Soup Recipes & Easy Soup Ideas

Most Recent

Frito Pie is a glorious mess of corn chips, chili, cheese and other toppings piled together — often right in the chip bag — for a satisfying meal perfect for tail-gating or other casual get-togethers. Our recipe loads on the toppings, finishing the chili-laden chips with homemade pickled red onions, shredded cheddar, and sour cream, plus jalapeño slices for a little extra heat. The chili itself gets a bite and some bitterness from the inclusion of amber beer, and sweetness and acidity from tomatoes. The tangy cream and sharp, bright pickled onions match it perfectly. Letting the chili reduce slightly and thicken helps tighten up the sauce so it's not too runny when you assemble the pies. Be sure to let it cool slightly as well before using it to avoid melting the bag and also burning your hands. Note that corn chips — especially Fritos — are inherently salty, so make sure the chili is lower in salt for balance.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

This recipe for Manhattan Clam Chowder — known for being tomato-forward with a broth base — has layers of flavor, from the clam broth spiked with white wine to the tender vegetables that are cooked in bacon fat. Half of the clams are roughly chopped, while the other half are left whole in their shells for contrast. (Make sure to rinse the clams thoroughly before using them to remove any lingering sand.) As the chowder comes together towards the end, gently mashing some of the baby Yukon gold potatoes with a wooden spoon helps thicken the broth. Serve with crusty bread or oyster crackers.

Gazpacho

Perfect for sweltering summer days, this refreshing chilled soup is bursting with sweet and juicy peak-season tomatoes. Bright sherry vinegar and shallots balance the silky-smooth vegetable puree while salsa fresca adds a crunchy bite and pops of fresh herbs. Look for plump, bright red tomatoes to give the soup a vibrant color.

Chicken Soup with Ginger and Cilantro

This seasonal twist on a classic is loaded with summer market finds like tomatoes, zucchini, and bell peppers. Quick-cooking boneless chicken pieces are gently simmered in a ginger-and-cilantro-infused broth with a dash of soy sauce. The eye-catching garnish tray doubles as a colorful centerpiece, allowing guests to pile their bowls with aromatic fresh herbs, spicy chiles, and juicy citrus.

Shrimp Bisque

Sautéed shrimp shells impart a sweet complexity to the foundation of this deeply flavorful bisque. White rice is slowly simmered in the aromatic broth and then pureed to give the soup body and a velvety consistency, without masking the flavor of succulent shrimp. Serve with chopped steamed shrimp and a crusty baguette.

Borscht with Buttermilk and Grated Cucumber

Packed with fresh summer herbs, this chilled beet soup is bright, earthy, and doesn't require turning on your stove. Grated beets are quickly marinated in a pickle juice brine to mellow their earthiness before they are stirred together with grated cucumber and buttermilk for a crisp, cooling bite. The topping of quartered hard-cooked eggs, generous dollops of sour cream, and fresh herbs add textural interest, color, and heft as they help make each bowl a satisfying meal.

More Soup

Vichyssoise

This simple chilled potato soup is packed with buttery, sweet sautéed leeks and pureed for a silky-smooth texture. A swirl of half-and-half adds the perfect amount of richness to cut the starchy potatoes without weighing down the light and creamy vichyssoise. Topped with crunchy garlic croutons, shaved pecorino Romano cheese, and a scattering of sliced scallions, this soup deserves a spot in your summer rotation.

Sinigang Na Hipon

Sinigang is a soup from the Philippines with a tangy broth, often made using sour fruit like tamarind or unripe guava. For her sinigang na hipon (prawn sinigang) chef Melissa Miranda uses fresh grapefruit and lemon juice for the sour notes in the full-bodied fish broth that bathes succulent, grilled head-on Argentinean prawns and earthy charred shishitos. "Citrus is perfect accent to the prawns, and also adds a brightness that might not come from the tamarind," Miranda says. The recipe is from her restaurant Musang in Seattle, and is inspired by the sinigang her father used to make for her family. "Growing up, I always loved all the different ways that sinigang could be prepared. Usually it would be pork sinigang in the fall and winter time, and sinigang with fish and seafood in the spring and summertime. It always would make me laugh that we'd eat soup during the summer but the balance of acidity in sinigang just made it right." For the perfect grilled head-on prawns or shrimp, place the head on the part of the grill that has the least heat — "the head cooks faster and you can also maintain the beauty of it without it burning," Miranda advises.

Chilled Zucchini Soup

Pollo Guisado

Timorese Fish-and-Tamarind Soup

Tomato Lemon Rasam

White Asparagus Soup with Pickled Ramps and Hazelnuts

André Mack's silky white asparagus soup is buttery and creamy with a mild sweetness from the asparagus and a touch of acidity from the pickled ramps that brightens the entire dish. Roasted hazelnuts and hazelnut oil lend a deliciously nutty body to the soup and make a beautiful garnish. If ramps are out of season, spring onions make a good substitute here. Straining the soup thoroughly is key to its final, silken texture. Winemaker and restaurateur André Mack serves this dish at & Sons, his ham and wine bar in Brooklyn.