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When it’s chilly outside, cozy up to any one of these hearty soup recipes to warm your bones. Our roundup of the best winter soups includes noodle-y numbers like Tonkotsu Ramen, cheesy comforts such as Beer and Cheddar soup, a host of Italian-inspired specialties, and plenty of legume-laden delights. There’s even a soup-ified version of loaded baked potatoes for your slurping pleasure. Keep scrolling to find your new favorite cold-weather soup staples.
Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Cheddar Soup with Garlic Croutons
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel
F&W recipe developer Julia Levy adds cauliflower to the classic broccoli-cheddar combination. Savory garlic croutons serve as a crunchy topping as well as a thickener, pureed into the soup.
Fire-Roasted Pasta e Fagioli
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This traditional Italian soup calls for ditalini pasta and borlotti or red kidney beans along with charred tomatoes and peppers, salty pancetta, and bright, herbal basil.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Here’s your new go-to chicken noodle soup recipe. Make your own stock for an extra-flavorful bowl, or use store-bought chicken broth to keep prep easy. A splash of dry white wine and the optional Parmesan cheese rinds take the soup from standard to extraordinary.
Classic Split Pea Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey /Â Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser
“I haven’t met a bean or pea that I didn’t love,” says chef Steven Satterfield. Here he soaks split peas for an hour before simmering them in the soup so they’re more tender and the soup is smoother.
Creamy Gnocchi Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Abby Armstrong
Store-bought potato gnocchi soak up a creamy, garlicky broth in this easy dish from F&W recipe developer Marianne Williams. It’s loaded with Italian sausage and curly kale.
Loaded Baked Potato and Leek Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
This cozy soup combines creamy baked potatoes and sweet leeks in a rich broth then finishes with crispy pancetta, shredded cheese, and a sprinkle of chives. It delivers all the comfort of a loaded baked potato in a warm, spoon-friendly form.
Smoked Brisket Noodle Soup
Southern barbecued brisket is paired with tender egg noodles, okra, corn, and lima beans for this hearty, smoky soup.
Corsican Bean Soup with Greens and Pork
Dried cannellini beans give plenty of richness and flavor to this ultra-savory soup, which is also packed with pork and hearty vegetables like potatoes and Swiss chard.
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Move over, New England. This Manhattan clam chowder’s tomato-based broth is spiked with white wine, laced with bacon fat, and ready to do battle in the regional chowder wars. It gets delicious heft from gently mashed baby Yukon gold potatoes and chopped clam meat.
Easy Chicken and Dumplings
This satisfying one-pot meal of silky chicken and tender dumplings starts with searing chicken thighs to render fat for cooking the mirepoix, building a flavorful base for this classic dish. Self-rising flour, buttermilk, and butter are the only ingredients in the pillowy dumplings, which come together in the final minutes, simmering right in the creamy soup.
Restorative Ginger and Turmeric Noodle Soup
Hetty McKinnon says this soup is “like a hug” in winter. Garlic oil and ginger-turmeric curry paste add flavor — the paste can keep in the refrigerator for up to seven days or frozen for much longer, so it’s easy to prepare in advance.
Italian Wedding Lasagna Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
It doesn’t get much cozier than this mashup dinner of Italian pork sausage meatballs and lasagna noodles in a rich, creamy broth from F&W recipe developer Melissa Gray-Streett.
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup with Sausage)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
This hearty, brothy soup from F&W recipe developer Liz Mervosh is packed with flavorful linguiça sausage or Spanish chorizo, lacinato kale, and tender russet potatoes.
Pozole Rojo
This long-simmered soup built on a foundation of tomatoes and pork was a favorite of food journalist Priya Krishna’s when she lived in Mexico. “Choose from a selection of toppings: finely chopped onions, sliced avocado, lime, radishes, lettuce, queso fresco. Go big, or keep it simple,” she says. “That’s the true beauty of pozole: No two bowls look or taste exactly alike.”
Creamy Tuscan Chickpea Soup
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
This quick soup from Anna Theoktisto is packed with creamy chickpeas, spicy Italian sausage, and lacinato kale. A splash of heavy cream gives the chicken stock base a little more heft — perfect for sopping up with crusty bread.
French Onion Soup with Roasted Poblanos
Chef Carlos Gaytán’s onion soup is a labor of love that does not disappoint in flavor or presentation. Slow-cooked caramelized onions meet roasted poblanos for a little heat, balsamic vinegar for a little fruit, and Gruyère cheese for a whole lotta umami in this wonderful dish.
White Bean and Ham Soup
Diana Chistruga
Three cans of cannellini beans are pureed with fragrant vegetables and ham-infused chicken stock to create this creamy and smoky soup that’s garnished with diced ham and croutons.
Broccoli and Potato Soup
Cara Cormack
Broccoli stems are cooked with potatoes and then pureed to form a creamy base for this soup with textural contrast from broccoli florets and savoriness from Parmesan.
Sopa de Fideo
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Top Chef and Iron Chef alum Claudette Zepeda boosts the umami in this quick-cooking soup with chicken bouillon and toasts the fideos for a touch of nuttiness. It’s ready in just 20 minutes.
Tonkotsu Ramen
Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Cookbook author Hugh Amano streamlines this comforting, deeply flavorful recipe from Let’s Make Ramen! for home cooks. Meltingly tender chashu pork and a rich shoyu tare give the broth its depth. With great ingredients and a little planning, it’s an ideal long-weekend cooking project.
Coconut Curried Lentil Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Chandra Ram’s weeknight lentil soup blooms cumin and turmeric with aromatics, then simmers red lentils in coconut milk and broth for a creamy, richly spiced pot.
Mashhurda (Mung Bean Soup)
Mung beans and rice give heft to this herbaceous Tajik soup from League of Kitchens instructor Damira Inatullaeva, who includes dried apricots for an extra hit of flavor.
Beer and Cheddar Soup
Cara Cormack
This soup not only combines two kinds of cheddar — sharp yellow and smoked — but also slab bacon, garlic, jalapeño, thyme, and more for flavor. Serve with garlic-rubbed toasts and you’ve got yourself a seriously indulgent meal.
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
This savory soup from F&W recipe developer Craig Ruff gets deep umami flavor from a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms. The silky broth is enhanced with Hungarian sweet paprika and garnished with sour cream and dill.
Soup Joumou
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
This hearty Haitian winter staple begins with the aromatic flavor base epis, which is made by pureeing bell peppers, scallions, onions, and garlic. A multitude of vegetables, including squash, cabbage, and an assortment of onions and root vegetables, accompany the beef and pasta in this flavor-packed soup.
Pollo Guisado
Kwame Onwuachi, a 2019 F&W Best New Chef, draws on flavors from his Bronx childhood for this marinated chicken soup he calls a festival of comfort. He says Puerto Rican abuelitas make versions of this for their grandchildren; his take uses annatto, sofrito, a touch of cumin, and a bit of house spice.
French Lentil and Vegetable Soup
Ina Garten’s hearty soup gets its robust flavor from Le Puy lentils: small, green French lentils that are less starchy than common brown lentils. A tablespoon of fresh thyme adds a gentle, herbaceous undercurrent, while the acidity from red wine vinegar and tomato paste contributes a stealthy brightness.
Shrimp Bisque
This decadent shrimp bisque builds deep seafood flavor from simmered shrimp shells and aromatics then blends everything into a silky, luxurious base. Finished with cream and butter and garnished with crème fraîche, it becomes an elegant, indulgent wintertime favorite.
Moroccan Chicken and Couscous Soup
Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Charlie Worthington /Â Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali
You’ll need a pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs to make this spicy Moroccan mainstay. For our streamlined version, everything cooks in a single pot — it’s ready to eat in just over half an hour.
Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
This Taiwanese beef noodle soup features tender chunks of braised beef simmered in a richly spiced soy-based broth with garlic, ginger, and star anise. Served over chewy wheat noodles and topped with scallions and pickled greens, it’s warm, comforting, and deeply flavorful.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Cara Cormack
Thyme, garlic, and the classic base of onions, carrots, and celery add aromatic depth to this one-bowl meal for busy nights. After the soup simmers, finish it with a drizzle of cream for a touch of richness and sophistication.
Chunky Borscht
This chunky borscht is brimming with beets, parsnips, turnip, and celery root, plus slices of kielbasa for a hearty, savory spoonful. Finished with a generous swirl of sour cream and fresh dill, it’s a warming soup perfect for chilly nights.
