Soup Recipes, Tips and Tricks to Keep You Warm All Season Long

If you’re anything like us, neighbor, there’s just something about cooler winter months that makes a big bowl of soup sound pretty super. Not only is it a meal option that’s sure to warm you right up, but it’s an easy eat to prepare in advance (or for big groups). On top of that, with so many soup recipes out there, the possibilities are virtually endless.

At your Food Town, we love any meal idea that makes life a little simpler while keeping hungry families fed. Here, we’ve pulled together a few soup recipes sure to be real crowd-pleasers, as well as some prep tips to make this mealtime go-to even easier to tackle. Read on, get inspired and prepare to get cookin’, friends!

Please the Palate with New Soup Recipes and Flavors
Variety’s the spice of life, and soup offers up more options than we can count. Whether you’re looking to introduce little ones to a new range of flavors or seeking an updated twist on a family favorite, the soup pot’s a great place to start. Here are a few types to consider adding to your upcoming menu.

• Kick Things Up, Cajun Style: Our friends over in NOLA know a thing or two about flavor, so you know their soups are sure to please. Treat the taste buds to a Cajun chicken or seafood gumbo, or go all in on a crawfish boil soup! Remember, you can inch spice levels up or down, based on what your family prefers.
• Go South of the Border with a Mexican Soup Menu: If your Mexican food intake is limited to tacos, we’re sorry to say you’re missing out. There’s a whole world of flavors out there to discover. Why not venture out with a taste of traditional menudo, or a yummy Yucatán pork stew? A taco soup or chicken tortilla soup are also great options for those looking to keep flavors a bit more familiar.
• Incorporate Asian Flavors into Your Mealtime Menu: Is there nothing your family loves more than going out for a big bowl of ramen? Why not make your own? This dish is easy to customize based on the ingredients you have on hand, and it can be customized to suit each person’s unique preferences. This chicken ramen recipe is a great place to start, but don’t hesitate to put your own spin on things!
• Keep it Classic with Tried-and-True Favorites: Sure, it’s great to try new stuff — but there’s nothing wrong with the foods you already know and love. A warm bowl of broccoli cheese, tomato basil or vegetable soup is as filling as it is delicious, and all three are pleasing to even the pickiest of palates. You can’t go wrong with a country corn chowder or hearty bowl of chili, either!
  

Slow Cookers and Pressure Cookers Make Soup Prep Even Simpler
Slaving away over a giant soup pot is fine, if it’s what you enjoy — but who has that sort of time? Busy schedules call for time-saving kitchen tools, and the slow cooker and pressure cooker are a couple of our faves.

We recommend preparing as many ingredients as you can the night before, so when the time comes to get going all you need to do is grab and go. If you’re opting for the slow cooker, simply combine the ingredients, set your dial to “low” and let it do the work for you while you’re going about your day. (Just remember to make sure you’ve got enough liquid in there for your slow cooker to do its job effectively!) If you’d like additional insight, our slow cooker blog post can help.

For the pressure cooker or Instant Pot, meanwhile, it’s all about bringing your ingredients together right before you want to eat. Because this tool of the trade speeds the cooking process way (way) up, all you need to do is get things going an hour or so before dinnertime. (Cook times vary, based on your chosen recipe.) Once time’s up, you’ll have a piping hot meal all ready to go — with barely any time commitment on your part! 

Make Life Easier by Making and Freezing Your Meals Ahead
If the above recipes sound great but you know you won’t have time to prep midweek, make-ahead soups might be your new favorite thing. We recommend popping by your neighborhood Food Town to purchase enough ingredients for multiple batches of your chosen soup, then setting aside some time on a weekend to get everything put together.

At this stage of the game it’s all about getting everything ready to go into the slow cooker or soup pot. Clean, cut and portion your vegetables, measure out your wet and dry ingredients, combine one batch’s worth in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and label it. (Be sure to include not only what the soup is, but when it was prepared!) Then, lay your bag flat in the freezer, with ingredients evenly distributed, to make for easy storage.

Once your soup is past that initial freeze you should be able to move it to wherever makes the most sense in your freezer. Then, once you’re ready to warm up with a homemade meal, just pull the bag out, pop the ingredients into your slow cooker or pot and start cooking. (What could be easier?)

Food Town Tip: Not every make-ahead soup stores the same way in the freezer, and some can last longer than others. Here, Taste of Home offers tips to help you find success with frozen soups.

Remember, You Can’t Go Wrong with Canned
If even make-ahead soups require too much time from your hectic schedule (no judgment — we’ve all been there!) rest assured your neighborhood grocery is here to help. The soup aisle is stocked with all sorts of great finds exactly for busy folks like you!

Whether you’re on the hunt for a nice stew, a traditional chicken and noodle soup is calling out to you or maybe you’re wanting a nice tomato variety to pair with your go-to grilled cheese, your local grocer has what you need. (And remember, it’s easy to stock up! Most canned soups have pretty long shelf lives, so you can grab a few and have last-minute meals ready for the next time you need them.)

We hope the above info got your wheels turning and mouth watering — and made you want to try incorporating a few new soup recipes into the mix for your family. Our Recipes page is chock full of exciting ideas, and you’ll find great inspiration on our Ramen to the Rescue Pinterest board, too. Click through to find your family’s next eat, get your grocery list together and then stop by to see us soon at your neighborhood Food Town!