A couple weeks back I was making soup in my kitchen, as I often do, and one of my roommates asked me if I could teach him how to make soup some time. I was quite excited by the prospect of sharing what I have learned over the past couple years in my exploration of broth-based comfort foods. That gave me an idea, why not use this wonderful platform to do the same on a broader scale?

As the thermometer drops here in Vermont and the frost sets in, the race to get cozy indoors begins. A quintessential part of this effort is steamy home cooked food, and so, Soup Season was born. I do understand that college is a time of firsts, and for many, a time of learning to cook for the first time! I know because I’ve lived it. I didn’t begin my own culinary adventure until I moved out. So, I have compiled this list with that in mind. You may take soups as far as you like, and if that means putting water on for some instant ramen, then all power to you! If you would like to take it a step farther, read on.

*Also, something to note: If you are unsure how to do a specific step (ie. Dicing, sauteing, etc.) feel free to look it up! Google is a great resource that I leaned on heavily when I started cooking. *

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A Flexible Formula: Build Your Own Soup

Most of the soups that I make follow a general recipe that can be broken up into parts. Each part contributes to a necessary aspect of the dish, yet it can be swapped out quite freely to fit your own tastes. Almost all of these flavors work well together so you can pick however many or however little as you like! Trust your gut when assembling your soup.

A Brothy Base: This provides the foundational taste of the soup as a whole, so you can put in whatever flavors you enjoy most!

• Firstly, you start by dicing any solids that you choose. My personal favorites are onion/shallot (you can choose either), ginger and garlic.
• Once diced, heat up a couple table spoons of oil in a pot on medium low and sauté. Onion will need the longest (five to eight minutes depending on the heat), and shallot, ginger and garlic will only need a minute or two.
• Once those are done, add in some more flavor! Soy sauce and peanut butter are a great base (a couple table spoons of both. Trust me here). Miso paste, red curry paste, or gochujang are great options as well. Let that sizzle for a second in the hot pan while stirring.
• Then add your broth. Chicken or vegetable broth can both work. I usually use bouillon simply because it’s cheap and easy. Add as much as you prefer and bring that to a boil. You can add half a can of coconut milk at this point to make it creamy, but that is totally optional.

 

A Filling Carb: No broth-based soup is complete without a little substance to fill you up. This part is very low effort.

• You can pick whichever you prefer. I often use rice vermicelli noodles, Thai wheat noodles (they have these at trader joe’s), or rice. You could even use instant ramen noodles. For any noodle, just toss it into your broth and let it boil for as long as the box says. For rice, just add a cup of water and half a cup of rice to a pot and let it simmer (while covered!) for ten minutes.

 

A Tasty Protein: These next steps are optional, but I find they make any soup significantly better. For this one, just pick a protein of your choice.

• Chicken thigh, Salmon, Tilapia, Tofu, or frozen dumplings could all work. I usually pan fry any chicken, fish or tofu. If you want more detailed instructions on that feel free to look it up! For dumplings you can toss them in the broth with the noodles.

 

A Hearty Green: For this, simply pick a veggie you like and toss it in the broth for a few minutes. I like kale, bok choy and broccoli.

Lastly, and this is completely unnecessary, but if you feel like adding a garnish, green onion, chives, lime, or chili crisp are all good options. And with that, you have completed your very own homemade soup! I am so proud. You have made it so far. If this sorta soup isn’t up your alley, or you desire more, the soups iceberg is only just beginning. I have listed two more recipes below to satiate your unending hunger for soups!

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Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup

This is a recipe I seemed to stumble into when I encountered a can of pumpkin at Trader Joe’s. I decided there had to be something I could do with it. Thus, this warm and cozy soup was born. Initially, I created it in the spirit of autumn, and autumn seems to dwindle by the day (but I won’t tell if you don’t).

Ingredients:

• Most of a sweet onion (White will work)
• About 4 cloves of garlic
• A sweet potato
• 1 can of pumpkin purée
• About two cups of Chicken/vegetable stock (you can always add more).
• Rosemary
• Salt
• Pepper
• Thyme, paprika and cinnamon (optional)

 

Process:

1. Start by dicing your onion and sautéing it in a large pot on medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Peel your sweet potato and cut into one-inch cubes. Add those to the onions. At this point throw in a large pinch of salt and a generous amount of rosemary and thyme.
3. Once the sweet potato and onion have been going for about ten minutes add in your minced garlic. Fry until fragrant (‘till it smells really good).
4. Add in the whole can of pumpkin purée.
5. Add in your stock and bring it to a boil. Add salt, pepper and some paprika if you want it to be a bit spicy or add cinnamon to lean in a different direction. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for about fifteen minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. You know their done when a fork can pierce through easily.
6. At this point, if you have an immersion blender, blend directly in the pot until smooth. If not (I don’t) then pour it into a normal blender and blend ‘till smooth. You may have to do it in batches if you have a small blender like me.
7. Serve it up in a bowl and garnish with some olive oil and heavy cream if you like. Taste and if it needs it, add a little salt, pepper and rosemary as well.

 

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Pea and Mint Soup

This one is not my recipe! All credit goes to a British man I found on the internet who has a very kind voice named Alfie. He has a ton of great recipes, some of which I have tried, but this one outshines all in my humble opinion. I have made it many times and it NEVER disappoints. I have copied and pasted his instructions below. Follow this link to his page for more of his tasty recipes.

Ingredients:

• 900g frozen peas
• 1 potato
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 liter vegetable stock
• 1tbsp miso paste (optional)
• Large bunch of mint
• 1 lemon
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2tbsp (vegan) butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sugar

 

To Serve:

• Crispy onions / shallots
• (Vegan) cream
• Smoked paprika
• Toasted sourdough

 

Process:

1. Add the oil + butter to a large saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Finely dice the onion, then add to the saucepan once the butter has melted with a large pinch of salt.
3. Peel the potato, chop into small cubes, then add to onions + cook until soft (10-15 minutes)
4. Mince the garlic, add to the pot + fry until fragrant (1 minute).
5. Add 750g peas, the vegetable stock + miso paste.
6. Simmer for 5/10 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Add a large handful of mint leaves & cover with a lid.
7. Reserve the rest of the peas for garnish – place in a bowl of boiling water for 3 minutes, then into cold water + set aside.
8. Blend the soup until smooth, then place back in the pot + bring to a simmer. Season to taste with a squeeze of lemon juice, then salt, pepper + sugar if needed.
9. To serve, ladle into bowls, top with a swirl of cream, olive oil, a spoonful of peas, crispy shallots + a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
10. Toast + butter your sourdough, then dive on in.