11 Soups for Winter that Will Warm Your Heart

The long, cold days of winter call for the ultimate comfort food. A steaming, hot bowl of soup is just the thing to thaw out a red nose and freezing toes after a trip into the elements. We have scoured multiple resources to find the very best recipes that you can easily make at home to help keep the cold at bay.

Some of these are the most highly rated versions of old stand-bys, chosen for their deliciousness and ease of preparation, but perhaps, you will find a new favorite that you never thought to try as well!

Freshly cooked tortilla soup with chicken and vegetables close-up on the table. Horizontal top view from above, 11 Soups for Winter that Will Warm Your Heart

1. Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade soup doesn't have to take all day! Use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to speed things up on a busy weeknight! Slice and butter a loaf of crusty bread from the bakery to make it a meal!

Chicken noodle soup in cream colored ceramic bowl with handles. Plate of crackers and soup tureen in background. Closeup with shallow dof.

Cook Time: Approx. 30-45 minutes, start to finish

Serves: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp. each rosemary and thyme
  • 1 tsp. ground Sage
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 8 cups chicken bone broth or chicken stock [homemade is best, store-bought is also good!]
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 6 oz. uncooked egg noodles
  • Chicken from one rotisserie chicken, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, and bay leaves. Saute until the garlic is cooked and the onions are translucent.

Add the celery, carrots, and broth. Cook on medium heat until the celery and carrots are cooked, then turn the heat to high.

Bring soup to a boil, then add the frozen peas and carrots. Return the broth to a boil, then add the noodles.

Once the noodles are al dente, add the chicken and turn the heat back to medium. Cook until the noodles are fully cooked. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

2. Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Fresh tomato soup

When the temperature plummets and the long days of winter feel like they will never end, nothing hits the spot like a savory tomato basil soup that brings to mind fresh tomatoes warming in the summer sun.

Ina Garten's recipe from Food Network is the gold standard of tomato soup. Once you have tried this incredibly easy recipe, you will never want canned tomato soup again!

Fresh Roma tomatoes are slow-roasted in the oven before going to the stockpot with the remaining ingredients. This extra step brings out the rich flavor of the Roma tomatoes.

Roasted Roma Tomatoes on Baking Sheet with Italian spices

Read here for the full recipe, or in Ina Garten's book, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

3. Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili

Chili close up / Bow of beef chili, selective focus

If you need a great game-day chili recipe that will feed a crowd with minimal effort, this slow cooker chili is just what you need! A large crockpot is a must for this one!

Serve with a buffet of toppings of shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, sliced black olive, green onions, and jalapenos, or a big chunk of buttery cornbread for the ultimate comfort food!

Total Cook Time: 6 to 8 hours on low, 4 to 5 hours on high.

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. lean ground beef [lighten it up by using ground turkey!]
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced finely
  • Medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 10.75 oz. can condensed tomato soup
  • 1  cup water
  • 3 15.5 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 packages McCormick chili seasoning mix
  • 3 tbsp. granulated sugar

Sauté the garlic, onions, and ground beef until cooked through, then drain. Preheat the slow cooker and add the ground beef mixture with all of the other ingredients. Mix well, and allow to cook until thick, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 hours on low, or 4 to 5 hours on high.

The longer you cook this, the thicker it will be; just be careful not to let it cook until it burns. You can eat it when it is as thick as you want it and all the ingredients have melded. Add toppings if desired.

4. Italian Lentil Soup

Homemade vegan lentil soup with vegetables and cilantro, white wooden background, top view. Indian vegetarian cuisine.

If you are a stranger to lentils, then you are missing out! Lentils are a legume that has a lower impact on blood sugar than other beans, so they can make a good and hearty soup for those who need or want to watch their sugar intake.

Add diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and Italian turkey sausage for an economical meal that will fill your belly without emptying your wallet! Make this vegetarian by leaving out the sausage and adding a bit more of the Italian seasoning or replacing it with a vegetarian Italian sausage substitute.

Cook Time: 6 to 7 hours in a slow cooker on a low temperature or until lentils are soft and not crunchy.

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Turkey Italian sausage
  • 3 loved garlic, finely diced
  • Medium onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • 8 cups chicken stock or bone broth
  • 1 lb. dried lentils
  • 1 10.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in skillet, then sauté the carrots, onion, and garlic until the onion is translucent. Remove the sausage from its casings, then add to the vegetables and cook thoroughly. Drain and add to a large slow cooker.

Add lentils, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and chicken stock to the slow cooker, and set the temperature to low. Cook 6 to 7 hours until the lentils are tender, then serve.

4. Potato Soup

Creamy Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheese

For folks who want to indulge, a rich, cream-filled potato soup might be what you are craving! After much searching, we found "The Ultimate Creamy Potato Soup"!

This recipe is filled with all the good stuff: bacon, cream, butter, golden potatoes, garlic, and onions, all blended together for a rich and sumptuous experience! Top with more crunchy bacon, sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions to make it even more delicious!

5. Hamburger Soup

Delicious hamburger soup with vegetables

Feeding an army? Or just a houseful of hungry kiddos that have been playing in the snow and are about to descend upon your kitchen like a ravenous horde? If this is you, then hamburger soup can save the day in a hurry!

Filled with lean ground beef and lots of veggies, you can whip this soup up in no time at all! You can even use frozen mixed vegetables to speed things up. Make this Easy Hamburger Soup recipe with potatoes or pasta, depending on what your crew prefers.

6. French Onion Soup

Close up of two soup crocks filled with French onion soup and a spoon scooping some out of one.

If wintery weather makes you crave something rich and savory, then perhaps this recipe from Tyler Florence as published by Food Network, will fit the bill!

This recipe for French Onion Soup is simple yet satiating, especially when topped with slices from a crusty baguette and Gruyere cheese.

7. Chicken Tortilla Soup

Freshly cooked tortilla soup with chicken and vegetables close-up on the table. Horizontal top view from above

Another quick and easy soup recipe that is full of spice to keep the cold at bay is Chicken Tortilla Soup! Rotisserie chicken is a busy cook's best friend, especially when paired with black beans, crushed tomatoes, corn, and spices.

Top with your favorite combination of jalapeños, tortilla chip strips, shredded cheddar, and sour cream to customize it to your taste (and heat tolerance!) Some sweet cornbread is the perfect pairing option to round out this 30-minute meal.

8. Ham and Bean Soup

Bowls of White Bean and Ham Soup with Bread Three bowls of cannellini bean soup with smoked pork and vegetables

Wondering what to do with all that leftover Christmas ham? How about a big pot of ham and bean soup? This recipe is best when cooked low and slow in a slow cooker, especially if you have the soup bone from the ham as well! If not, not to worry; It's pretty dog-gone good made with diced ham as well!

Cook Time: 5-6 hours on low in slow cooker

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 1 lb. great northern or navy beans, rinsed
  • Ham bone or hock, if available (optional)
  • 2 cups diced ham
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Saute vegetables on medium heat until the onions are translucent; add to slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Let cook for 5-6 hours or until the beans are cooked through. If you used a ham bone or hock, remove it before serving. Otherwise, serve and enjoy!

9. Clam Chowder

A bread bowl of New England Style Clam Chowder on a rustic wood table with napkin and oyster crackers.

Do you dream of a thick, potato-filled chowder served in a hot and crusty bread bowl? Then Taste of Home's Contest-Winning New England Clam Chowder recipe is everything you could hope for, and more!

It is filled to the brim with clams, bacon, and potatoes swimming in a rich broth. This recipe is surprisingly lower in calories per serving due to being made with fat-free half and half instead of cream, but it is not missing any of the flavor!

10. Beef Stew

Beef meat and vegetables stew in black bowl. Slate background. Top view.

A rustic beef stew filled with chunky vegetables and a thick broth is the ultimate in comfort food on a blistering winter's night. With over 2300 reviews and a five-star rating, this "Beef Stew with Carrots and Potatoes" will leave your guests begging for the recipe.

Finishing in the oven is key to this soup's deliciousness, as is your choice in the cut of beef. Instead of the packs of pre-cut stew meat, opt for a marbled, boneless chuck roast.

11. Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

cream soup with gnocchi, chicken and spinach served with bread close-up in a bowl on the table. Horizontal

A perennial favorite and perfect for dispelling the chill after a long day out in the cold, Chicken and Gnocchi soup is filled with piping hot, creamy goodness!

Make this recipe in less than an hour by using premade gnocchi. Onions and garlic up the savory, while half and half adds creamy sweetness.

Comfort-Filled Culinary Creations

When winter has you chilled to the bone, piping hot soup can warm you to the core! Enjoy trying these amazing recipes when the snow starts to blow, and let us know how it goes!

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