When temperatures start to drop and a bowl of comfort is what you crave, look no further than these body- and soul-warming fall soup recipes

Fall and soup go together like fall and apples, fall and sweaters, fall and….soup is a quintessential fall food, is what we’re saying. And with good reason. The earthy mushrooms, gourds, and root vegetables that are starting to come in pair well with thick, satisfying cream bases, and are at their best when cooked with a moist heat. 

It may be hard to imagine now, while the end of summer is hanging on in much of the West, but if you aren’t already, soon you will be craving warm, filling comfort food. And with long lazy days behind us, you’ll probably be wishing for dishes you don’t have to spend the last of your precious daylight hours preparing. Come fall, we want our meals hearty and convenient. Bonus points if dinner can be made in one pot, and if once it’s prepped, you don’t have to do much more than stir occasionally.

The answer, of course, is soup. Whether you like yours creamy, meaty, rooted in the earth, or based on pumpkin (the official vegetable of autumn), we’ve got you covered. Our soup roundup includes recommendations for a range of palates, and will please both vegetarians and omnivores. (Several can even be made vegan with minimal adjustment.) Read on for some of our favorite soup recipes featuring the flavors and produce of fall.