55 of the Best Hearty Soups for Winter

Thick, hearty soups are the perfect meal for a cold winter’s evening.  In this comprehensive list of soups, I have gathered together 55 of the best soup recipes ever that are guaranteed to suit all tastes.  Fill your stomach with a steaming bowl of spicy noodles, cheesy vegetables, earthy lentils or creamy grains.  I guarantee there is something here for everyone.

Last updated: 14th February 2019

Personally, I think there is nothing better to eat for dinner on a cold winter’s evening than a large bowl of hearty, warming soup.  We eat soup at least once a week during the cooler months (much to The Princess’s disgust), and I am constantly searching for new hearty soups to serve.

Thinking that I cannot be the only one needing inspiration from time to time, I have gathered together some of the best soup recipes ever from my fellow food bloggers.  I have tried to find a little something for everyone, whether it is meat or vegetable based, and I really hope you manage to find a new favourite family recipe here.

Why Soup For Dinner?

Soup is the ideal dinner for a busy family. And if you don’t believe me, think about this:

1. Most soups can be made in advance, and generally reheat well.  This means that you can make your soup early in the day, and then simply reheat it right before dinner.  The nature of soup also means it is very easy to reheat individual portions if you have various family members eating at different times.
2. Soup will last for up to three days in the fridge, which again means they can be made in advance or served as individual portions.
3. Most hearty soups freeze extremely well, so you can always have an extra meal on hand in the freezer.
4. Hearty soups can be served as a main meal, and require little accompaniment.  Often a few toppings or some crusty bread is all that is required to finish off the meal.

How To Freeze Soup

To me, a container of soup in the freezer is an insurance policy.  If my day goes completely pear-shaped and I don’t have time to cook dinner, I know that I can just pull out that tub of soup and all will be well.

In fact, I freeze soup so often I have written a whole post about it.  I have also produce a quick guide so that you can always have my tips on hand.  To grab your copy from my Resource Library simply click the link below or request the library password at the end of this post.

 

And so to the recipes.

Hearty Vegetable Soups

Vegetable soups need not be boring.  What about feasting on spicy noodles, cheesy vegetables, earthy lentils and creamy barley-laden broths?  Do be aware that some of these soups in the list contain chicken stock, so if you want your meal to be vegetarian or vegan then simply switch out the chicken stock with a good vegetable stock.

1. Mushroom, Barley and Brie Soup – Pinch and Swirl
2. Miso Soba Noodle Bowls with Spicy Tofu – The Girl on Bloor
3. Sweet Potato & Kale Corn Chowder – The Organic Dietitian
4. Tuscan Bean Soup -Delicious Everyday
5. Scotch Broth – Caroline’s Cooking
6. Creamy Cauliflower Cheese Soup – The Cook’s Pyjamas
7. Cleansing Vegetable Turmeric Soup – Emilie Eats
8. Rustic Italian Lentil Soup – Plus Ate Six
9. Green Lentil Soup with Harissa – Quite Good Food

10. Hearty Winter Vegetable Soup – The Cook’s Pyjamas
11. Spiced Yoghurt Soup with Chickpea Dumplings (Kadhi) – La Petit Chef
12. New Year’s Soup – A Side of Sweet
13. Healthy Barley Soup – Watch What U Eat
14. Ultimate Mushroom Soup – Cooktoria
15. Rosemary Potato Soup – The Brooklyn Cook
16. Spicy Thai Curry Pumpkin Noodle Soup – My Food Story
17. Red Lentil Sweet Potato Soup – Green Healthy Cooking
18. Split Pea and Black Pepper Soup – The Hedge Combers
19. Creamy Curry Chickpea Soup – A Virtual Vegan
20. Italian Vegetable Soup – An Italian in my Kitchen
21. Leek & Cauliflower Soup with Broccoli Pesto – Opti Cook
22. Spiced Yellow Split Pea and Sweetcorn Soup with Cheese Filled Arepas – Domestic Gothess

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Hearty Chicken Soups

Feeling poorly? There is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that a steaming bowl of hearty chicken soup will fix all of your ills. And old wive’s tales aside, a bowl of hot chicken soup is a true joy to eat.

1. One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup – Show Me the Yummy
2. Avgolemono Soup – The View From A Great Island
3. Napa Cabbage Soup with Meatballs – Omnivores Cookbook
4. Rustic Chicken Potato Soup – Ciao Florentina
5. Gluten-Free Quinoa Soup – Gluten-Free Palate
6. Chicken ‘n’ Dumplings – Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
7. Spicy Thai Curry Noodle Soup – Hapa Nom Nom

 

Bacon & Sausage Hearty Soups

Bacon makes everything taste better. That’s a fact, and those that disagree are simply wrong (in my opinion).  And sausage comes a close second to bacon.  Add either sausage or bacon to lentils or pasta, and you will truly find yourself in soup heaven.

1. Red Lentil & Bacon Soup – The Cook’s Pyjamas
2. Creamy Pumpkin, Sausage & Kale Soup – My Life Cookbook
3. Chorizo, White Bean & Potato Soup – Salt & Lavender
4. Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Lentil Soup – Kitchen Gidget
5. Best Portuguese Kale Soup – Cooking Chat
6. Lentil Soup with Kale & Sausage – 365 Days of Easy Recipes
7. Easy Three Cheese Lasagna Soup – Cooking in Stilettos
8. 30 Minute Minestrone Soup – The Cook’s Pyjamas
9. Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copycat) – Say Grace
10. Lentil Soup with Bacon Bones – The Purple Ladle

 

Hearty Beef Soups

The deeply savoury notes of a hearty beef soup are ideal for the coldest winter days.  These are guaranteed to fill you up.

1. Lasagna Soup -Platings and Pairings
2. Harira (Moroccan Stew) – Lins Food
3. Lagman-Uzbek Beef Noodle Soup with Vegetables – Leelalicious
4. Italian Wedding Soup – Bunsen Burner Bakery

 

Hearty Slow Cooker Soups

The slow cooker was made for hearty soups.  Load up the crockpot in the morning, turn it on and walk away.  There is no better feeling than arriving home right on dinnertime on a cold winter’s evening, knowing that dinner is already done.

1. Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup – The Seasoned Mom
2. Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat) – Scrummy Lane
3. Slow Cooker Ham, Corn & Potato Soup – Sweet & Savory by Shinee
4. Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup -Kleinworth & Co.
5. Cabbage Beef Stew – Homemade Food Junkie
6. Chicken Black Bean Poblano Soup – Family Food on the Table
7. Simple & Hearty Slow Cooker Soup with Pumpkin – Five Beans Food
8. Crockpot Creamy Tortellini Soup – Coffee with us 3

And don’t forget my Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup, made with soup mix.

Hearty Fish & Seafood Soups

Deeply savoury, fishy broths are perfect for bringing a slice of sunshine to a gloomy winter’s day.

1. Catalan Fish Soup – Salu Salo Recipes
2. Finnish Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto) – Cooking the Globe
3. Brazilian Shrimp Soup – Jo Cooks
4. Hearty Fish Chowder – All Day I Dream About Food

Frequently Asked Questions about Hearty Soups.

What is a hearty soup?

Hearty soup is generally a thick soup, crammed full of beans, lentils, grains, pasta, vegetables and/or meat.  Hearty soups generally contain all the ingredients of a meal wrapped up in a bowl of liquid, and usually don’t require any additional sides to be served as a main dish.

What is a clear soup?

A clear soup is broth based and does not contain thickening ingredients.  Hearty soups are not generally clear soups.

What can I serve with soups?

Hearty soups are usually a meal in a bowl, and don’t generally require anything other than a loaf of crusty bread to soak up the liquid from the bowl.  If you want to add sides to your bowl of soup, you could consider:

• Savoury muffins
• Toasted sandwiches
• A simple green salad
• Garlic bread
• Baked potatoes

What goes with soup for lunch?

An accompaniment served with your soup for your dinner could also be served at lunch.  However I would probably serve a small bowl of soup and accompany it with a simple grilled cheese or tomato sandwich, or a savoury muffin, for a hearty lunch.

Enjoy!

 

Do you have a favourite hearty soup?

Let me know about it in the comments below.

 

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Update notes:  This post was originally published on 6th September 2016.  It was updated on 10th June 2018 to fix the alt tags on the images and make some minor tweaks to post categorisation. It was updated again on 14th February 2019 to include FAQ’s, information on freezing soup and to generally improve readability.

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