To me, there is no better comfort food than a bowl of homemade soup. It reminds me of snowy winter days in Idaho and my mom’s caring hands. She would sauté aromatic vegetables, letting all the ingredients simmer and marinate while we were away at school until they made a delicious, rich broth. Coming in from the cold to the finished pot on the stove felt like such a treat, and the aromas made the whole house smell amazing.
With its cozy familiarity, soup is still one of my favorite things to cook during the winter months. Eating it makes me feel comforted and I love how making it always seems to bring my family together—whether it’s with big bowls around the kitchen table or in to-go mugs to warm us up on the sidelines while we cheer on the boys at their soccer game.
Considering half the country is still thawing out from the polar vortex, it felt like the perfect time to share some warming recipes. Here are my five favorite soups to cozy up to, perfect for a cold day. What are your go-to comfort foods?
Jamie Oliver’s Tomato Soup
The classic combo of tomato soup and grilled cheese makes me feel like a kid again—and my little ones obviously love it, too, so it’s a win-win. Instead of buying the canned stuff, I use a variation of this recipe. I like to add a splash of sugar and heavy cream at the end to give it richness and make it more of a meal. In order to make it even more fun for the kids, I’ll cut grilled cheese into croutons (or buy Burro Cheese Truck’s grilled cheese and cut into squares). It’s the true definition of comfort food. Get Recipe Here
Jessica Battilana’s Split Pea Soup
I love being able to use the vegetables we grow in our garden, and this recipe really lets the flavor of fresh green split peas shine. Because I try to cook more vegetarian at home, I omit the ham, but I never, ever skip the croutons, made by frying white bread in olive oil. You can’t get more simple—or delicious—than that. Get Recipe Here
Martha Stewart’s Butternut Squash Soup
I love me some squash in the winter. This pureed soup gets a little kick from ginger, and I love that it’s even better the next day, once all the flavors have a chance to meld together. Get Recipe Here
The Joy of Cooking’s French Onion Soup
Few soups feel as decadent as french onion soup. The broth is so soothing and the scoop of warm gooey cheese on top is always total heaven. After I made this recipe at home, I was hooked. The long, slow cooking of the onions fills my kitchen with the best aroma, and once it’s done, I can’t wait to dip the cheese-covered crouton into the savory soup. Get Recipe Here
Goop’s Ramen Broth
After my daughter was born, I lived off of bone broth. When I ate this soup, I felt like I was nursing my body back to health and gaining strength with every sip. I always have some on hand for when I’m feeling low-energy, and this ramen recipe makes the broth into a super-nutritious, flavor-packed meal. Get Recipe Here
36 Comments
Elizabeth DiSabato
Thanks for the great recipes. Just what I need here in snowy Ottawa, ON, Canada. My favourite is a Thai Red Curry soup, but I’m looking forward to trying the Tomato soup you posted…always appreciate new recipes!
Jen
I love butternut squash soup. I never even thought to add ginger. Gonna have to try that
Hailey Owens
I can’t wait to try all of these! In Alabama, the weather is currently up, down, and all around. But any day is soup day. My favorite soups to make are broccoli cheddar and Irish wedding soup.
Donna
Thank you so much for sharing these great recipes. I can’t wait to make the split pea.
michaela
I am not a massive cook as I am on my own but I do want to learn how to make soup especially broccoli mmmmmm ? I never know how water to use, thank you for these gen I am going to try some of them out. I am a vegetarian so will try the meat free ones then let you know ? all we now need in England is some snow that we never get – that would be heaven ⛄❄?
Connie
You hit my weakness here. I am a soup junkie. Always looking for new recipes. Thank you
Elizabete
Olá. Sou do Brasil estado do Paraná. Hoje esta frio em nossa cidade e fiz a sopa de abóbora. Uma delícia. Amei a receita. Obrigada
Amanda Cantrell
I love dear stew. Bake the hign quarter until the meat falls off the bone. Cut it up and use like beef in a stew.
Amanda Cantrell
To my family, tomato soup is tomatoes canned fresh from the garden. Just tomatoes, s&p and crackers. It’s simple but oh so good.
Linda Dovey
When my boys were young and money was so tight I worried about each meal, soup made it feel like I was serving a feast. I could take leftovers, broth, bruised veggies, etc. and whip up a filling lunch/supper with a batch of biscuits for dipping. Thank you for reminding me how soup is good for the soul! I need to get some split peas and a ham bone asap!!
Mandi
The ramen broth sounds wonderful!
Leslie Palos
These are some of my favorite soup:
Broccoli and Cheddar.
Chicken and wild rice
Stuffed pepper soup
Tortellini Alfredo
Vegetable soup
Pasta de Fagoli
Stacey
I live in Buffalo, NY and I can testify that we start eating soup in the fall and don’t stop until at least Memorial Day! These look amazing, I can’t wait to try them! My favorite is a wild rice soup that smells and tastes like heaven! This is the recipe I use: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/cozy-autumn-wild-rice-soup/
Anna Veloso
I love this blog so much!!! You are so so so so so adorable Gen
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Lisa
Thank you for sharing! They all sound delicious. I can’t wait to try the tomato soup.
Valentina Marquez
My favorites are cheddar broccoli soup, Zuppa Toscana, like thebone from Olive Garden. And super easy to make at home.
But for a cold night, there is nothing better than green chili stew with fresh tortillas!!!! A New Mexico favorite!!!
Lisa
Thank you for sharing!
Orly Phillips
I *love* bone broth. My current favorite is Vietnamese pho. The broth is so flavorful and aromatic. I blanch ten pounds of good soup bones for 10 minutes, drain the bones and then put them back into the pot with two large onions (halved), two heads of garlic (halved), two large hands of ginger (halved), a handful of star anise pods, a few cinnamon sticks, a few cloves and lots of whole peppercorns. I cover it with cold water, bring it to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer, and let it go for about 12 hours. Then I strain out the solids and then restrain myself because it’s so good I could sip it all day long.
Alyson
I discovered the joys of REAL ramen last year. It tastes great and the extra bonus is that you can make a huge batch and freeze part of it for later. In fact, I need to make some again, soon.
And butternut squash soup is fantastic! Although my recipe has a South African flair with a bit of curry and an apple for sweet smoothness.
The big question is, Chili…..beans or no beans?
Trisha long
I love all of these. What is your the favorite of your kids and Jared?
Carolyn G
I absolutely love Jaime Oliver’s tomato soup recipe. I can’t wait to try the others!
Moriah
These soups sound amazing! Sadly my husband and kids aren’t big soup fans-not filling enough for them they say?- so I don’t make soups often. But when I do my go to ones are a Chicken Enchilada soup from SkinnyTaste and Olive Gardens Pasta E Fragioli soup. Need to get brave and try making the Broccli Cheddar soup like Panera though. And will be trying all these too!
JESSICA LOZANO
Hi Gen! I love soup too, thank you for all the great recipes. Our family has a classic recipe that is used time and time again. Homemade chicken noodle soup with celery and white onlon poured over mashed potatoes!! Family favorite handed down from my Grandma 🙂
Enjoy!
Jess
Niké Klausz
Hi Gen! These recepies look really good, thank you. I have my all time favorite soup what my grandma can make the best. It’s called Goulash soup. It’s a traditional Hungarian meal what made out of beef, a lot of veggies and the most important is the sweet hungarian paprika.
It’s a perfect soup during the winter, and also in the summer when the family gets together on Sundays. Perfect for garden parties (we usually cook it outside on the fire, tastes better that way!) ?☺
Petra Szilágyi
Hi Genevieve!
Eating soups is tradicional in Hungary 🙂 I love meat soup and goulash soup. The goulash is a hungaricum (unique hungarian soup).
Here is a recepie: http://www.spicy.hu/en/goulash
If your family like rich and tasty soups, i absolutely offer it! 🙂
Have a nice day!
Vonnie
Do have any good recipe for chil or soup with lentilin them.
Alex
These look so good. Gonna try these on my aunt!?
kathleen amstutz
Those look yummy! My fav to make is turkey-barley soup. I always make it after Thanksgiving or Christmas using the turkey carcass. I frreze it so I can make soup when I’m not so sick of turkey! My mother would roll over in her grave if I ever threw out a carcass!! If you REALLY want us/me to post the recipe, let me know. It is DELICIOUS and oh so thick!
Trisha Long
Cheddar broccoli and potato are my favorite!!
Antoinette
Soup is so easy and quick to make and you can make it into a compleet meal, we love our tomato soup with lots of vegetables, even potatoes and noodles of any kind, dutch pea soup, a must eat in winter times, especially this winter here in Manitoba, and chicken noodle soup with lots of noodles! Thanks for the recipes, going to try some of these for sure.
Rita
Love these recipes! I’m from the southwest suburbs of Chicago and it was -50° here last week! I make what we call Viking Stew. In a heavy pot, brown polish kielbasa cut in pieces in a little oil. Remove from pot. Add veggies. I use onion, carrot, celery and some fresh garlic but you can use whatever you like! Saute them for a bit, then I add chopped cabbage and cover until it’s wilted. Add the sausage and enough chicken broth to cover it all and a can of diced tomatoes. That’s it! The great thing about soup recipes is you can add whatever you like!
Thanks for sharing these recipes!
lesdeuxcatastrophes
I love a fresh butternut ginger soup and indulge in a fresh beef broth I make my family and myself happy with a brown sweet/sour lentille soup – spiced with sugar and vinegat, “upgraded“ with bacon or sausage for the non-veggies. And nothing compares to homemade fresh chicken soup!!
Trisha Long
i am excited to try some of these. My favorite is potato soup. I live in Nebraska and it is extremly cold here, so soups are my staple.
Joanna
Oh my gosh, you are the neatest cook I’ve ever seen. My counter tops looked that clean when I used to make soup. I had stuff all over. Hiw do u keep the kitchen from being so cluttered with pots, utensils, dirty cutting boards. I bow to ur cleanliness
Maddie
Hello Gen ! Your recipes looks great i will obsiouly try Jamie Olliver’s tomato soup thank you very much ! (Your blog rocks by the way!)
The first thing that come into my mind when i think “Comfort soup” is a faboulous recipe of a Garlic creamy potatoe soup. It’s just….aaah so good ! Consistent but not heavy…Made of otatoes (tender ones), onions, garlic, muscade, and of course : cheese!! Like gruyère or emmental (inside or on the top) and to finish : bites of bacon or green onion (or both) ! Nothing could be compared to it !
Now if you ask me for an everyday soup i’m telling you : RAMEN IS EVERYTHING
Bisous 🙂
Julie
So I made your tomato soup recipe tonight and gotta say I LOVED it!!! So quick and simple! Thanks for sharing your awesome ideas!!