, fish sauce, mustard greens: very simple, clean flavors, takes just a few minutes, and absolutely lovely with some glass noodles in it, plus a little sriracha and/or hoisin.
Urvashi Pitre’s Instant Pot Tom Kha Soup. This comes the closest of any soup I’ve ever made to my favorite restaurant version of coconut shrimp soup. Do leave the shrimp tails on, if you can: it gives the broth more flavor and makes it come out absolutely bewitching and addictive. I usually throw in half a block of cubed tofu at the end, as well.
Marcella Hazan’s Broccoli and Potato Soup. Aesthetically, this is a homely soup, but it is so comforting and delicious, especially served with a spoonful of crème fraîche swirled into the bowl at the end. This soup benefits from using homemade rather than boxed or bouillon broth.
Rotisserie Chicken Soup with Pierogi and Lots of Herbs. This one relies on boxed broth and frozen pierogies: easy, fast, and as homey and cozy as a warm blanket.
Pat Tanumiharja’s Instant Pot Soto Ayam. This Indonesian soup is amazing and richly aromatic and chickeny, but all the garnishes/fixings take it right over the top into the sublime. I always use all of the ones suggested in the recipe.
J. Kenji López-Alt’s 30-Minute Pressure Cooker Pho Ga. This soup changed our life this year. The amount of flavor you can get out of the aromatics and chicken in just a half-hour in the instant pot is nothing short of mind-blowing. I’ve learned to be sure and get a good, deep char on the onion and ginger before proceeding to the other ingredients.
Spicy Kimchi Miso Soup. This vegetarian one helped get us through a long, cold winter. I usually serve this with a scoop of rice.
Instant Pot Kimchi Beef Stew (Kimchi Jigae). This one is similar, but it’s much heartier from the beef. I also learned from firsthand experience that it freezes and reheats very well.
Carla Lalli Music’s Hammy Chickpea Soup. I normally soak the chickpeas overnight (even though the recipe doesn’t call for it) to make sure they cook evenly the next day. This soup is genius: all the carrot, garlic, and onion that cook in the soup with the legumes get fished out and put into a bowl with some of the broth, plus a scoop of the chickpeas, and pureed into a vegetal thickener for the soup. This stuff is out of this world. I forgot to add the red pepper flakes the first time I made this, and now I skip them on purpose because I actually prefer the soup mild.
Turkey Soup with Lime and Chile. We had this the day after Thanksgiving to use up leftover turkey. It’s dynamite.
Pressure Cooker Miso Chicken Ramen with Bok Choy. Makes a great (and easy) base for ramen, and all that’s involved is throwing everything into the instant pot – no searing or sautéing or extra steps – so it’s great for a weeknight.
Urvashi Pitre’s Instant Pot Indian Tomato Coconut Soup. This tasted like the Indian version of Campbell’s tomato soup. It’s sweet and spicy and wonderful.
Hot or Cold Creamy Lettuce Soup. So, this never comes out as pretty color-wise or as smooth as in the photo, but it is so delicious. I love it hot or cold, especially with a few drops of truffle oil on top.
Half Baked Harvest’s Instant Pot Pesto Zuppa Toscana. Made this twice. It’s so bright and rich and hearty (and easy).
Joshua McFadden’s Cream of Celery Soup with Celery Leaf, Vinegar-Plumped Raisin, and Toasted Walnut Relish. I was stunned by the ferocity of how much I loved this soup. It is pure, beautiful celery (plus sweet/crunchy/rich with the toppings).
Molly Baz’s Coconut Cod Chowder with Seasoned Oyster Crackers. The warm broth and spices – coconut, ginger, coriander, turmeric, cardamom – transform the leek, potato, and cod. This was a revelation, such an inspired combination of flavors: thick, rich, bright, fragrant, slightly spicy. And those seasoned oyster crackers are genius.
Hi everyone! I haven’t done a soup masterpost in a while, so here’s an updated list of favorites/discoveries from the past year or so.
