Homemade Soup Recipes:
Easy Lentil Soup Recipes, Miso Soup,
Barley Soup, Chowder and More

I have a new interest: collecting easy homemade soup recipes. I am always looking for ways to simplify my cooking, while still enjoying delicious and nutritious meals. Making soup is one obvious answer.

In our house, Wednesday is Homemade Soup Night. We all look forward to trying new homemade soup recipes and revisiting our favorites.

If I'm feeling ambitious, I make a batch of Sweet Potato Biscuits to go along with the soup. (The recipe for the biscuits is in "Lunch To Go".)

I like Soup Night because cooking is easy. My husband likes it because the soup is so delicious. (My kids like it because it's also Fruit Crisp night!)



Until not long ago, I thought that soup was something that came out of a red and white can from the grocery store. It tasted OK - but certainly didn't seem like a real meal.

Then I discovered the fancier soups that came out of tetra packs. These were better - not quite a real meal, but closer. However, they were more expensive, and included too many artificial ingredients and additives.

For some reason, I thought that only really good cooks made soup from scratch. I thought that making homemade soup was mysterious and difficult.

Finally, I found the courage to try making soup myself, and I discovered that I was totally mistaken. Making delicious healthy soup is easy!! All you need are a few healthy homemade soup recipes.

Here are a few of my favorite homemade soup recipes. I plan to try many more!

Hot Soup

Is there anything more comforting than a hot bowl of homemade soup on a cold winter's day? There are so many easy soup recipes that you could eat a different soup every week of the year! (That's my goal!) Here are my favorite hot homemade soup recipes so far.

• Bean and Legume Soups

  If you're looking for an economical, healthy meal, look no further! Bean soups are

  • packed with fiber and nutrients
  • filling and satisfying
  • inexpensive to make - especially if you soak and cook your beans from scratch.

  Of course, since all of these soups have been tested on and approved by my family, they are delicious, too!
  
  

  • Bean Chowder is a hearty and economical meal. (It tastes great, too!)
    
    
  • Creamy Chickpea Soup is easy to make, turns out every time, and is delicious. Although it tastes very rich and creamy, it is actually dairy-free.
    
    
  • Lemony Lentil Soup uses red lentils and fresh greens. It has a lovely unique flavor. Since it uses red lentils, it cooks up very quickly.
    
    
  • Lentil-Apricot Soup is made with green lentils. The hint of fruit adds just the right touch!

  • If you're in a rush, try this Lentil Spinach Soup. It's not only very nutritious, but it's attractive and very tasty too.

  • I have always loved Split Pea Soup - and now I know how to make it myself! It is ridiculously easy.

  
  
  

• Seafood Soups

  Seafood lovers, take note! Fish and other seafood make a wonderful base for a soup or chowder. Here are some homemade soup recipes that use seafood.
  
  

  • If you have a can of salmon in the cupboard, you have the basis for this tasty Salmon Chowder.
    
    
  • If you have leftover cooked salmon, use it to make this wonderful Salmon Chowder.
  
  
  

• Vegetable Soup

  I used to think that "Vegetable Soup" was a particular type of soup. (Remember those red and white cans?) Little did I know that it is an entire category of wonderful soups! There are more vegetable soup recipes than I ever imagined. Here are my favorite homemade soup recipes with vegetables.
  
  

  • Do you like pesto? If so, you'll love this Barley Vegetable Pesto Soup. You can use either homemade or purchased pesto.
    
    
  • Borscht is a beautiful beet-based soup that tastes as good as it looks.

  • Once you've tried this delicious Butternut Squash Soup Recipe, you'll never buy processed squash soup again. This might just become your favorite soup ever!

  • This Carrot Parsnip Soup is creamy, delicious - and easy!

  • Looking for a healthy soup to warm you up on a cold dark day? Try this cheerful Corn Chowder. It's filled with colorful vegetables and tastes so good!

  
  
  

• Slow Cooker Soup Recipes

  Although many of the soup recipes on this page can be made in a crockpot, these recipes are designed specifically for a crockpot. If you are new to slow cooker use, try one of these. You can't go wrong.
  
  

  • This Crockpot Split Pea Soup Recipe takes no time at all to assemble, and the soup is SO good!

  
  
  

• Other

  Some soup recipes don't fit easily into a category. Here they are.
  
  

  • A very easy choice is Miso Soup. You can add your choice of vegetables - or just make a plain broth for the very fastest hot soup ever.

Cold Soup

No, I'm not talking about hot soup that has been sitting on the table for so long that it has cooled off. I'm talking about soup that is made to be served cold. (Is that a new concept to you as it was for me?) On a hot day, a bowl of cool, refreshing soup is just lovely!

• Gazpacho is a cool, refreshing tomato based soup. It's hearty enough to fill you up, but light enough to be enjoyed on a hot muggy day. The recipe is in "A Day of Blender Recipes".

Soup Stock

With a supply of soup stock in your freezer, you are ready to make soup at the drop of a hat! Homemade soup stock is SO much tastier and healthier than the prepared soup stock you can buy at the grocery store.

• Get some bones from the butcher and make your own Beef Soup Stock! It's handy to have on hand for use in soups and casseroles. It also makes a nice hot drink.

• When you've finished a roast chicken or turkey dinner, don't throw out the carcass! Use it to make homemade Chicken or Turkey Soup Stock. I like to keep a supply of this in the freezer at all times. During cold and flu season, there's nothing more comforting than sipping from a mug of warm chicken broth.

• Save your vegetable scraps and use them to make Vegetable Soup Stock. You can use it as the basis of many soups. It is also an ingredient in many casseroles.

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