When winter sets in, there's nothing more comforting than a warm, hearty bowl of homemade soup. Made with rich chicken and beef broths to savory ham stock, these soups are the perfect way to warm up.
Many of these soup recipes are "garden-to-table," featuring fresh vegetables you might have grown yourself, making each spoonful both nourishing and satisfying.
Favorite winter soup recipes from scratch
Soup is the ultimate comfort food. What is better than a bowl of homemade soup on a cold day, served with a crusty loaf of bread or with simple crackers and a salad? And it's a great way to stretch your grocery budget too.
There's such a wide variety of soup recipes too: you could make a different kind of soup every week all winter long and never have to repeat one unless you want to.
While I tend to cook seasonally - chili and stew in the winter, mac and cheese and other dishes made with milk and eggs in the spring, and cooler, lighter dishes in the summer such as pasta and salads - soup doesn't have to be confined to the cold months.
Soup is good in any weather.
What could be better than sitting around the table together, eating a delicious, simple meal and discussing the day's happenings.
Soup is so versatile, with so many variations. You can make soup with whatever is in your refrigerator and cupboards and it will surely be delicious. Once you've learned how to make soup, you'll never go hungry.
Start with quality ingredients
Many soups start with chicken broth. While you can use a can or a carton from the grocery store, it's easy to make your own chicken broth. Homemade broth has great depth of flavor and you know exactly what it's made with - no preservatives or ingredients you can't pronounce.
You can either pressure-can your homemade broth or freeze it. To use frozen broth, run the container under hot water until it releases from the container sides and dump it in the soup pot; it will thaw as the pot warms up.
.jpg "Chicken broth or chicken stock is the basis of many delicious soups. Learn how to make your own broth or stock.")
Several of these soup recipes can be made in a slow cooker as well as on the stove top.
Some of these soup recipes are easy, some are more labor-intensive, but in my opinion, they're all good, down-home comfort food.
I hope you'll find a few gems in this list, and perhaps you'll even find a new family favorite.
Soups with chicken stock
Chicken stock or chicken broth is the backbone of many soups. You can open a can or a carton from the store, or you can make your own chicken broth. It's easy and it's so much more flavorful than the broth from the grocery store.
What a wonderful, self-sufficient feeling it is to open a jar of home-canned chicken broth for whatever dish it is I'm making for dinner.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a variation of a basic chicken soup made extra-delicious with wild rice and plenty of spices and seasoning.
Chicken and Mushroom Soup combines chicken stock, earthy mushrooms, sweet carrots, onions, and garlic into a nourishing soup that's both savory and aromatic. Serve with a crusty loaf of homemade bread for a hearty, rustic meal.
Don't let that turkey carcass in your refrigerator go to waste after the holidays. Here's how to turn those bones and leftover meat into delicious (and free) turkey stock.
Vegetable soups
My husband is a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy, but he's crazy about this thick and delicious Broccoli and Cheddar Soup, especially if I serve it with homemade bread.
Roasted Tomato Soup - Learn how to make a smooth and flavorful homemade tomato soup using fresh, homegrown tomatoes, any time of year.
Split Pea Soup - This thick and chunky soup, brimming with tender potatoes, sweet carrots, hearty split peas, and savory ham, offers a rustic, hearty bite in every spoonful.
Cream of Asparagus Soup - Enjoy the fresh taste of spring with this simple homemade cream of asparagus soup.
Easy Crockpot Potato Soup - A healthy version of a popular fast recipe, this homemade potato soup made in the crockpot is nourishing, easy and abolutely delicious.
Quick and easy soups
Tortilla Soup - This quick and easy soup is made with a can of this and a jar of that, with a couple of chopped vegetables tossed in. It's super quick to make when you don't have much time to put dinner on the table.
White Bean Tortellini Soup can be made at the last minute so it's great for a quick lunch or dinner. Premade tortellini makes it super easy.
Beef stock soups
Soups made with beef stock or broth tend to be richer and more flavorful than chicken-based soups, and are delicious on cold winter days.
Here's how to make your own homemade beef stock, without all the salt and preservatives that are in commercial beef stock.
French Onion Soup made with rich, hearty beef stock and sweet, caramelized homegrown onions, is a comforting classic that will warm up a winter dinner.
Albondigas or porcupine meatball soup - your kids are sure to love this soup just because of its name. How fun is that? Serve this delicious hearty soup with warm tortillas for a fun twist.
Beef and barley soup from the Depression era is a great way to use up whatever's in your refrigerator. If you make this soup during the summer, add additional ripe vegetables from your garden too.
Soups made with ham stock
Keep that ham bone from dinner and use it to make tasty ham stock for soups and other dishes with this ham bone stock recipe.
Use your homemade ham bone stock to create this delicious ham and bean soup.
Leftover soup
Soup is even better the next day, after the flavors have melded together for awhile.
Most leftover soups freeze well so you can have a delicious bowl of soup any time. Cream soups, however, don't freeze as well and are best refrigerated and eaten within three days.
What's our family's favorite? As soon as the weather turns cold, the Chief is asking for a big pot of broccoli and cheddar soup with a loaf of homemade bread. I highly recommend it!
What is your family's favorite soup?
Know a soup lover? Share this collection with them, and save this post to Pinterest so you can access this list of delicious, winter-time dinner ideas any time.
