Best Winter Soups! Healthy, Comforting & Warming
21 Soups to Make right now in Winter’s Cooler Months. Creative, original soup recipes with wholesome ingredients bursting with flavor.
A wonderful collection – get cooking!
Oh-La-La ~ Warm up with a Classic Crock of Onion Soup with a Secret Ingredient – Shiitake Mushrooms! Using Vegetable & Chicken Broths – no beef broth. A bowl of warm comfort – baguette slices are soaked into the rich broth with a melting of Gruyère cheese and thyme.
Soup-Making is an art!
As an artist applies different mediums to a canvas – a soup maker adds ingredients to a pot… no all at once, but the ingredients that take longer to cook at the beginning, aromatics are added, then the liquid, with quick cook embellishments last. Garnishes are not just pretty ~ but can add that zest of flavor and textures to make it special.
I LOVE SOUP ~ building flavors and textures, and the fragrant scent that wafts through the house.
I’m cooking soups year-round. A big hearty bowl for dinner with leftovers offering a healthy lunch!
A wonderful rich bodied vegetable soup with delicious spices: Saffron, Turmeric, Juniper Berries, Smoked Paprika and fresh Mint for exceptional flavor. Try Kabocha squash (also called Japanese pumpkin) ~ with its sweet taste and velvety texture.
I’m teaching a new cooking class: “Best of the Mediterranean“
see Menu & Details!
NEW! A soup I make often ~ so here is the recipe!
A Healthy & Hearty Soup loaded with vegetables – start by making homemade chicken broth…. nothing better than that! A nutrient-dense soup with good for you ingredients in every bite; so comforting.
A creamy delicious Vegan soup that boasts a bevy of protein with Panang curry flavors. The toppings make it most special! Packed with healthy ingredients and zesty Thai seasonings.
Sunchokes lend a creaminess to warm soups, perfectly paired with the velvety smooth Kabocha Squash for a wonderful Fall & Winter Soup. A great festive yet simple recipe for Thanksgiving! Vegan. Sunchokes look like ginger, cooks like a potato, but tastes like a cross between an artichoke heart and the best potato you’ve ever had.
A wonderful soup to master, and eat everyday in cooler weather. A meal in a bowl! Hearty and Healthy.
My Minestrone is brimming with antioxidant goodness. The perfect soup for an everyday lunch, snack or addition to many entrées. I can eat this soup everyday!
Soup entices the senses as it simmers ~ warm and fragrant. Healthful ingredients combine flavors and textures, colors and garnishes.
They’re a great way to stay hydrated and full… and give your immune system a boost!
My Favorite New Soup of the Season – Perfectly Seasoned and Quite Easy to Prepare.
The fabulous creamy texture of Honeynut squash makes a velvety soup – Thai spices from an unexpected place – in a little can… how convenient! Please try Honeynut Squash ~ this mighty, newer hybrid variety of winter squash has a more concentrated flavor than butternut squash. If Honeynut Squash is not available in winter, substitute Butternut Squash; available year-round.
In the Mediterranean Tradition – the flavors here are a combination of mellow and bold.
Aromatic Basil and Fennel both have hints of anise (licorice) and team beautifully with sweet San Marzano Tomatoes.
For a fabulous umami garnish – add the parmesan crisps; bursting with enormous crunch and flavor.
My Favorite Fall & Winter Veggies with Two Gluten Free Grains (one is actually a seed) – Health in a Bowl!
SOUPS ON ~ Warm up with this chunky & hearty broth soup: chop, stir, simmer – ENJOY!
Use Vegetable broth for Vegan.
A bevy of vegetables enrich this soup; ginger adds a boost of flavor with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Pure soul-comfort food. Gluten Free with rice noodles. All should master a good chicken soup recipe!
A robust soup with plenty of vegetables and spiced up with traditional Cuban flavors. Garnished with a lemon-crema and irresistible baked plantains. Warming and healthy! Vegetarian and Gluten-Free.
The comfort soup of the season! Your Instant Pot will cook this soup beautifully… healthy & hearty. Want to make on the stovetop? ~ I’ve got notes for that! Pea Soup with Garnishes: Crisp Turkey Bacon, Fresh Corn and Black Pepper Croutons.
A healthy soup with a creamy texture from the celery root (celeriac) and potatoes. Delicious and Silky Smooth.
Dairy Free. Add a swirl of Cashew Cream for a decorative touch. Vegan.
THE soup to fuel you through winter! Bake potatoes, use the flesh for the soup, skins for “croutons.” Healthy and lightened up with broth, milk and loaded with vegetables. Add some sharp grated cheddar cheese and fresh rosemary to the baked potato wedges and serve with the soup… a dollop of sour cream is welcome!
A classic twist on Mexico City’s Soul Food Soup. Fresh, intense flavors combine with vegetables and pulled chicken – your go-to-healthy-soup for the winter season. Good-for-you ingredients in a spicy broth with cheddar cheese and crispy tortillas.
A velvety soup without dairy products… Parsnips and Yukon Gold Potatoes give the soup its creaminess when blended. The trick to its glorious color is blending the soup right after the spinach is added. Easy Crispy Skewered Croutons – adds character and panache to a bowl of soup!
A healthy chowder with vibrant French & Mediterranean flavors and colors.
Loaded with vegetables and perfectly seasoned with French aromatics. Healthy & filling, yet light! Now, in Winter – this chowder really satisfies and tingles your tastebuds.
This hearty and flavorful soup will transport you to southern France with your first spoonful. A fragrant, saffron and fennel scented soup has a tomato base and luminous chunks of tender white fish. Top with an assertive Rouille Sauce (garlicky mayonnaise) – a sauce that originated in the Mediterranean and is traditionally served with seafood soups and stews.
See my easy way to peel a Kabocha Squash. You’ll love the Cashew Crema with hints of maple & cinnamon ~ the Spiced Cashews make a terrific, crunchy garnish. A universal soup all and your Vegan guests will adore! Can make the soup ahead and freeze for a hassle- free soup. The garnishes make it extra special.
A Thai twist on the beloved Chinese soup – best made at home with the freshest ingredients! Tips on how to adjust the heat so it’s just right! Totally worth your time… yummy! Gluten Free.
A Hearty, Healthy & Zesty Soup using 2 cups of diced freshly roasted turkey from your Thanksgiving feast. Make again using leftover chicken! Instead of classic orzo rice, I have use a medium grain white rice… Calrose rice. It has great natural thickening properties, which is what I love.
Which one will be your favorite?
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Happy Soup Making!!
Karen
Classic French Onion Soup – Karen's Way
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter divided; I use organic
- 6 medium caps shiitake mushrooms cleaned and thinly sliced, about ¾ cup
- 4 large onions peeled and sliced thinly, I use half yellow and half sweet Maui - About 8 cups sliced
- 1 tablespoon flour use gluten free flour if preferred
- 1/2 cup white wine a good dry one
- 2 tablespoons port wine
- 3 branches fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 cups vegetable broth* preferably homemade
- 2 cups chicken broth homemade is preferred; use all vegetable broth for vegetarian version
- 8 small slices baguette ¾” wide, or 4 wider slices
- 1 medium garlic clove peeled, cut in half
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese coarsely grated, about 4 ounces
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoons butter in a heavy soup pot (I use enamel coated cast iron) over medium heat. Add all of the shiitake mushrooms and quickly stir to coat them. Let the mushrooms brown, and stir once in a while until they are golden around the edges – about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate, set aside.
- Add 4 tablespoons butter to the pot set pot to low heat. When hot and foamy add all the sliced onions and stir well. After 10 minutes until the onions will have started to wilt and become transparent. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring from time to time until the onions have caramelized and are a golden-brown color – for 45 minutes. Do not rush this process!
- Add the cooked shiitake mushrooms to the pot and cook to combine over medium heat.Add the flour and stir to coat the onions and mushrooms. Add the wine – bring to a simmer and stir well as the mixture thickens.Add the port, stir in.
- Add 3 thyme branches and the pepper, stir in. Add the vegetable broth and chicken broth – raise heat and bring to a boil.Stir well and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cover and cook the soup for 30 minutes.
- While the soup cooks – toast the baguettes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place baguette slice on a baking tray to fit. Option: brush with a little melted butter to coat. Cook for 5 minutes until slightly golden but not dry. I used 2 small baguette slices for each soup, or you can use 4 wider slices.Remove from oven and rub the tops with the sliced garlic to flavor them, set aside.
Assemble the Soup:
- Remove the thyme branches from the soup. Preheat the broiler (alternately you can heat in the oven at 400 degrees until bubbly.) Place 4 soup crocks on a rimmed baking pan to hold. Ladle the soup into the crocks, each about a 15-16 ounce capacity. Add 2 baguette slices and tuck them in to soak up the broth.
- Add the gruyère cheese evenly over the bread. Can let it drip over the sides of the bowls. Broil 6 inches from the heat source until bubbly and just starting to brown.Carefully remove from the oven. Top each with a few fresh thyme leaves and serve.Be mindful that the crock handles are hot! Can place a folded napkin under the bowls if serving on a plate.
Notes
Use an all purpose gluten free flour blend and gluten free baguette (or pieces of gluten free toast scattered on top.) Vegetarian adaptable: Use all hearty vegetable broth. This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
To say hello, discuss a recipe, share one, or have a comment - I would love to know what you think!
I made this onion soup yesterday and it was delicious! Worth the time and loved the mushrooms here and lack of beef broth. I used chicken broth. Had the right amount of garlic and the fresh thyme really added to the flavor. The bread soaked in the broth and the cheese got nice and gooey when broiled. So much better than any restaurant onion soup I have had. Thanks, Pam.
Thank you Pamela for writing. Happy you loved the soup. I too think it is more tasty than any restaurant onion soup I have had. ?Karen