Easy soup ideas needed

LKArgh
LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
Can you all share your favourite soup recipes? Looking for new ideas
My go-to recipe when craving soup is usually a simple carrot soup, basically carrots, a potato for thicker texture, boiled and pureed, with garlic, a bit of milk and topped with fennel. I fell in love years ago when I first tried and it is still the soup I make most often.
My second favourite is potato-leek soup.
I also love mushroom soup in restaurants, but I have tried several recipes and do not really love any of them.

Any ideas you all can share? I want to avoid recipes with 50 hard to find ingredients, which all need to be prepared in 10 different steps :) I can live with a bit of browning things or chopping etc, but other than this I am hoping for something along the lines of "and then just throw everything in the pot and forget about it for the next hour"
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Replies

  • Evelyn_Gorfram
    Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
    edited September 2018
    This is more of a stew, really, and I risk trouble when I forget my soup for more than about 20 minutes, but otherwise it meets the bill:

    "Refrigerator" Soup/Stew:
    1. Chop some onions. Brown them. Throw them in the pot.
    2. Chop some meat. Brown it. Throw it in the pot. (this step optional for vegetarians)
    3. Add a generous amount of water to the pot and set it to heat. Stir.
    4. Chop some carrots and celery. Brown the carrots if you like. Throw both in the pot. Stir.
    5. Peel & chop some garlic. Throw it in the pot. (I like about 1 bunch garlic/gallon of soup, but YGMV: Your Garlic May Vary.) Stir.
    6. This is a good time to check that the pot has about 3 times as much water as foodstuffs, and that it is continuing to slowly heat up. Throw in a small handful of salt about now, a good sprinkling of pepper, and a generous pinch of any "Scarborough Fair" herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) you happen to have on hand. And, while marjoram, basil, and oregano didn't make it into the song, they'd pretty be good in your soup. Stir.
    7. Open your refrigerator. Pull out anything that you like and think would go well in a soup/stew, such as:
    - carrots,
    - celery,
    - potatoes
    - almost any root veggie
    - most meats
    - most beans, peas, & legumes
    - leftover rice, noodles, etc.
    - leftovers of any of the above
    - kale*
    - beet & turnip greens*
    - spinach*
    - broccoli*
    - If you've saved any meat drippings, this is what you've been saving them for. Ditto any broth that anything has been boiled in.
    8. Check to see if any of the above has spoiled, and throw it out if it has. Decide which and how much of the rest to put in your soup, and put everything else back in the fridge.
    9. Chop anything that needs to be chopped. Brown any meat, potatoes, or root veggies if you feel like it. Remove any solidified fat from meat drippings. Set anything marked with an asterisk* aside, and throw everything else into the pot. Stir.
    10. Add water until you have about 3 times as much water as foodstuffs. Stir.
    11. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Continue heating pot and checking every 5-10 minutes until the pot reaches a gentle boil. Stir each time you check the pot.
    12. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Leave pot on gentle boil, checking every 20 minutes or so until all food is fully cooked. Stir each time you check the pot.
    13. Taste broth and adjust seasonings. If you set aside some asterisked* kale, beet, or turnip greens earlier; take a look at them. If they are the bigger, older, tougher sort of greens, now is the time to throw them in the pot. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Stir.
    14. Taste broth and adjust seasonings. If you set aside some asterisked* spinach, broccoli, or tender "baby" kale, beet, or turnip greens; now is the time to throw them in the pot. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Stir.
    15. Check that all foods are as done as you like. If so, your soup is done. If not, set timer for 10 minutes. Stir.
    16. When soup is done, taste broth and adjust seasonings. Stir and serve.

  • AustinRuadhain
    AustinRuadhain Posts: 2,566 Member
    edited September 2018
    I love cabbage and beet soup:
    https://yummybeet.com/russian-cabbage-borscht/
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    My soups are usually super simple.

    Favourites:

    Roast pumpkin, onion and garlic cloves. When nice and caramelised, blend with stock (I use chicken) then reheat.

    Roasted cauliflower, leek and garlic. Sometimes I do a combo of Cauliflower and broccoli. Sometimes I add zucchini too. Blend with stock, add blue cheese/Gorgonzola and reheat.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,551 Member
    Easy lentil soup.

    Fry a large minced onion in your soup pan until soft. Toss in 2-3 large chopped tomatoes, skin seeds and all. Throw in two handfuls of split orange lentils, a liter is water and a stock cube (I use beef). Simmer 25 minutes until lentils are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning adding an optional dash of Worcester sauce.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    Thank you all, these are all very interesting. Starting with the cauliflower and leek one, since I actually have both.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,551 Member
    Cheat’s soupe au pistou.

    You will need pesto for this. Homemade (it freezes well) or from a good trattoria is best, but a jar from the supermarket will do in a pinch.

    Boil a bag of frozen mixed veg in stock or water and toss in a tin of white beans or chick peas and a large diced tomato, skin seeds and all. Add a stock cube if using water. In each bowl put in a large dollop of pesto before ladling in the veggie soup.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    Blending soup has always seemed like a potential big mess or fuss to me.
    Brown cut up stew meat or chicken & onions. Add stock, fresh or frozen veggies, and rice, barley, or quinoa. Simmer 20/30 min. Eat. The more you make, the more you can freeze for later.
  • georgieamber2
    georgieamber2 Posts: 229 Member
    RED PEPPER AND LENTIL
    Chop the peppers in hard and remove the seeds. Then roast the peppers ((using oil or not if you don't want those extra cals)) Until they start to char and soften - NO SEASONING here as it's just a waste. Fry a chopped red or white onion until soft then add 2 cloves of minced garlic, chopped chilli and some smoked ((or sweet)) paprika. Add the roasted peppers then add vegetable stock. Add lentils. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until the lentils are soft. Then BLITZ. Season with salt and pepper.
    -
    VEGETABLE STEW
    add a touch of oil to a large pot on a medium heat. when the oil is hot , add chopped vegetables of your choice ((e.g. Potato sweet potato, turnip, parsnip, onion, garlic, courgette, carrot, bell pepper)). Sweat them for about 5 minutes just turning them about a little. add half to a table spoon of plain flour ((this is what's going to turn it from a soup to a stew)). cook for about a minute then add vegetable stock. straight away, add a tin of beans of your choice ((haricot is my favourite but kidney or any other type works)) - here I also added chopped green beans or other greens that don't take too long to cook. season with salt && pepper. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low and put a lid on... let it cook until the veggies are soft. serve by itself or with pasta / rice
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited September 2018
    My favorite is ham and potato. I just boil diced potato, carrots, onion, celery and diced ham in chicken stock (4 cups) with some salt and pepper (you could do whatever vegetables you wanted, but definitely use potatoes and onions) until the vegetables are cooked all the way. While those are boiling, make a white sauce (5 tbsp butter, 5 tbsp flour, make roux, whisk in 2 c of milk) then when that's thick, add it to the soup. Done. Here's the recipe:

    https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/56927/delicious-ham-and-potato-soup/?internalSource=hub recipe&referringContentType=Search&clickId=cardslot 13
  • PloddingTurtle
    PloddingTurtle Posts: 283 Member
    edited September 2018
    You are talking my language. I love soup.

    If you're looking for easy to assemble but interesting variety to inspire your soup-making creativity, I can recommend the soups at BudgetBytes as easy, uncomplicated, and delicious soups.
    https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/soup/

    I whipped up a batch of Chicken and Pumpkin Soup in minutes. It was so good I plan to make it again soon. And, a lot of people at the office asked me what smelled so good, so I had to send links to the recipe to a lot of people.

    My basic go-to soup is a tomato-infused (Italian seasoned) vegetable soup (similar to this recipe here) that I make by the bucketful. I never tire of it. It's my winter version of a tossed salad. I can simply eat it as vegetable or snack, but I will also add ingredients to make it a meal. Today, for example, I added some cooked barley and 90 g of frozen turkey meatballs, and a generous splash of hot sauce. I have on other occasions added: beans, lentils, potato, leftover meat, rice, noodles, more vegetables past their prime (too good to throw out, too wilted to eat)... When making the soup, I usually use a 5-lb bag of mixed frozen vegetables because it's quick. I freeze it in 1-gallon pails, which is a quantity I can eat through in a week.

  • Cassandraw3
    Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
    edited September 2018
    Garlic Chicken Soup

    Ingredients
    2 tablespoons butter
    2 cups shredded chicken ~1 large chicken breast
    4 ounces cream cheese cubed
    2 tablespoons Stacey Hawkins Garlic Gusto Seasoning
    14.5 oz chicken broth
    1/4 cup heavy cream
    salt to taste

    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions
    Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
    Add shredded chicken to pan and coat with melted butter.
    As chicken begins to warm, add cubes of cream cheese and Stacey Hawkins Garlic Gusto seasoning. Mix to blend ingredients.
    Once the cream cheese has melted and is evenly distributed, add chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
    Add salt to taste and serve.
    Recipe Notes
    The garlic gusto seasoning is a combo of mainly parsley, garlic, onion, lemon peel, and paprika.

    Recipe stolen from here

    ETA: I didn't use the garlic seasoning listed; I just used chopped garlic and sauted it with the butter then added parsley and onion powder later.
  • Alyons1227
    Alyons1227 Posts: 6 Member
    Minestrone made with sodium free chicken broth. Don’t need salt because the vegetables give it lots of flavor.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    easiest soup ever
  • alicebhsia1
    alicebhsia1 Posts: 82 Member
    zuchinni and corn soup with jalapeno
    vegetarian split pea soup
    mushroom and barley soup

    if any of these sound good let me know if you'd like the recipe i use
  • dechowj
    dechowj Posts: 148 Member
    Ground beef and green pepper soup

    1 lb ground beef
    2 Green Peppers
    1 Onion
    1TBSP olive oil
    1 can corn (drained)
    1 can green beans (drained)
    1 can diced tomatoes
    3 cups beef broth
    2 tsp oregano
    Salt and pepper to taste

    1. In a skillet brown the ground beef. Drain it and set it aside.
    2. Dice the peppers and the onion. Add the oil to the soup pot and saute the peppers and onion until they are tender.
    3. Add the beef and all the remaining ingredients into the pot. Bring to a boil.
    4. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.


    I personally like to ad a dash of balsamic vinegar to my bowl. (My husband hates it that way or I would add some to the pot when it was done simmering.)
  • Nessiechickie
    Nessiechickie Posts: 1,392 Member
    dechowj wrote: »
    Ground beef and green pepper soup

    1 lb ground beef
    2 Green Peppers
    1 Onion
    1TBSP olive oil
    1 can corn (drained)
    1 can green beans (drained)
    1 can diced tomatoes
    3 cups beef broth
    2 tsp oregano
    Salt and pepper to taste

    1. In a skillet brown the ground beef. Drain it and set it aside.
    2. Dice the peppers and the onion. Add the oil to the soup pot and saute the peppers and onion until they are tender.
    3. Add the beef and all the remaining ingredients into the pot. Bring to a boil.
    4. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.


    I personally like to ad a dash of balsamic vinegar to my bowl. (My husband hates it that way or I would add some to the pot when it was done simmering.)

    going to make this tonight
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
    Black beans- cooked, either 1 or 2 jars canned or home cooked (equivolent amount)
    jar of salsa
    chicken broth
    onion
    garlic

    puree half of your black beans and jar of salsa in a blender until smooth
    sautee garlic and onion in pan
    add smooth black bean mixture and cook for 15 min.
    add rest of whole black beans and cook as long as you'd like
    add salt and pepper to taste
    you can add jalapenos if you want it spicier or even a hotter salsa of your choice
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    https://www.budgetbytes.com/slow-cooker-black-bean-soup/

    I love this recipe and make it even simpler by using a bag of frozen mirepoix vegetables and minced garlic. It's cheap and hella easy.
  • Not my recipe but I've made this at least 20 times and it's a huge crowd pleaser. However, this recipe is an absolute disaster if your blender isn't sharp enough to turn raw cashews into cashew butter.
    Red cashew soup
    Ingredients:

    1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or water, for sautéing
    4 red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
    3 carrots, chopped
    1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
    4 cloves garlic, chopped
    6 cups vegetable broth
    ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
    ½ salt
    1 ½ cups raw cashews

    Instructions:

    Heat the olive oil or water in a large soup pot over medium heat.
    Stir in the bell peppers, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook, and stir the vegetables until they’re soft, about 10 minutes.
    Add the vegetable broth, cayenne pepper, and salt, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
    Add the cashews to a blender and blend on high power. Add about 1/4 to 3/4 cup of the broth from the soup, and continue to blend until you have a thick cashew cream. When you do, add the rest of the soup contents to the blender, and blend until smooth.
    Test for seasoning, and add more salt, if needed, as well as the ground pepper. Blend again, and then return to the soup pot to heat up. Serve hot.
    Serves: 6 to 8