3 Hearty Tuscan Soups to Celebrate the Return of Soup Season

These affordable, filling soups are a perfect example of the Italian cucina povera: They stretch simple seasonal vegetables, legumes, or stale bread into satisfying dishes meant to feed a crowd. Giulia Scarpaleggia

I can tell autumn has arrived when I’m welcomed by a chill when I go downstairs in the morning to open the windows; when I fish out my heavier scarves from the wardrobe to protect myself from the cold wind; when apples, pears, chestnuts, mushrooms, and squashes begin to crowd the market stalls.

But most importantly, I know autumn has truly arrived when I find myself craving soup every other night. I might make a simple vegetable minestrone, a thick and creamy chickpea and pumpkin soup, a clear chicken broth speckled with tiny pastina, or a hearty barley and cabbage soup hailing from the Alps. If summer is all about the salads, fall is when soups make their glorious return to home kitchens and trattorias alike.