Soup Beautiful Soup – Fifteen Favorite Big Batch Soups for Winter

Soup Beautiful Soup for Winter Warmth from Head to Toe

Soup of the evening, soup to share, soup for tomorrow, soup for the freezer. Soup beautiful soup. So many soup recipes to choose from, that I’ve made a list of fifteen favorite big batch soups for winter. From couldn’t-be-easier Three Ingredient Cauliflower Soup, to a weekend project Wild Rice Soup with Cremini Mushrooms and Cashew Cream. There’s a soup for everyone and for most every occasion.

BEAUTIFUL Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen! 
Who for such dainties would not stoop? 
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup! 
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
By Lewis Carroll

Make a big batch of soup

Perhaps we all breathe a sigh of relief when we open the refrigerator (or the freezer) and see a container or two of soup. That means instant warmth, and that we’ll be enjoying lunch or dinner (and sometimes breakfast) in a matter of minutes.

Fourteen vegetarian big-batch soup recipes – plus, Homemade Chicken Soup

“Troubles are easier to take with soup than without.”
An old Yiddish saying

Each recipe makes about 12-16 cups of soup.

• Three Ingredient Cauliflower Soup
  Satisfying and delicious, impossibly Creamy Cauliflower Soup boasts a luxurious texture and rich, delicate flavor. All artfully garnished with a little olive oil, chives and coarsely ground fresh pepper. Vegan, Gluten & Dairy-Free.

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Lentil Soups

• Curried Red Lentil and Sweet Potato
• Curried Harvest Gold Lentil with Japanese Sweet Potatoes
• Red Lentil Soup with Tomato, Garlic and Cumin

“Pulses, also known as grain legumes, are a group of 12 crops that includes dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas, and lentils. They are high in protein, fibre, and various vitamins, provide amino acids, and are hearty crops. They are most popular in developing countries, but are increasingly becoming recognized as an excellent part of a healthy diet throughout the world.”   Global Pulse Confederation

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Butternut Squash Soups

• The Best Butternut Squash Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup w/ Coconut Milk, Ginger & Lime

Winter squash are some of the richest sources of the plant-based nutrients important for a strong immune system. As a result, eating a bowl of Butternut Squash Soup helps protect against colds and flu. Pretty nice for soups that also nurture our soul and enliven our palate.

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• Creamy Lima Beans and Greens
  This may become your go-to soup this winter and for many winters to come. Relatively quick cooking large limas (1- hour pre-soak and 1- hour cooking time) make a deeply nurturing, rich and flavorful broth. Once cooked, the large limas become unbelievably tender and creamy. Spinach, kale, chard or other greens bring color and nutrition.

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• Wild Rice Soup w/ Cremini Mushrooms & Cashew Cream
  This is one of my favorite soups. So much so, that we served it at our wedding dinner when we were married over 25 years ago. Over the years I have continued to refine the recipe, making it ever healthier yet retaining its original flavor. This recipe is for a vegetarian, gluten and almost dairy-free soup featuring a rich Mushroom Stock, lots of vegetables and an incredibly flavorful Cashew Cream.

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  Country-Style Leek and Potato Soup with Greens

• Sweet Potato Leek Soup with Fresh Spinach
  Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan without the butter. The nutrient-rich skin is left on the potatoes enhancing the soup’s “country-style.” Some of the potatoes break down and give body to the soup while others retain their shape. Additional thickening and creaminess comes not from flour or cream, but from puréeing 1/4^th of the soup and returning it to the pot.

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• Vegetarian Split Pea
  Some of you prefer Split Pea Soup thin and creamy and thus purée everything to make it so. My preference is for a thicker soup that is so chunky with veggies it’s a meal in itself. The choice is yours. Either way Split Pea Soup is not elusive at all. It is nutrient rich, easy to make, very satisfying and comforting winter, spring and fall.

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• Sweet Potato Chowder with Almond Cream
  Vegan, Gluten and Dairy-free. If you enjoy the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes, you’ll enjoy this rich-tasting and oh so comforting chowder that’s perfect for a satisfying and quick week-night meal.

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• Roasted Sweet Potato Chowder with Poblano Chiles and Corn
  With its rich flavors and deep shades of gold, green and yellow, this gorgeous Roasted Sweet Potato Chowder with Poblano Chiles & Corn easily won over our palates and our hearts. A most sensuous soup for a Valentine’s Day menu. BTW, herbalists believe chiles to be an aphrodisiac.

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• Beet Cabbage Borscht
  Made hearty and sophisticated with vegetables turned a brilliant violet from the beets, and creamy, rich from sour cream, Beet Cabbage Borscht (bôrSHt) is one of the world’s great soups. Deeply flavored and satisfying. Traditionally, a large pot of borscht’s thick and nourishing mix of vegetables is prepared to feed a family a hearty one-pot meal over a number of days. Which is a good thing, as the flavor continues to get better with each day.

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• And, Homemade Chicken Soup . . . It’s Good for What Ails You ♥
  With enough bones in the stock, the long simmering gives the soup a richness, depth of flavor and gentleness that communicates comfort and love. Should you do a Google search for the science behind chicken soup, not surprisingly you will find that there is science behind its ability to soothe and heal that goes beyond the love with which it is prepared. My wise and sensible acupuncturist today reinforced the health benefits of chicken soup with the comment “it’s good for what ails you.”

Make your own stock—it’s easy       

When short on time, boxed or jarred stocks work. Though, it’s rare to find one preferable to homemade stock. There are two main types of homemade vegetable stock, basic and vegetable-specific. Both are good to know about.

To make a good basic vegetable stock, save your trimmings from leeks, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, garlic scapes, etc. in a bag in your freezer.

• When the bag is full, make a large pot of stock from these ingredients along with some peppercorns, bay leaves and perhaps some thyme as well.
• Transfer the strained stock to quart containers and freeze them. Now you have stock ready when you need it.
• Without precise measurements and the variation in the ingredients and their quantity, each potful will be different in taste and color.
• For a vegetable-specific stock, use fresh vegetables (versus frozen) and include vegetables specific to how you will use the stock. For example, use corn cobs for a stock for Sweet Corn Chowder; add both fresh and dried mushrooms for a mushroom soup.
• Vegetable-specific stocks tend to be more deeply flavored than basic stocks. Thus, they add another layer of flavor and richness to your final dish.
• Following a specific recipe makes for a more consistently flavored stock.