Kru Nid’s Khao Tom (Thai Breakfast Porridge with Bacon)
This comforting, creamy rice porridge shines with punchy, savory toppings for a hearty meal. Traditional toppings for khao tom can include Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, or eggs, but writer Kat Thompson’s favorite version of this dish is topped with fermented mustard greens and crispy bacon. This Khao Tom recipe is from Oranij Promsatit, Thompson's beloved Thai teacher and family friend.
French Seafood Bisque with Baguette
The freshest seafood—preferably sourced from your local fishmonger—is the highlight of this velvety-smooth bisque. Take care to cook each type as directed to preserve its delicate flavor and texture. This resourceful recipe uses every last bit of your briny haul to yield a rich seafood stock that enhances this thick, soppable soup.
Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Croutons
This creamy, soul-warming soup from the legendary Ina Garten’s cookbook, Modern Comfort Food, captures everything there is to love about chicken pot pie. Plenty of aromatic vegetables, a rich, silky broth spiked with tarragon and cream sherry, and plenty of tender chicken (or leftover Thanksgiving turkey) deliver pure comfort in every spoonful. The flaky, buttery puff pastry croutons (made from store-bought dough!) are an irresistible finishing touch.
Short on Time? This Soup Is the World’s Fastest Fancy Appetizer
Who has time for a soup course? You do, my friend. You do.
Creamy Mashed Potato Soup with Dashi
Dashi and soy sauce add umami to buttery leftover mashed potatoes in this cozy soup from chef Shota Nakajima. As a kid, whenever he was hungry, he’d grab anything left over from the previous meal to make soup or fried rice. “I grew up in a Japanese family, and I was taught to never waste anything,” Nakajima says. This soup is his riff on a recipe from his mother. Add milk for a creamier texture, or more dashi for a thinner consistency. Substitute any mashed vegetable you have on hand, such a cauliflower or sweet potato, but be sure to finish the soup with generous pats of melting butter and an extra drizzle of soy.
