By Nicole Hvidsten, The Minnesota Star Tribune

A friend once said there’s no such thing as soup season — it should be enjoyed year-round. As someone who just happily ordered a cup of chicken wild rice soup on a 90-degree day, I agree.

But when the air finally does turn crisp, it reignites the desire to cook all cozy. Dutch ovens and stockpots stay front and center, and we start rotating in all the recipes that have been on summer hiatus.

Soup is a cool-weather mainstay in many kitchens. A big batch means not only dinner that night, but also several lunches throughout the week. It’s a forgiving dish that encourages flavor exploration — and a stellar choice when odds and ends are lurking in the refrigerator.

These five recipes from recent cookbooks run the gamut from spicy chorizo and velvety barley and lentils to a 30-minute turkey soup for a busy weeknight. There is one common ingredient, though: They are all best when enjoyed with a big piece of crusty bread.

Chicken, Chorizo and Butter Bean Soup

Serves 4.

From “The Farm Kitchen” by Abby Allen, who writes: “I almost wonder if I can get away with calling this recipe a soup. It’s somewhere between a soup and a stew — somewhere very delicious.” The best time to make this recipe is after roasting a chicken; the last scraps of meat can be shredded from the bone and used in place of the chicken thighs. The carcass can then be popped into a pot and left to bubble away. (Kyle Books, 2025)

• 3 to 4 skin-on chicken thighs
• Drizzle of canola oil
• 6 ½ oz. cooking chorizo, sliced or cubed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
• 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 4 ¼ c. chicken stock, warmed
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 to 2 tbsp. butter, softened
• 7 oz. canned butter beans, drained
• Scant ½ c. heavy cream
• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken thighs on a sheet pan, season generously with salt, then roast in the oven for 25 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cooled, roughly chop the chicken, skin and all.

Set a cast-iron pan over medium–high heat and drizzle in a little oil. Once sizzling, add the chorizo and stir for a few minutes until it has crisped and caramelized. Reduce the heat, then add the onion, garlic, herbs and a pinch of salt. Once the onions have softened and the herbs have become fragrant, add the paprika and allow it to toast for a minute. Add the chicken thigh meat along with half the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave it to bubble away for around 15 minutes.

Make a roux by combining the flour and butter in a small bowl until a smooth paste has formed. Mix the roux into the pan, then stir in the remaining stock and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Tip the butter beans into the pan and simmer for around 5 to 6 minutes, then add the cream and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Serve in warmed bowls with a generous twist of black pepper over the top and crusty bread on the side.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Serves 6.

I grow red peppers. And onions. And potatoes. And garlic. And carrots. And tomatoes. And we tap our maples for maple syrup. All of them are easy enough to get from a grocer, but growing even one of these elements will bring a depth of flavor and sweetness that you just can’t get elsewhere. The next best thing is to gather the ingredients at a farmers market, when everything is at the peak of ripeness, and make batches of this soup and freeze for cozy winter meals — served with a slab of crusty bread. From “My Harvest Kitchen,” by Gesine Bullock-Prado (Countryman Press, 2025).

• 6 large red bell peppers, about 2 ½ lb.
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
• Salt
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-in. rounds
• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 large paste tomatoes (canned San Marzano or fresh), roughly chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1 large russet potato (1 lb.), peeled and cut into ½-in. cubes
• 2 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
• Leaves from 4 thyme sprigs
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
• Toasted bread cubes, for optional garnish

Directions

Place an oven rack in the highest position. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees or the highest temperature possible. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil; set aside.

Core the peppers and remove all the seeds. Place the peppers skin-side up on the prepared sheet pan, leaving a few inches between them. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the pepper skins are charred on top. Remove from the oven and, using tongs, flip the peppers to expose the undersides that haven’t been roasted; return the pan to the oven and roast for 20 minutes more.

Take the fully charred peppers from the oven and immediately bundle up the foil around the peppers to steam them. Allow to cool, wrapped up, at room temperature, then slip off and discard their skins and roughly chop the peppers. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and season lightly with salt. Cook until just translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrot and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the vinegar, scrape up any fond (the caramelized bits stuck to the pan) on the bottom of the pan, then add the chopped tomato and cook for about 5 minutes more to soften and reduce. Add the garlic, ginger paste, anchovy paste and chopped red peppers and just heat through for a minute or two.

Add the cubed potato, chicken stock and thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat until the potato is fork-tender.

Carefully transfer the contents to a large blender and add the maple syrup. Process until very smooth. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender and process soup right in the pan.) You can serve the soup in the slightly rustic state, or run it through a fine-mesh sieve for a more velvety texture. Serve the soup hot with a drizzle of olive oil and top with toasted bread, if desired.

Mum’s Loving Leek and Potato Soup

Serves 4.

From “Cooking Fast and Slow” by Natalia Rudin, who writes: “It might sound like a cliché, but my mum is my superhero and her leek and potato soup heals me in more ways than I can put into words. My re-creation will never be as good as hers, but I’ve given it my best shot.” (Ten Speed Press, 2025)

• 1 to 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 leeks, roughly chopped
• ½ white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 large potato (no need to peel)
• 4 c. vegetable stock
• 1 to 2 tbsp. butter
• Salt and black pepper

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the leeks, onion, fennel seeds, nutmeg and garlic. Put the lid on and sweat them down over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the potato in half, lay it flat side down, and cut into thin slices.

Add the sliced potato to the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes, until soft, then add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then use an immersion blender to blend until silky smooth. Stir in the butter.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with warm crusty bread.

Quick Italian Turkey Soup

Serves 6.

This light soup is still filling — it’s loaded with pasta, beans and a bunch of veggies to keep you warm and feeling great. From “30-Minute Meals with Six Sisters’ Stuff: 100+ Quick and Easy Meals the Whole Family Will Love” (Shadow Mountain, 2025).

• ½ c. dry rotini pasta
• 1½ tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (1- lb.) package ground turkey
• 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 1 (15-oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-oz.) can Great Northern white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 c. shredded carrots
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 5 c. finely chopped fresh spinach
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

Cook rotini noodles according to the package directions, and set aside when finished.

While the noodles are cooking, heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, ground turkey, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix together until turkey is completely cooked through.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, beans, carrots, zucchini, broth, parsley and oregano.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until carrots and zucchini are cooked.

Add the spinach to the stockpot, and stir it all together until the spinach is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add in cooked rotini and stir it all together, then top each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Lentil and Barley Soup

Serves 8.

This comforting winter soup is a favorite of one Jacques Pépin and could be a hearty meal in itself when served with a beautiful, crusty bread, a glass of wine and a piece of cheese. It’s more economical to make the recipe in larger batches and freeze what is not needed. When you are ready to eat the soup again, thaw it, heat it through, and enjoy a second time. From “The Art of Jacques Pépin” (Harvest, 2025).

• 1 lb. dried lentils, washed and drained
• 4 quarts chicken or beef stock
• 1 leek (8 oz.), cut into ½-in. pieces and washed (about 3 c.)
• 1 large onion (8 oz.), peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 2 hot Italian sausages (about 5 oz. total), cut into ½-in. pieces
• 2 carrots (6 oz.), peeled and cut into ½-in. pieces
• ½ c. (4 oz.) pearl barley
• 5 large cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp. herbes de Provence
• 1 tbsp. salt
• ½ tsp. Tabasco sauce, optional
• ½ c. grated Swiss cheese, optional

Directions

Place the lentils, stock, leeks, onion, sausages, carrots, barley, garlic, herbes de Provence and salt in a large pot and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook gently for 1 ½ hours, or until the barley is cooked.

Emulsify the soup with a handheld immersion blender for 8 to 10 seconds to make the mixture somewhat creamy, but still chunky. (Alternatively, place 2 cups of the soup in a blender or food processor and process for 20 seconds. Combine the purée with the remaining soup.)

Add Tabasco, if using, to the soup. Serve in bowls, garnished with the cheese, if desired. This soup tends to thicken as it cools. When reheating leftovers, thin, if necessary, by adding water.

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