We’re in the thick of autumnal bliss right now. The temperatures are dropping, the rain and clouds are settling in, the leaves on the trees are turning orange, yellow, and brown, and we can feel in our bones how close we are to Peak Soup Weather. Our favorite things about soup are that they’re generally inexpensive to make, can be made in bulk, and come in all different flavors. And if you’re not a soup connoisseur, worry not. As usual, we got your back.
Simple Chicken Soup
They had us at “simple.” This one is easy to throw together because it uses canned chicken broth and not homemade stuff (but if you want chicken soup the way your grandmother made it, this recipe is excellent). It calls for some onion, a package of frozen mixed veggies, cubed pre-cooked chicken breast, and a couple cans of cream of chicken soup for flavor and texture. It’s an excellent, no hassle way to quell your cravings for the good stuff. Recipe
Basic Vegetable Soup
A good vegetable soup is one of those things that does well with everyone, from hardcore vegetarians to the kinds of guys (us) who cook pounds of bacon at a time. This recipe includes little more than some mushrooms, fennel, asparagus, carrots, garlic, celery, and whatever else you deem fit, along with a bay leaf, some good old Yukon Gold potatoes, some thyme, and a couple chopped carrots. It’s a one-pan dish that can be on the table in under an hour, and it’s healthier than any of the high-sodium junk you’ll find in a can. Recipe
Slow Cooker Pork Ramen
This one probably isn’t for the amateurs out there, but it is a bona fide delicious, at-home ramen recipe that’ll rival anything you get at your local noodle spot. The searing of the pork and cooking of the onion, garlic, and ginger in the fat is worth the extra time spent, and the straining and skimming of the broth is time consuming and can be a little messy, but it’s an absolute necessity. If you’re looking for a labor of love—and we do mean love—this recipe is the perfect thing to throw together on the weekend. Recipe
Crock Pot Taco Soup
This one is kinda cheating a bit because it’s basically soupy chili, but we swear by the stuff. Ground beef, beans, tomato, chiles, onions, pinto beans, and even black olives go into the slow cooker, and four hours later they come out in an absolutely delicious tex-mex soup that’s not only healthy, but absolutely delicious. Garnish with tortilla strips, sour cream and a little cheese, and this’ll become a recipe you’ll throw together on the weekly. Recipe
Stovetop Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup is easily one of our favorites, but it’s so damn time consuming. So, when we came across this recipe for easy stovetop butternut squash soup, we had to investigate. We gotta say, it’s the real deal. The trick here is even though it’s simple in its assembly, it requires a lot of attention to the detailed steps—browning the butter until it’s just right, not overcooking the veggies, bringing the concoction to a boil before reducing it to a simmer, blending it all together… It’s a process. But, if done right, this soup will rival the best classic butternut squash soup you’ve ever had. Recipe
New England Clam Chowder
People who don’t make soup often typically fall under the impression that New England clam chowder is tough to do. In reality, it’s a pretty easy step-by-step process that doesn’t take a long time. This recipe, from start to finish, takes just over an hour, and it is about as classic and standard a recipe as they come. The only thing we’d change about it is instead of using bacon, try salt pork. It’s thicker, and when cooked properly, adds a much-needed crunch to this Northeast classic. Recipe
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Of course, what’s a soup recipe round up without at least one good French onion. This particular recipe, however, is even better because it totally removes the pain and labor from one of the most difficult (and important) parts. The issue most people have with French onion soup is that getting the onions right takes a lot of time and attention, and it’s pretty easy to screw up. This recipe, however, makes easy work of it. Just toss the onions in your slow cooker with sugar, thyme, bay leaf, and butter, and leave them in there on high for eight hours. That sounds like a long time, but the good news is that after that, you’re only 30 minutes away from a fresh, hot crock of the best soup ever invented. Recipe
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
Another excellent and surprisingly easy recipe, this creamy ham and potato soup is to die for. The best part is that when we say easy, we mean easy. Truthfully, the most time consuming part of this entire recipe is sautéing the vegetables, which takes less than 10 minutes total. From there, it’s just combining flour, chicken stock, and milk (or heavy cream, if you prefer) until it mixes together. From there, you render it down until you like the consistency, stirring occasionally and adding salt and pepper to taste. It couldn’t be more simple. Recipe
