Preparation Tips & Recipes

Soups are my favorite choice for simple winter meals. With a salad and warmed bread, they are among the heartiest and most filling dinners I can think of. In the winter, I usually cook up two big pots of soup each week–one on Sunday night and another on Tuesday or Wednesday. I also wash a bunch of torn salad greens and keep them stored in my salad spinner in the fridge. Then I have instant meals prepared for lunch and dinner (and even for breakfast!) all week long. I keep a list of my favorite 10 or 12 fast soup recipes in the kitchen and rotate them. The list changes periodically as I discover a new recipe or get tired of an old favorite. It never gets boring.

Although soup has a down to earth, homestyle feel to it, it lends itself to elegant cuisine. A big pot of Italian Pasta and Bean Soup, a salad of mixed baby greens dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a loaf of fresh French bread, and a bottle of robust red wine makes a lovely dinner for company.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

A thick soup that is almost a stew–and perfect for cold, blustery winter evenings.

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 medium potatoes, diced
  • 2 cups vegetable broth (2 cups water plus 2 tablespoons vegetable broth powder)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 cups plain soymilk
  • 3 tablespoons white flour
  • 2 stalks broccoli
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and sauté the onion in it for 2 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, broth, and thyme. Let simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Cut the broccoli into chunks. In a blender, combine the soymilk and flour until smooth. Add broccoli in several small batches and blend until it is finely chopped. Pour into the broth and potato mixture. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and more thyme if you like.

Spicy Lentil with Fruit Soup

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons curry paste
  • 1 1/2 cup uncooked lentils
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (try a mixture of any of these: prunes, apples, apricots, figs).
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and sauté the onion until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the curry paste and stir to coat the onions. Add lentils and broth. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook, covered until the lentils are tender. This will take about 45 minutes. Add the fruit and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pasta Fagioli Soup (Traditional Tuscan Pasta and Bean Soup)

This soup represents the very best of peasant cooking from the Tuscany region of Italy–known for simple food that gets its flavor from wonderfully prepared fresh ingredients. If you were served this soup in Italy, the pasta would be freshly made that day and the herbs and veggies would be plucked from the garden. But for most of us, our busy lives don't allow for such simple luxuries. So here is an easier version–still very delicious–of this world-famous soup. I often use a favorite "short cut" ingredient to make this–garlic-infused olive oil. It's a fantastic way to give any dish a fresh garlic flavor with minimal fuss.

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoons garlic-infused olive oil
  • 1 can white beans–any kind
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (use instant veggie broth powder to make this)
  • 1 cup macaroni–any kind
  • 1 teaspoon each basil, oregano, thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic or oil and sauté for an additional two minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, and broth and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and simmer until tender. Stir in the seasonings.

Portuguese Kale Soup

This recipe comes from my friend Kate and is an all-time favorite. It's very traditional Portuguese fare and is a wonderful way to become acquainted with kale.

  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup uncooked macaroni
  • 1 10-ounce package spinach
  • 4 ounces vegetarian sausage patties or links
  • One 15-ounce can white beans
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and add the macaroni. Cook until almost tender–about 8 minutes. Add the spinach and cook another 10 minutes until the spinach is thawed.

In a separate pot, crumble the sausage patties into bite-sized pieces. Add the beans, tomatoes, and herbs and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir into the macaroni mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Back to Top