![A metal saucepan filled with white bean stew with tomatoes and rosemary, with bowls, napkins, and utensils in the background.](https://leitesculinaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/white-bean-stew-tomatoes-1.jpg)
From record snowfalls (I’m talking to you, Buffalo) to record rainfall (raise your hand, California) to -9°F temps coupled with power outages (that would be us in Connecticut), few of us have been spared.
If we’ve ever needed comforting soups and stews, it’s this winter.
But the last thing any of us wants is complicated, over-the-top recipes. Simple and hearty is the way to go.
Yet I’ve not exactly been a big soup fan, but this month I’ve sat at our table many a time, soupspoon at the ready. It just felt…right. Ya know?
These recipes will keep you in good stead for weeks (and storms) to come. Of course, if you’d like to zhuzh things up a bit, you can bake off a loaf of herby sourdough bread or no-knead cheddar chiles bread.
A simple apple, parmesan, and mixed green salad is a great sidekick to any of these soups.
And, well, if gilding the lily is your thing, these buttery sablé cookies or these indulgent double chocolate pots de crème are just the ticket.
Whatever you do, please stay warm, dry, and full.
xo,
Old-Fashioned Minestrone Soup
Beef Stew with Red Wine
This beef stew recipe is simply extraordinary. Quite literally. I must confess I’ve made it twice during this cold, rainy week in coastal Maryland.
I’ve greatly enjoyed adding my own vegetables when serving – my favorite by far was curried roasted carrots and black-pepper mashed potatoes, both on this site as well.
kristen k.
Turkey Meatball Soup
![A metal saucepan filled with white bean stew with tomatoes and rosemary, with bowls, napkins, and utensils in the background.](https://leitesculinaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/white-bean-stew-tomatoes-1.jpg)
White Bean Stew with Tomatoes and Rosemary
This white bean stew recipe brought back great memories and flavors of a shared meal prepared by an Italian mama after a tour of a small olive-oil processor in southern Italy. I didn’t add the sausage to keep it a meatless meal.
It was delicious with cornbread and a glass of Chianti. (It’d be wonderful with ciabatta and a nice olive oil, too.)
deb l.
Ina Garten’s Easy Tomato Soup
I had thought that I would never get a good homemade tomato soup again because I can’t get a decent tomato up here in snow country and can’t grow one either!
But I was wrong. This soup with the San Marzano canned tomatoes was excellent! We loved it!
anne s.
Creamy French Chicken Stew
Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup
Delicious soup. I didn’t use blue cheese, I used old Cheddar cheese, as my friends don’t like blue cheese. I had extra frozen carrot water that I added. We love soups this time of year.
patricia c.
Easy Tortellini Soup
Soup FAQs
Yes, soup generally freezes very well. After preparing your soup, cool it to room temperature, then divvy it between plastic containers or resealable bags. Freeze it for up to 3 months, then thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
We recommend storing leftover soups and stews in sealed containers in the fridge and eating them within 5 days.
In North America, chicken noodle soup is the most popular type of soup. Many regions have similar soups as well, like Mexican Chicken Soup, Brodo di Pollo, North African Chicken Soup, and Thai-Inspired Chicken Coconut Soup, all of which we give a thumbs up.
Soups and stews are universally beloved comfort food, perfect for cold weather or when you feel under the weather. Although chicken soups are the most popular soup recipes we’ve tested, we’ve got plenty more to choose from. Check out our entire collection of soup recipes, and let us know your favorite in the comments below.
Dear David:
Thank you for this newsletter that I have now made my first read of the day with my morning coffee. It is a great conversation starter with my husband as we decide whatโs for dinner. So much pleasanter than the newspaper!
Karletta
Dear Karletta, what a wonderful thing to say. Thank you! I like being part of your morning routine!