3 Soup Recipes That Are a Bright Spot as the Days Get Shorter

We’ve reached the time of year when pasta bakes feel like a warm blanket, our favorite chili recipe is on repeat, and we usher in our routine of making soups.

These three soup recipes, from a mix of old and new cookbooks, are ready to take the chill off. Dreamstime/TNS

By Nicole Hvidsten The Minnesota Star Tribune

Now that darkness falls before the end of the workday, the crisp fall air has a winterlike bite.

We’ve reached the time of year when pasta bakes feel like a warm blanket, our favorite chili recipe is on repeat and we usher in our routine of making a different soup each week.

To find inspiration for our self-imposed seasonal soup challenge, we turn to the same places many home cooks do—friends, websites, social media. But nothing beats a good cookbook.

We love the excitement of recent releases, brimming with creativity and possibilities. However, we never turn our backs on well-worn favorites, with splatters and creases throughout. These three soup recipes, from a mix of old and new cookbooks, are ready to take the chill off. And who knows, maybe one of them will be on repeat.

Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup

Serves 4.

This soup is a healthily indulgent combination of super vegetables and rich cheese. A quiche in a bowl—in a good way. From “Leon Happy Soups” by Rebecca Seal and John Vincent (Conran, 2017).

• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 7 ounces potatoes, about 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 1/4 cups hot chicken or vegetable broth
• 6 tablespoons slivered almonds, for serving
• 2 heads of broccoli, about 1 pound, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2/3 to 1 1/2 cups blue cheese, crumbled into small pieces, plus extra for serving
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons light or heavy cream, optional, plus extra for serving
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a large pan over low heat. Add the butter or oil, diced onions, and a pinch of salt and cook gently until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add the diced potatoes and hot broth and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a hot dry pan for 2 or 3 minutes, until golden—watch carefully as they can burn easily. Set aside until ready to serve.

Add the broccoli and lemon juice to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is just tender. Remove from heat and, use an immersion blender to process the soup until completely smooth. (Or, working in batches, puree in a blender and return to pan.) Crumble in 2/3 cup of the cheese, and stir until it has completely melted. Taste and decide how much more to add—it really depends on how pungent the cheese is.

Season with the nutmeg and black pepper. Stir in the cream, if using, and serve sprinkled with the toasted slivered almonds, additional crumbled cheese, and a drizzle of cream.

Vegetable Soup

Serves 4 to 6.

As its name suggests, this soup is packed full of fresh vegetables. Research shows that increasing the amount and diversity of vegetables and other plants in our diet can benefit long-term health as they are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. This soup is so full of flavor and popular with children and adults alike. From “The Soup Solution” from Charlotte Pike (Hamlyn, 2025).

• 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 rib celery, trimmed and chopped
• 1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 red or orange pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 7 ounces squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 (14.5-ounces) can diced tomatoes
• 2 1/4 cups (18 ounces) hot vegetable stock
• 3 1/2 ounces kale leaves or spring greens, stripped from the stalk and chopped into small pieces

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and leek and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and add the carrot, celery, fennel, pepper, and squash and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the tomatoes and stir well.

Next, add the hot stock. Stir and allow to simmer for 45 minutes until the vegetables are fully tender.

Stir in the kale or greens, allow 5 minutes for them to wilt in the hot liquid. Taste to check the seasoning, adding a little more salt or pepper as needed. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

This soup will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge and also freezes well. If you are preparing it in advance, wait to add the kale until you reheat the soup to ensure it doesn’t overcook and turn sludgy.

Sicilian-style Spicy Chicken Meatball Soup

Serves 4.

We love these chicken meatballs, studded with pine nuts, fennel seeds and capers, simmered in a spicy tomato broth. From “Leon Happy Soups” by Rebecca Seal and John Vincent (Conran, 2017).

For the soup:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 fat clove of garlic, crushed to a paste
• 2 (14.5-ounces) cans diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
• Generous 1 cup hot vegetable broth
• 7 ounces macaroni or ditalini
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

For the meatballs:

• 1 slice of stale bread, crusts removed
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 pound ground chicken or chicken breasts, ground in a food processor
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 heaping tablespoon coarsely chopped golden raisins
• Zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pat of butter

Place the oil, garlic, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, broth, and some salt and pepper in a large heavy pan with a lid. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until the tomatoes have broken down and are pulpy, around 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Use a food processor to turn the bread into crumbs (or crumble into tiny pieces with your hands). Then stir through the milk to soften.

Tip the ground chicken and milky bread crumbs into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and a generous amount of ground black pepper. Place the fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and pine nuts in a hot dry pan and toast briefly, stirring, until golden, then add to the bowl with the golden raisins, lemon zest, parsley, capers and garlic. Use your hands to mix everything together, then shape into 20 balls, each around 1 1/4 inches in diameter.

Place the oil and butter in a skillet set over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown them all over. (Once one side has browned, turn the balls sidewise, as turning them right over allows them to flatten out and lose their round shape.)

The pasta and meatballs now cook in the soup pot: the meatballs need about 10 minutes, while the pasta will depend on which variety you choose. Add the boiling water to the pot, stir, then add the meatballs and then the pasta, according to its cooking time.

Cover the pan, but stir every minute or two to prevent the pasta and sauce sticking to the bottom and burning.

When the pasta is cooked, remove from the heat. Serve topped with the fresh parsley and lots of freshly grated Parmesan.

Copyright 2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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