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Easy Soup Recipes

Soup. It warms you inside and out on cold days and comforts when you need a hug. But when you have a chronic illness, cooking can be difficult. I asked the community on my Facebook page to share their favourite easy soup recipes for this post. I’ll share mine at the end, too.

Garbage Soup

Ruth shared that her mom made soup every Saturday by emptying the fridge of anything nearing the end of its freshness and “doctoring” it up as a soup. This is probably easier if you’re an experienced cook and have an idea of how to pair ingredients and flavours, but it’s not impossible. Experimentation is the best way to become experienced, and although it may at first create some meals that are not fantastic, over time you will learn what to do. Also, Google is your friend. If you have a few main ingredients, search for a recipe using those key phrases. Chances are, someone will have made a recipe that fits the bill.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Marcelle shared a link to this recipe for Hungarian Mushroom Soup and recommended making a meal of it by serving with side bread and a small salad. It looks absolutely delicious, and I am really bummed that I can’t try it out. After a lifetime of not liking mushrooms at all, I have recently discovered that they are actually yummy. Also, high in vitamin D, which can be really important during soup season.

Alas, I have also discovered that I am allergic to them. They cause an intense itching and hives, which I gather is because I am also allergic to mould.

Tomato Soup

The classic mainstay, tomato soup is great on its own or served with a grilled cheese sandwich. Marcia explained her recipe as follows:

Saute an onion and garlic. Combine two 28 ounce cans tomatoes, one 15 ounce can of white beans, 28 ounces of chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, add fresh basil in the last few minutes. Blend until smooth in a food processor, blender, or with an immersion blender.

Homemade Bone Broth

Bone broth is everywhere these days, but it’s nothing new. Basically, it’s what we used to call stock. Noelle said that if you cook it yourself, it makes a huge difference in flavour and nutrition. She mentioned bone broth can serve as a fabulous base for whatever root vegetables you want to roast and then purée in the stock. It is time consuming, but largely takes care of itself once you have started it simmering. Noelle’s recipe for homemade broth is as follows:

Bones of your choice, carrots, celery, onions simmering in a stock pot with water for a few hours. Add small amounts of basil, thyme, and rosemary. If you make a lot, any broth or stock freezes beautifully for future soup days.

Chicken and Rice Soup

And speaking of bone broth. Sally shared a wonderful soup hack. Add leftover chicken and rice to bone broth for a quick, easy, and healthy meal.

Taco Soup

Stacey swears by taco soup and shared a great easy crockpot recipe. There are probably hundreds of different recipes out there, so if you don’t have a crockpot, Google can help you find another good taco soup recipe.

The great thing about soup is that you can mess with the ingredients and spice levels based on your diet and taste. For instance, Stacey uses ground turkey instead of beef, skips the ranch seasoning due to a MSG sensitivity, and recommends a dollop of sour cream when serving to make the soup nice and smooth.

Kitchen Sink Soup

As in “everything and…” this is the soup I always make when I am sick, especially if my stomach’s queasy. It has some basics:

Saute onion and garlic. Add 1L of vegetable broth (I buy mine) and about half a litre of water. Add a variety of vegetables – my mainstays are 3 carrots, 1 parsnip, a few potatoes, and whatever else is going limp. Add a can of chickpeas or other beans. Season with salt, pepper, Italian herb blend, Cajun spice, and whatever else suits your fancy. Bring to a boil, then simmer until you’re happy it’s done. In the last five minutes or so, rip up some kale and add to the pot. Also freezes well.

But soup doesn’t actually have to be homemade. Don’t forget that just because something is from the store, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. You can get some great organic soups in Mason jars and bags with very few ingredients, all of which are recognizable and pronounceable. Depending on your budget and eye-roll trigger at the word organic, canned soups can also be very nutritious. Just remember to read the label.

One of my quick soup hacks is to buy one of those bags or Mason jars of soup — because of my food allergies and sensitivities, I tend to go organic and simple ingredients. Put it in a pot, season to my taste with a variety of spices and herbs, maybe add some additional vegetables. Eat as is or blend. It gives me several days of nutritious meals with very little work.

One more thing about soup. I don’t know her personally, but she is Canadian so almost? A recent video from HealthNut Nutrition shares recipes for 10 minutes soups. Doesn’t get better than that!

20 Comments

  1. Rick Phillips on February 10, 2020 at 10:21 pm

    OMG i love me some serious soup !!! I could have soup nealr every day 365 days out of the year. yumm I love soup.



    • Lene Andersen on February 13, 2020 at 11:45 am

      I love soup! Not quite as much as you, do, though… 😉



  2. Scott DeNicola on February 11, 2020 at 11:49 am

    It is currently cold and rainy in New York and has been so for the last few days. A bowl of soup right now sounds like the perfect meal. I recently discover taco soup and being a huge fan of tacos I don’t know what it took so long. My kids love chicken and rice as do I. My sister in law loves making soup and every year she asks us if we’re going to use the turkey “carcass” after Thanksgiving. The first time she said it we laughed at her and looked on with strange glances but now we’re used to it. She takes it home every year to make a bone broth soup.



    • Lene Andersen on February 13, 2020 at 11:47 am

      I love the way that simple stock has been rebranded to bone broth. When I was growing up — admittedly back when the hills were mountains — my mother never let a carcass go to waste. Regardless of what was, if there were bones left over, she used them for stock.



  3. Dreams Abroad on February 11, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    I love Taco Soup and it seems like everyone I make it for enjoys it too. And you are so right that it is an ez crockpot recipe. One that you set it and there is little no prep. Just throw it in the pot and magic comes out. I have never made Homemade bone broth but I think I am going to try it.



    • Lene Andersen on February 13, 2020 at 11:48 am

      Bone broth/stock is super easy. Bones, plus whatever veggies are going limp. Or you can get specific — carrots, celery, onions, some herbs. It’s a great base for homemade soup.



  4. Stephanie S on February 12, 2020 at 12:32 am

    I’d have to say on a cold night I really enjoy a nice bowl of rice, and chicken soup. I love all the recipes you have shared. I really enjoy preparing soups in my slow cooker. It snowed over where I live, and we were actually talking about preparing some soup for tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.



  5. Kelly Martin on February 12, 2020 at 5:39 am

    Soup is so warm and comforting. I love the names of these soups especially the garbage soup and the kitchen sink soup!



    • Lene Andersen on February 13, 2020 at 11:48 am

      I know! So evocative of what it really is.



  6. Melanie williams on February 12, 2020 at 7:18 am

    Soup is a must right now. the cold and storms are creating a blustery chill for sure xx



    • Lene Andersen on February 13, 2020 at 11:49 am

      We’re about to get pummeled with cold and snow. Making soup tonight!



  7. Stephanie S on February 12, 2020 at 1:45 pm

    I will try my comment again. I love this list of easy soup recipes. We are currently having cold, snowy weather over where I live so these soups will come in handy. My favorite is rice, and chicken soup . So delicious on a cold night. Thank you for sharing.



  8. Julia on February 12, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    Soup in the wintertime is the best meal. I like how you put it: “…comforts when you need a hug”.
    My favorite soups are Mushroom soup (though, Russian recipe), New England clam chowder, chicken and rice soup, Japanese Miso soup, and Russian cabbage soup (schi). Garbage soup sounds interesting… haha!

    Keep warm,

    ~ Julia



  9. Sarah on February 13, 2020 at 5:25 am

    Soup is a like a hug for your insides 🙂 Some of the names of these soup are fantastic… garbage soup. Ha ha! I’m more interested in the Taco Soup. Sounds intriguing!



    • Lene Andersen on February 13, 2020 at 11:49 am

      I have never actually had taco soup. I think I need to remedy that.



  10. Live Learn Better on February 13, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    Come to think of it, I just finished eating Taco soup. I’m a soup lover and I will bookmark this page for reference anytime I want to try something new.



  11. Lyosha on February 14, 2020 at 3:43 am

    nothing beats soup during the cold days, it is always pleasing and delicious and also helps to prevent cold



  12. LuLu B - Calabrisella Mia on February 14, 2020 at 9:28 am

    I love soups, especially in the cold winter months. You can get so creative with soups – you’ve shared some interesting ones and I love the names… Haha Kitchen sink!?! The taco soup is one I’d really like to try!



  13. Thuy on February 14, 2020 at 9:51 am

    I’m a fan of creamy soups and chowders! I consider the fall “soup season” but realistically I eat soup all year round!



  14. Britt K on February 14, 2020 at 10:30 am

    Some great suggestions! I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one that loves making garbage soup to clear up the produce in the fridge before it goes bad. After all, no one wants to see food go to waste!