15 Soup Recipes That Will Warm Your Soul This Winter

We updated ribollita, a hearty, comforting Tuscan vegetable soup thickened with lots of day-old bread, with this lighter version. (We’ve added the bread at the end and only on top—and used oil sparingly.)

A delicious concoction of beans and vegetables, perfect for a cold winter day.

We like the robust flavor of red Swiss chard in this soup recipe from Sunset reader Juliet Grossman, of Temecula, California. You could also make it with green Swiss chard, which is milder, or spinach.

We left the soup chunky with a clear broth, but you could easily purée it to create a smooth soup. Just don’t skip the avocado mixture, as it makes a refreshing contrast to the beans and spice.

Day-old bread thickens this soup from Cathy Whims of Nostrana in Portland, giving it a custardy texture. The soup has a spicy kick, so cut back on the chile flakes if you’d prefer a milder flavor.

Romesco is a classic Spanish sauce made of ground tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil, and almonds. We turned it into soup. The powdered milk and the silky texture of cooked onions and roasted peppers help make it creamy, and the lentils add thickness.

This pretty soup takes on an added delicacy if you use ravioli made with thinly rolled pasta, but it’s good with the sturdier type too.

“As a kid everything always tasted good to me,” says Al Huffman of Evergreen, Colorado, who is a rancher and also a Buffalo Bill impersonator. “Everything we ate came off the farm, out of the garden or feedlot. In the winter we had a lot of potato soup, rich and creamy. Mother sprinkled bacon on top.”

This soup is called “Sidekick” for two reasons: One, it’s a grilled cheese sandwich’s best friend, and two, it’s a favorite at Sidekick Cafe–Cowgirl Creamery’s lunch counter in San Francisco’s Ferry Building.

This eye-popping chilled soup floats a red stratum of tomato soup on a green layer of avocado soup. Clear straight-sided glasses or wineglasses to show off the soup’s layers.

This soup is a real trickster—onions and cauliflower blend into a purée so smooth, you’d swear it included cream. It’s also a good introduction to this vegetable for those who think they can’t stand cauliflower, since its sulfurous flavor is very mild here and no cauliflower is actually visible. But if you do love it, keep the soup a little chunky so you’ll have some florets in your bowl.

This top-rated pasta soup features Italian sausage, chopped veggies, canned diced tomatoes, and cannellini beans.  Serve with crusty bread for a hearty meal.

The flavors are very gentle, making this a great family dish.

Reader Christine Datian, of Las Vegas, likes to use lots of spices in this soup recipe. Our version is medium-hot, but if you like it a little spicier, use the higher amount of serrano chile and a pinch more cayenne.

The slightly salty broth and fresh herbs in this easy fish stew are delicious soaked up with crusty bread.