Best Winter Soups

As soon as chilly weather hits I start to crave soups of all kinds. Stovetop, crockpot, bisque or chicken broth, I try it all. I hate to admit it, but in years past I bought a ton of canned soup because it was so easy. This year, though, I made a point to find more soup recipes on Pinterest and try them for myself. Part of it was fueled by a wedding gift, a Ninja blender, which made it so easy to blend the creamy soups. Other times the soups I made were to satisfy cravings, like the deconstructed cabbage roll soup above. Now that we’re several months into that cold Chicago winter, and likely will experience several more weeks of cold weather, I’m sharing a few of the best winter soups I’ve found recipes for over the last few months.

Image via Natasha’s Kitchen

This Sweet Potato Soup is by far the favorite that I’ve made! It’s also an easy soup to experiment with. I’ve made several batches and change it up slightly every time, whether it’s adding whole milk instead of coconut milk or throwing in a few carrots in addition to the sweet potatoes. This soup is the one I make in my new blender, too. So good to feel like I’m getting some use out of the gift and have a delicious meal once I’m done!

As mentioned, this cabbage soup satisfied a craving for me. On New Year’s Day I was wishing I was at my parents’ house to have corned beef and cabbage, a family tradition. It’s an Irish meal for good luck in the new year. However, Steve isn’t a fan of either ingredient and I didn’t want a big batch to go to waste. Instead, I searched for similar recipes and found a cabbage soup. It was possibly even better than the corned beef and cabbage because it was so hearty and healthy, what with all of the added vegetables. Perfect for New Year’s or any time in the winter.

Image via Cooking Classy

I can often go down rabbit holes while searching recipes on Pinterest. Type “best winter soups” in the search bar and it’s hard to choose just one! However, when I came across an Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Copycat Recipe, there was no question which soup I was making next. I LOVE this soup at the restaurant, and the stove top version at home turned out to be nearly as good. I subbed ground turkey for the beef, which I often do in soups, and I thought it was still as delicious.

Image via The Recipe Critic

I had to share this Creamy Red Potato Soup in case you want some comfort food. This is a heavier soup, but my gosh is it good. To help save calories I didn’t use bacon. I’m sure it would have been even better had I used it, but it was delicious without. This soup is definitely good for cold weather when you could use a filling meal.

Just talking about the four best winter soups I tried this year has me craving some! The most fun part is that a coworker and I started a “lunchtime soup club” because we both love homemade soup. We’ll share cups of whatever we made last, and I’ve promised him some of the next recipe I make. I think it’s going to be the Olive Garden copycat recipe, the ingredients are waiting for me in my fridge!