Sometime around the end of August, I start craving soup. The temperatures have not dropped yet. But something in me knows it is coming.
In our house, Saturday is soup day. I put together a big pot of something warm, soup or chili or stew, and let it simmer while the weekend unfolds around it. By Sunday the flavors have deepened. Bill is settled in with the Chiefs. The dogs are in a pile on the sofa. And I am free to bake, read, or do exactly nothing. (Loaded baked potato soup would be on regular rotation too, but my sister-in-law makes the best version I have ever tasted, and I have never quite seen the point of competing with perfection.)
That is the whole point. A big pot of soup is not just dinner. It is a strategy for a better Sunday.
The leftovers carry us into the week too. Tuesday night is already handled before Monday morning starts. That kind of efficiency never gets old.
Below you will find more than twenty easy soup recipes for fall and winter. Creamy soups. Hearty chilis. Comforting stews. Something for every cold night from September through March. Most are simple recipes made with simple ingredients in one pot. All of them freeze beautifully. Several come together on a busy weeknight in under thirty minutes.
Pull out your Dutch oven. Soup season is the best season.
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Cozy Soups for Cold Days
These are the ones I come back to every year. The best fall soups are the ones that make the house smell like something good is happening the minute you walk in the door. Each one is a warm hug in a bowl. Serve with crusty bread. Call it a meal.
Barefoot Contessa Rosemary White Bean Soup
Ina’s version tastes like you spent all day on it. You didn’t. Rich, herby, and deeply satisfying on a chilly evening.
Easy Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
This is exactly what a leftover ham bone is for. Add a little smoky bacon if you have it. Hearty and made entirely in the slow cooker with simple ingredients. No soaking the beans. No fuss at all. A complete one-pot meal.
Easy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Rich, earthy, and full of flavor. The slow cooker does the work while you go about your Saturday. A hearty vegetarian soup with plant-based protein from black beans. Top with sour cream and a squeeze of lime.
Tuscan Carrot and Bean Soup with Kale
A bowl of this and a good piece of bread and dinner is done. A vegetarian soup packed with fresh vegetables and plant-based protein from the beans. Healthy, filling, and full of flavor. One of my favorite bean soups in the collection.
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Kale
Piping hot and deeply comforting. Use a rotisserie chicken to cut the prep time in half. The wild rice adds a wonderful chewiness. The kale makes you feel virtuous without tasting like it.
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
The classic, made easy. A creamy chicken noodle soup that comes together with simple ingredients in under thirty minutes of prep. Exactly what you want when the weather turns or someone in the house needs feeding back to health.
Creamy Chicken, Cauliflower and Leek Soup
A little more interesting than your standard chicken soup but just as comforting. A touch of heavy cream gives it a rich, savory flavor. Add a side salad and a piece of crusty bread and dinner is handled.
The Best French Onion Soup
Worth every minute of caramelizing. Rich broth, toasted baguette, bubbling Gruyere. This is the French onion soup you will make every winter.
Caramelized Onion and Cauliflower Soup
Velvety and full of deep flavor. Not a drop of cream in sight, which makes it one of my favorite healthy comfort food soups. This one surprised me the first time I made it. It has been on rotation ever since.
Squash, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soups
Fall in a bowl. These soups lean into the best seasonal ingredients of the year: butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and cauliflower. Silky, warming, and beautifully colored. Most blend smooth. All are wonderful with a drizzle of heavy cream or a handful of toasted seeds on top. Pour one into a big mug on a chilly fall or winter day and call it the best decision you made all week.
Ina Garten Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
I make this every single year the minute the air turns. The apple adds a gentle sweetness against the savory squash. Creamy, comforting, and perfect for a fall dinner party.
The Best Cozy Butternut Squash Soup
Sweet, velvety, and soul-warming. Serve with crusty bread or alongside a sandwich for a lunch worth looking forward to.
Easy Roasted Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup
Roasting the squash first concentrates the flavor. Simple to make, gorgeous to serve, and even better the next day.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Herbs and Spices
Warming spices and fresh herbs take a classic butternut squash soup somewhere a little more interesting. A beautiful soup for a cozy fall evening.
The Best French Cauliflower Soup
Elegant, creamy, and wonderfully simple. If you love cauliflower this will become one of your cold weather staples.
Golden Healing Cauliflower Soup
Easy, good for you, and genuinely delicious. Ready in about twenty-five minutes. The golden color alone brightens up a grey November afternoon.
Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup
A flavorful sweet potato soup with turmeric, ginger, garlic, and cumin. One of the most flavorful soups in the collection. Healthy, hearty, and on the table on a busy weeknight with minimal minutes of prep.
Pumpkin Ginger Soup
Lightly spiced with fresh ginger and coconut milk. Cozy flavors, ready in forty minutes. It tastes exactly like October should.
Pumpkin Soup with Chorizo
The chorizo adds a smoky depth that makes this pumpkin soup anything but ordinary. A wonderful option when you want something a little more exciting.
Tomato Soups
Is there anything more satisfying on a cold day than a comforting bowl of really good tomato soup? A rich tomato broth made from roasted tomatoes is in a different category entirely. These two are worth making from scratch. Both reward the extra steps.
Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Roasting the tomatoes first changes everything. This creamy tomato soup has a rich tomato broth and a creamy texture that spoils you for any other version. A splash of vinegar at the end brightens the whole pot. Pair with a grilled cheese. Call it a perfect lunch.
Homemade Roasted Green Tomato and Basil Soup
A wonderful way to use the last of your summer tomatoes. Green tomatoes give this soup a gentle tartness and a beautiful color.
Chilis Worth Making a Big Pot Of
Chili always tastes better the next day. It freezes beautifully. Whether you use ground beef, chorizo, or go meatless, a flavorful chili is one of the best chili recipes to have in your repertoire. It can feed a crowd, fuel a game day, and solve Tuesday dinner all at once.
Guinness Beer Chili
A Guinness stout and a tablespoon of cocoa powder give this hearty beef chili a malty, deep richness you will not find anywhere else. A true one-pot wonder. Perfect for game day or a cold Saturday afternoon.
Layered Chili with Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Dark chocolate and Guinness in the pot. Jalapeno cheddar cornbread on the side. Spicy, comforting, and exactly the kind of meal that makes a cold winter Sunday feel like a gift.
Tex-Mex Chorizo Chili
Bold, smoky, and deeply flavorful. The chorizo and red pepper bring a warmth and complexity that makes this one of the most interesting chilis in the collection.
Pumpkin Chili
Pumpkin puree makes this flavorful chili wonderfully thick. A subtle sweetness that balances the heat beautifully. Top with sour cream and cheddar cheese. A fall twist on a classic worth making every year.
A Few Tips for Soup Season
Make a big batch. Soup always tastes better on day two. Most soups and chilis freeze beautifully for up to three months. One Saturday afternoon of cooking can carry you through most of the week.
Invest in a good Dutch oven. Mine lives on the stovetop from September through March. A drizzle of good olive oil in the bottom of the pot makes all the difference when you are building a flavorful base. Lodge and Le Creuset are both excellent and will last you decades.
Let the slow cooker or Instant Pot do the work. Several of these soups adapt beautifully to both. Brown your meat first if the recipe calls for it, then walk away. Weeknight dinners have never been easier.
Always have crusty bread. Every soup on this list is better with a good piece of bread alongside it. I keep a baguette in the freezer for exactly this reason. For more ideas on feeding people well without the stress, visit my Recipes for Entertaining collection.
I hope you find a few new recipes to add to your go-to rotation. Soup season is long. That is a good thing. If you make one, drop a comment below. I would love to know which one you tried. And if you are thinking about other ways to slow down and live more intentionally after 50, that is a conversation I am always glad to keep having.
“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.” — Oscar Wilde
