As the weather cools down and it starts feeling more like fall, I start craving those delicious, flavorful fall foods everyone loves - especially a hearty bowl of soup. Soup is the perfect cool (or cold) weather comfort food that is easy to make and fills up a hungry stomach in no time.
As a busy mom, I love recipes that are filling, full of healthy ingredients, and whip up quickly. There are so many soups that fit these requirements!
Soup is also a great meal to make when you need to use up whatever produce you have on hand in the refrigerator before it goes bad. Soup is very forgiving allowing you to customize the flavor to your family's liking.
How To Freeze Soup
Did you know that you can freeze (non-cream-based) soup? Next time you make a pot of soup double the recipe so you can freeze half of it for a future meal. Make sure to leave out any noodles or rice before freezing though since they don't freeze well in soups.
If you are making a cream-based soup leave out the cream or milk and freeze the remaining ingredients. Add the cream or milk after the soup has thawed and you are ready to re-heat it.
When the soup is cool pour it into a Tupperware container pop on the lid and put it in the freezer. If your recipe calls for noodles or rice just measure out the amount of dry pasta or rice and put it into a zip lock back that you can put in the freezer with the soup so that you are sure to have all the ingredients ready when you go to make it.
Soup can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Broths will stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Must-Have Kitchen Tools To Make Soup
The first step in making a good bowl of soup is starting with the right soup pot. I have a large family so I always use my large stockpot to make soup in but you can make many kinds of soups in a crockpot or even an Instant pot.
Stockpot
The stockpot that works best for my family is an 8-quart Calphalon stockpot. When I'm making soup I have to make enough to feed four hungry and growing kids, my husband and me so this size stockpot does the trick for us.
Buying a good stockpot is important for every home because it is such a versatile kitchen tool. I use my stockpot for SOOO many things besides soup like cooking pasta, braising meat, making stocks, and making homemade tomato pasta sauce. When you buy a stockpot make sure it will work for all the different types of cooking you do. If your budget allows it will be worth spending a little extra to get a good quality stockpot that will last for many years to come.
No matter what pot you end up using for soup make sure the pot has a thick heavy bottom to help prevent burning. Pans that are too thin can cause the soup to stick to the bottom or burn more easily so keep that in mind as you shop for a soup or stockpot.
Crockpot
When I know I'm going to be gone all day I love to use my crockpot to make soup so that when I get home dinner is ready. Crockpots come in lots of different shapes like oval or round and different sizes the standard size being between 5 and 6 quarts perfect for a regular sized family. If you have a big family a large 8 to 10-quart crockpot might fit your needs better than the standard size. Check out this Crock Pot Size Guide from OvenSpot.com to figure out the best option for your family!
If you make soup in a crockpot be sure to add the dried pasta or rice about 30 minutes before you plan to eat to give it time to soften and cook. Adding it to the crockpot and allowing it to cook all day will result in mushy noodles and gummy rice.
A programmable crockpot is handy when making soup too. Set it and forget it! Set the timer to start cooking then when the food is done let the crockpot switch to warm mode to keep the soup warm until you are ready to eat.
Instant Pot
Instant pots are multi-functional pressure cookers that cook food quickly using pressure. The instant pot can be used to make soups when you are in a hurry and want to get dinner on the table lickety-split fast! Because instant pots use pressure to cook food quickly be sure to follow instructions completely since the pressure can cause injury if you are not careful.
Like crockpots, Instant pots are available in different sizes to meet your needs. Instant pots are also programmable so you can set the cooking time and let it do its job preparing a delicious pot of soup.
10 Delicious & Hearty Fall Soup Recipes
Today I wanted to share with you my favorite fall soup recipes! Grab your favorite stockpot, crockpot, or Instapot, and let's get cooking!
01. Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Shredded rotisserie chicken, thick-cut carrots, celery, and onion in a rich flavorful broth make this one of the best fall soup options. Chicken noodle soup is truly medicine for the body providing comfort, nourishment, and a wonderful meal for your family. Let your crockpot do the cooking in order to make Grandma's Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup recipe from The Cabin Diary. Also, make sure to add the noodles at the end of the cooking time so they don't get mushy. Not only will your house smell amazing but your family will all enjoy an amazing cup of soup!
02. Hearty Basalmic Beef Stew
Let your BFF crockpot do all the work to make this recipe a delicious meal. Whether you consider it a stew or soup there is no question about beef stews' delicious flavor and filling ingredients. Tender chunks of beef, thick-cut veggies in a gravy-like broth make for a classic bowl of beef stew. Go ahead and try adding non-traditional veggies like Brussel sprouts, mushrooms, zucchini, and sweet potato in with the classic carrots, celery, and onion veggies. Find the full Basalmic Beef Step recipe at The Blond Cook!
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| via: The Blond Cook |
03. Broccoli Cheddar Soup
A beautiful blend of cheeses along with fresh or frozen broccoli are the stars of this show. Cheddar cheese is the traditional cheese used in this soup but, feel free to spice it up with some pepper jack or add gouda for a smoky flavor. If you want to get your kids to eat their broccoli try serving them a bowl of this creamy broccoli cheese soup from Little Spoon Farm.
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| via: Little Spoon Farm |
04. Beef Barley Soup
A rich, flavorful, and super healthy meal your family will rave about. This soup will keep the winter chills at bay as you enjoy a big bowl of beef barley soup. Don't let the barley scare you - this super grain is packed full of fiber and can help boost your immune system which everyone needs during the cold winter months. Substitute ground beef as a budget-friendly adjustment to the recipe without losing the delicious beef flavor. Try Cooktoria's recipe for the best bowl of beef barley soup around!
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| via: Cooktoria |
05. Creamy Tomato & Tortellini Soup
If your garden yielded an abundance of tomatoes now is the time to use them up in this delicious fall soup recipe. Creamy tomato with cheese tortellini pair well together with a sprinkle of dried basil and slivers of parmesan to top it off. Follow the recipe from Salt & Lavendar and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
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| via: Salt & Lavendar |
06. Italian Sausage and Lentil
My family LOVES this soup recipe - even my picky eater! I love it because it is super easy to make and I can freeze it and pull it out for a future meal in the weeks to come. This soup makes a regular appearance during the fall and winter months at our dinner table. To make it for your family follow the full recipe with this handy printable recipe card below.
07. Pasta Fagioli Soup
This soup recipe is better than the popular chain restaurant's version because of its secret ingredient. Full of the traditional veggies, pasta, and beef broth this soup is a winner any night of the week. To get the recipe and learn what the secret ingredient is head over to Together As A Family!
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| via: Together As A Family |
08. Stuffed Pepper Soup
Turn the classic dish of stuffed peppers into a delicious soup for dinner tonight. This soup is a re-boot with an amazing outcome your family is sure to enjoy. Rice, peppers, ground beef, and plenty of flavors all in a big hearty bowl of soup. Try this recipe from Skinny Taste!
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| via: Skinny Taste |
09. Cuban Black Bean Soup
Loaded with veggies, protein, and flavor this soup will warm you up on a cold winter night. Substitute canned black beans to speed up the cooking time without sacrificing flavor. Orange juice or freshly squeezed oranges give this Cuban black bean soup its fresh flavor while cumin and smoked paprika provide a little "kick". To make this soup check out this recipe by Simple-Veganista.
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| via: Simple-Veganista |
10. Creamy Potato Soup
Chunky pieces of potato in a creamy soup base will leave you full and satisfied on a cool fall day. This is my "go-to" potato soup recipe I have used for years so I know you will love it too. I like to add shredded carrot to it when I make this soup but feel free to doctor it up any way you like. Gimme Some Oven's potato soup recipe claims to be the best and I think it is!
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| via: Gimme Some Oven |
Make sure to serve your family a hot bowl of soup in a big soup bowl too. When I got married one of the things I registered for and we received as a wedding gift was a set of ceramic soup bowls. These bowls are deeper and wider than a typical cereal bowl. When I serve soup for dinner I know my family is hungry and will want a big bowl of soup to eat which is why I love these bowls. Everyone knows what I'm serving for dinner when I stack these bowls on the counter - soup!
More Delicious Recipes
For more delicious recipes make sure to check out these other easy to make recipes:
Easy Homemade Caramel Corn & Kettle Corn
Easy Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread Recipe
Cinnamon & Sugar Soft Pretzels
What are your family's favorite fall comfort foods? Please share your thoughts in the comments - I'd love to hear from you!
