By Julia Favaro

Making a big batch of delicious soup is the perfect way to enjoy the cold weather, and for college students, it is a warm dish that can provide multiple meals. You can also pop on your favorite holiday movie while preparing a pot of your favorite soup. Making soup with friends and family can be a great way to spend time with loved ones as well. If you are interested in making soup but do not know what to make, keep reading to learn about different types of soups and recipes to warm up with!

Cream Soups

Cream soup is a pureed soup that contains cream to produce a rich flavor and smooth texture. Cream soups are often a blend of aromatic vegetables, such as onion and garlic with the addition of a vegetable and cream. This soup is a great option when craving a rich and hearty soup. 

Creamy Tomato Soup with Buttery Croutons

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, smashed

5 cups canned whole tomatoes in their juice

1 cup water

⅔ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

¼ tsp celery seed

¼ tsp dried oregano

Kosher salt

Black pepper

4 slices of bread, crust trimmed, bread cut into ¾ inch cubes

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of the butter in 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add the sliced onion and smashed garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, for about 5 minutes
2. Add the tomatoes and their juice, water, heavy cream, sugar, crushed red pepper, celery seed, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, breaking up the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer for 10 minutes. 
3. In batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth
4. In a small skillet, cook the remaining 1 tbsp of butter over moderately high heat until it begins to brown for about 1 minute. Transfer the browned butter to a medium bowl. Add the olive oil to the skillet. Add the diced bread and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally until it is slightly brown for about 6 minutes. Transfer the bread to the browned butter and toss well
5. Serve and enjoy

Puree Soups

Puree soups are just as they sound. A mixture of ingredients pureed together. A pureed soup is a lighter option if you don’t want a heavy cream soup. A puree soup is also a great way to incorporate vegetables in a meal by pureeing a variety of roasted vegetables to produce a more nutritious soup. 

Roasted Feta Soup

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, 2 ½ lbs, peeled and cubed

1 garlic head, halved

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 fresh sage leaves

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1 block of feta (8oz)

4 cups vegetable broth or stock

Chili oil of choice for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat to 400 degrees fahrenheit. 
2. In a large dutch oven, add butternut squash cubes, halved garlic, olive oil, sage leaves, red pepper flakes, and the block of feta. Season with salt and pepper
3. Cover and place in the oven. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until the squash is softened.
4. After the dutch oven is taken out, squeeze the garlic cloves into the pot and discard the skin. Add everything from the pot into a high-powered blender, add the vegetable stock, and blend until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Bisques

A bisque soup is a French style of soup made from crustaceans such as lobster, crab, and shrimp. The shells are used to make the stock while the meat is incorporated into the soup itself. A bisque has a smooth and velvety texture and often includes wine and cream. The Meaning of Bisque. A bisque is a great option if you’re craving a light seafood dish.

Lobster Bisque

Photo Credits: iStock

Ingredients

Two 2 lb lobsters, steamed

4 tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup dry sherry

½ cup chopped celery

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

Kosher salt

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped carrot

½ cup chopped button mushrooms

2 tbsp tomato paste

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

½ cup dry white wine

¾ cup whole milk

¾ cup heavy cream

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Instructions

1. Twist off claws and tails of lobsters. Remove meat, discarding the green tomalley and reserving the shells. Coarsely chop the meat to measure about 2 ½ cups, and transfer to a bowl; cover and chill
2. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the lobster shells, and cook, stirring often until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sherry, and cook until the liquid is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, 4 cups water, and ½ tsp salt. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until reduced to about 2 ½ cups, about 15 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Discard the solids. Set aside. 
3. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, mushrooms, tomato paste, cayenne and ½ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the reserved lobster stock and simmer until reduced to about 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Puree the mixture until smooth. Place over medium heat, store in the milk and cream, and bring to a simmer. Add the lobster meat.

Chowders

A chowder is a creamy soup featuring seafood and hearty vegetables . A chowder differs from a bisque because it includes chunks of seafood and other ingredients, whereas a bisque is much smoother. If you’re in the mood for a warm rich seafood dish, chowder is for you.

Corn Chowder with Mussels

Photo Credit: iStock

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

½ tsp each of dried rosemary, sage, thyme, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 medium russet potato, diced

2 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob

4 cups unflavored and unsweetened oat milk

½ cup nutritional yeast

4 oz. tin of canned mussels, packed in oil, Patagonia Provisions recommended

2 tbsp chili oil, optional is mussels are already packed in a flavored oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Instructions

1. Put high-sided saute pan or dutch oven on medium heat. Add the oil and let it come to temperature. Add in the onion and cook. Stirring occasionally, until it is softened and starting to become translucent, around 4-5 minutes.
2. Add in the garlic and spices. Season with salt and stir to combine. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until the garlic has softened and the spices are aromatic.
3. Add in the potato and half of the corn kernels. Stir and cook in the oil for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Pour in the oat milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in the nutritional yeast. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potato is tender.
5. Reduce heat to low and use immersion blender to blend soup until mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Raise heat back to medium, add in the remaining corn, and simmer another 7-10 minutes, or until the corn is cooked.

Mixed Soup

A mixed soup contains a variety of ingredients often including a meat, bean, pasta, vegetable, grain, etc. There are endless varieties of mixed soups such as minestrone and mixed vegetable soups. Mixed soups are a great way to clear out any extra ingredients you may have in your kitchen.

Pasta e Fagioli

Photo Credits: iStock

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 small fennel bulb or 2 celery ribs, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 tsp sea salt

Black pepper

3 garlic cloves, grated

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes

3 cups cooked cannellini beans, dried and rinsed

4 cups vegetable broth

Parmesan rind, optional

1 cup ditalini pasta, or other small pasta

2 large kale or swiss chard leaves, stemmed and torn (about 6 cups)

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, carrots, salt, and several grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until very soft
2. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and rosemary and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the beans, broth, and Parmesen rind, if using. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the pasta and simmer for 10 more minutes, or until al dente. Stir in the kale and red pepper flakes and cook until the kale is wilted. Season to taste and serve.

Broth Soups

Broth soup contains a base of a savory broth made from simmering water with meat and bones or vegetables. Ingredients such as vegetables, meat, and rice are often added to this type of soup. Broth soups, such as chicken noodle soup are usually eaten to help aid an illness. In fact, eating chicken noodle soup when you’re sick isnt just an old home remedy, it’s actually been proven to help the body when fighting illness. Valley Children’s Healthcare explains that chicken and its broth help thin mucus, hydrate the body, and work with the vegetables to provide vital nutrients to the immune system as it fights off the illness. However, canned chicken noodle soup is often less effective than homemade soup. Here’s a recipe for a nutritious chicken noodle soup to help heal during those pesky winter illnesses. 

Chicken Soup

Photo Credits: iStock

Ingredients

1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 large carrots, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 tbsp fresh grated turmeric (or 1 tsp ground turmeric)

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs

1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary

1 tsp freshly chopped thyme, stems removed

½ tsp salt

Black pepper

1 cup pearl or Israeli couscous

⅔ cup frozen peas

Instructions

1. Place a large dutch ocean or pot over medium high heat and add in oil. Once oil is hot, add in garlic, onion, carrots, and celery; cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent
2. Add in grated ginger and turmeric. Saute for 30 seconds, then add chicken broth, chicken breast, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper
3. Bring soup to a boil, then stir in the couscous
4. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked
5. Once chicken is cooked, remove and shred with two forks. Add the chicken nacl to pot and then stir in frozen peas. Add more broth if needed and season to taste.