Winter should officially be renamed as soup season! Seriously, the chilly weather outside gets complemented perfectly by a hot bowl of soup, nourishing your body.
Soups are a common comfort food during winter. So much so that many people consider winter to be the season of soups! And why would you not? Soups are warm, complementing the cold, windy winter weather outside. It nourishes your body and soul, providing you with warmth and comfort on cold nights. It is also a great source of nutrients that your body needs. An additional point for people who do not like eating vegetables, soups can blend these veggies like crazy and you won’t even feel them while eating your bowl.
The various points for soups are famous, especially in winter are not over it. Broth-based soups are great options for your body’s hydration, which is a necessity in cooler weather. On top of that, making soups at home is affordable and budget-friendly, providing you with a nourishing meal choice. To put it simply, soups are superfoods that bring necessary comfort during cold winter nights and days.
Turns out the super tasty and nutritious soups that you crave on winter nights are super easy to make too. So, here are the recipe of 5 extremely healthy soup recipes that you can make at home and absolutely need this winter season. Let’s start.
- French Lentil and Carrot Soup
The French people did something when they made this soup. It is crazy to think how changing a few ingredients can make such a huge difference to the taste. Here, we will get to learn how you can make the very easy and very delicious French lentil and carrot soup at home!
Ingredients –
- 5 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1-1/2 cups dried green lentils, rinsed
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups cubed rotisserie chicken
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
How to cook it –
This takes a bit more time to cook, but the benefits are amazing! Take the first 7 ingredients place them all together in a cooker and cover. Now turn on the cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low heat, or until the lentils are tender. Then, stir in the chicken and cream. Now, cover the cooker and cook until it the heated through. This would take you another 15 minutes. You can increase or decrease the amount of heavy cream based on your preference. You can even eliminate the ingredients completely if you don’t like heavy cream, however, we vote for the extra creaminess!
- Chicken Noodle Soup
If you have fallen sick and your mom noticed it, there is like 90 percent chance that she made it for you! Relive the comfort this winter by making chicken noodle soup at home, by yourself. To prep the ingredients you would need around 15 minutes and then in another 45 minutes, your soup would be ready to serve. The best part is that you don’t even need a whole chicken to make this soup.
To make this bowl your ultimate comfort food, we recommend getting the egg noodles. These wide and flat noodles will add a lot of flavor and they give the dish a slightly chewy texture. But, other small-sized pastas would work for this soup too.
Ingredients –
- Onions, carrots and celery
- Egg noodles or small-sized pastas
- Chicken broth
- Chicken thighs
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
How to make it –
First, we will prepare the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with the help of a couple of paper towels and sprinkle salt and pepper to season it properly. Now take a stockpot and add oil over the heat of medium-high. Separate the chicken, add them in batches, and cook them until they turn golden brown. This would take you around three to four minutes. Now, remove the chicken from the pot and keep some of the dripping for the soup. Add in the onion and cook them in the remaining drippings. Once the onions are tender, add garlic and cook them together. It is now time to add the broth and bring it to a boil while stirring continuously.
Return the browned chicken to the pot and add celery, carrots, bay leaves, and thyme. Reduce the heat, cover the cooker, and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes. This will make the chicken tender and once they are, take the chicken out and place them on a plate. Remove the pot from the heat, and add the noodles.
Let the cooker stay covered for 20-25 minutes until the noodles are tender. Shred the chicken over the pot and your chicken noodle soup is ready!
- Beefy Sweet Potato Soup
This is one of those soups that has got everything, meat, vegetables, enriched flavors, warmth, and comfort. So, try out when you are cold or it is cold out there. You will never forget the feeling of sipping this Beefy Sweet Potato Soup. This water-based works wonderfully if you have a hungry family by your side!
Ingredients –
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 2 pounds beef sirloin tip roast, preferably cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups chopped sweet onion
- 2 medium sweet potatoes cut into 1-inch
- 2 cans of Italian stewed tomatoes, undrained (14-1/2 ounces each)
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1 carton (32 ounces) beef broth
- 4 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups (about 10 ounces) frozen corn
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
- Additional salt and pepper
How to make it –
Take a stockpot or a Dutch oven, place it on medium heat, and heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Season the beef with salt and pepper and brown them in batches. You can add oil if necessary. After the meat is done, remove it from the heat and add onions and sweet potatoes to the pan. Stir and cook until the onions are light golden brown in color and translucent. Take the tomatoes to make a puree and get a double thickness of cheesecloth.
Add thyme and rosemary to the cloth and gather the corners of the cloth to make a herb pocket, tie it securely with a string. Now, return the beef into the pan, and broth, the tomato puree, and the spice pocket. After bringing it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer over medium heat until the potatoes and meat are almost tender. This would take you about 20 minutes.
Now add green beans and cook them until all of them are completely tender. Take chocolate, coffee, and corn and add them to the pan. Stir them until everything is blended, discard the spice pocket, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Dig in!
- Tomato Soup
If there was a soup competition, this one would be considered a classic! It is our good old tomato, but only the best kind. If you are in the mood for a grilled cheese and tomato soup, this one is the ideal recipe that you would need. For preparations, you need about 20 minutes and the cooking would take you another 30 minutes. So, let’s start.
Ingredients –
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Red pepper flakes
- Carrots
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Chicken stock
- Tomato paste
- Salt and pepper
- Basil leaves
- Garlic, finely chopped
- A pinch of sugar
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Heavy whipping cream
How to make it –
The first step would be to cook the veggies. For that, you need a Dutch oven or a pot and heat the oil and butter together. Once the butter is melted, add chopped carrots and onion, and over medium heat cook them together uncovered. Here, you need to stir constantly until the veggies are softened. Now, add garlic and the basil leaves for another minute.
It is time for tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir constantly and mix them well. Reduce the heat once the mixture is up to a boil now, simmer them uncovered for 20-25 minutes. This will help the flavors blend together. Remove the pot and use a blender to puree everything. If necessary, puree in batches to make sure everything is nicely blended. To make the soup creamier, add heavy whipping cream and stir continuously to incorporate the cream into the soup.
Return the pot to the stove to heat through the soup. Put the basil leaves and cheese to garnish well and get your grilled cheese out!
- Vegetable soup
This is another classic that you absolutely cannot miss during the winter. This vegetable soup is the absolute cure for your soul during the cold nights. With a preparation time of 25 minutes, you would another 1 hour and 20 minutes to cook the soup but it is so worth it. Making the soup from scratch is easier than you think so let’s jump into the recipe.
Ingredients –
- Olive oil
- Vegetables – carrots, onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, cabbage, and frozen cut green beans, peas and corn.
- Chickpeas or garbanzo beans
- Chicken bouillon granules
- Dried parsley flakes
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
- Marjoram
- Basil
- Salt and pepper
- V8 juice
- Diced tomatoes (One whole can)
How to make it –
Take a large stockpot, heat up the oil, and saute all the vegetables. Cook them until they are crisp-tender over medium heat and then add garlic. Now it is time to add the remaining ingredients together. Add chopped cabbage, frozen peas, frozen corn, frozen green beans, chickpeas, seasonings, diced tomatoes, v8 juice, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat. Keep it covered and let the soup simmer until the vegetables are tender. Now, remove the bay leaf and serve this with bread or as a stand-out!
