This Is the Best Time to Think About Making Soup. Here Are 5 Recipes You’ll Want to Try

Soup is one of the best comfort foods, perfect for those fall and winter days.

Clam chowder is one of the many comforting soups to enjoy this winter. Food Fantasy/Shutterstock

By Kaitlyn Keegan From Hartford Courant

As the leaves fall, the heat goes on, the temperatures drop, and the sweaters and jackets are pulled from storage, it’s also a great time to think about making a pot of soup.

Soup is one of the best comfort foods, perfect for those fall and winter days. Whether you fancy clam or corn chowder, a roasted butternut squash soup, a classic Italian sausage orzo, or something unique like lasagna soup, there’s a special place in everyone’s heart for that big pot on the stove.

We have found five recipes that are sure to make your mouth water. No matter what soup preference you may have, you’ll find something to cook for the whole family.

Simple Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is by Allrecipes.com.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash—peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Gather all ingredients.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, and cook onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Pour in enough chicken stock to cover vegetables.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender and process until smooth. Return to the pot and mix in any remaining stock to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Clam Chowder

This recipe is by Allrecipes.com.

• 2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup minced onion
• 3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, drained with juice reserved
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart half-and-half cream
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Place potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion into a large skillet; pour in clam juice and add enough water to cover. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetable mixture with any juices until just heated through.

Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Real Lasagna Soup

This recipe is by Allrecipes.com.

Noodles:

• 8 ounces dry lasagna noodles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

Soup Base:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 6 ounces bulk Italian sausage, or 1 Italian sausage links, casing removed
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 (24 ounce) jar prepared marinara sauce, or 3 cups homemade marinara sauce
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cheese Mixture:

• 12 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Garnish:

• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil and Italian parsley leaves (optional)

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in lasagna noodles and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just flexible, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer noodles into cold water until cooled; drain very well.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and grease parchment with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Cut noodles in half lengthwise. Arrange noodles in evenly overlapping rows on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with melted butter, and use fingers to rub some butter between the noodles.

Bake noodles in the preheated oven until they are golden, blistered, and are beginning to brown with crispy outside edges. Let cool; cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a soup pot, and place over high heat. Add beef and sausage. Use a spatula to break up the meat into small pieces; cook without stirring until liquid evaporates and meat begins to sizzle in its own fat, then continue to cook and stir until meat begins to brown, about 7 minutes.

Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, black pepper, and kosher salt. Cook and stir until onions begin to turn translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Stir ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese together in a bowl; set aside.

Increase the heat under soup to medium high; stir in noodle pieces. Cook, stirring, until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and stir in the 2 tablespoons Italian parsley.

Serve in bowls with a scoop of cheese mixture, and sprinkle with freshly torn basil and Italian parsley if desired.

Italian Sausage Orzo Soup

This recipe is by juliasalbum.com.

• 15 ounces spicy Italian sausage crumbled
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
• fresh thyme to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 cup orzo uncooked
• 8 ounces portobello mushrooms (2 big mushroom caps chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 5 ounces fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Add crumbled Italian sausage, Italian seasoning, a generous amount of fresh thyme (no sprigs, just leaves), and red pepper flakes to a large saucepan. Cook. on medium heat, regularly stirring to break the sausage.

Once the sausage released juices and is half cooked, add 1 cup of uncooked orzo, chopped portobello, and minced garlic, and cook, constantly stirring, for about 3 minutes on medium heat until portobello mushrooms soften but are not cooked through.

Add 5 cups of chicken stock, stir everything well, cover with the lid, bring to a boil, and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes until the orzo is cooked.

Add spinach to the soup, cover with the lid and let it wilt on low heat, occasionally stirring.

Once the spinach has wilted, remove the soup from the heat and add heavy cream. Stir everything and season with salt and pepper. Add more red pepper flakes, if you like. Top with fresh thyme.

Cheesy Potato Soup

This recipe is by Allrecipes.com.

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 4 cups water
• 8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 15 slices American cheese—broken into pieces
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 2/3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and celery in the butter for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender.

Stir in the water and potatoes, bring to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the cheese and stir until melted.

In a separate small bowl, combine the flour and the milk and stir well until the flour is mostly dissolved. Pour this into the soup slowly, stirring constantly, until soup has thickened, about 5 minutes. Garnish with the parsley.

Copyright 2024 Hartford Courant. Visit at courant.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to [email protected].