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8 soups to warm you up this fall
I woke up this morning thinking about soup. I’m writing this in mid-September, and even though fall is on the way, it’s not here yet. Today, it’s 90 degrees and humid outside right now… Not exactly “cozy up with a warm bowl of soup” weather.
So, instead of making a nice pot of soup today, I’m going to share some of my favorite fall soup recipes with you. Cool?
Soup season
One of my favorite things about fall is finally enjoying warm, cozy foods again! I’m pretty sure I could happily eat soup every day. There’s nothing better on a chilly evening than a warm bowl of soup and some crusty bread…or maybe grilled cheese. It’s the ultimate comfort food, like a hug in a bowl.
Now, I’m not a food blogger. I don’t create my own recipes (at least, not very often). And even though I know my way around the kitchen, I don’t love cooking all that much – I just like good food. So all of the soups I mention here will also include a link for you to get the recipes straight from the source… i.e., someone who loves cooking and creating their own recipes!
My favorite (optional) tools
Soups, in general, don’t really require a lot of gadgets, which is one of the lovely parts. A decent-sized pot, some measuring cups, and a good knife for chopping veggies are usually enough to get by. (The hard-core foodies out there might disagree with me, but…🤷♀️)
But there are a few tools I like to use to make things a little simpler. They are not required!
A Dutch Oven
While you don’t need a dutch oven to make soup, it’s a nice touch. Cast iron dutch ovens will hold heat evenly once they’re warmed up, so they’re great for anything you’d like to keep simmering on the stove for a while. They’re also versatile for other kitchen adventures since they can be used stovetop or go in the oven. And beyond that, they just have that “soup” look, you know? If you’re having friends over or like to post food pics on your IG, they make a pretty serving dish.
An Instant Pot
If you haven’t already jumped into the Instant Pot world, look into it. Yes, there’s a bit of a learning curve. Yes, the idea of a pressure cooker is a little scary at first. But the time you can save totally outweighs all of that! It’s great for soups, AND you can even plop a fully frozen pot roast in your IP, and it’s ready to eat in about 2 hours. Huge time saver.
Vitamix
Splurge item, but I LOVE my Vitamix. After almost 10 years, it’s still one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. It shows no signs of slowing down, so it’s totally worth the price tag. (We like to make hummus pretty often and killed 4 regular blenders over the course of about 3 months before we got this guy.) It’s perfect for blending soups, but you can also MAKE SOUP IN IT! Something about the friction actually heats stuff up. (I don’t know the science behind this magic…not really my thing. But it works!)
An Immersion Blender
If a Vitamix isn’t in your budget, an immersion blender is also a good choice. So much easier than pouring hot soup into a blender.
Freezer Containers
Pro-tip: Most soups are freezable! Anytime you make soup, make a double batch and freeze half into small containers for later. It doesn’t work well for soups with dairy products or potatoes – the texture changes when you reheat them later.
Soup Bowls
This is one of those tiny luxuries I love so much. If you’re serious about soup, get some nice soup bowls. Not required at all. Just a lovely touch.
8 Fall-Favorite Soups to Try This Year
Sweet Potato Soup with Curried Cheese Crisps
I love a good sweet potato soup, but some of them are just so…sweet. That’s what sets this recipe apart – it leans much more savory than sweet.
The cheese crisps are a nice touch but don’t feel like you HAVE to include them…
Wisconsin Native’s Beer Cheese Soup
I have my husband to thank for introducing me to this one – before we met, I’d never even heard of beer cheese as a soup. A dip, yes. A soup no. But I love this particular recipe because it has a surprising amount of veggies. As for the beer, we typically use Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale when we make this one, but feel free to play around with different types…that’s half the fun of cooking!
Also, learn from my mistakes: Make sure those veggies are pretty soft before adding everything else…unless you like a crunchy soup.
It’s fantastic with soft pretzels – from the freezer section is perfectly acceptable. Still, if you’re feeling extra, you can make your own.
Sweet & Nutty Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash soup is like fall in a bowl! But if you’ve ever tried (and failed) to chop up butternut squash, you might be a little leary of trying this one. If that’s you, try the microwave trick! Poke holes all over the skin and pop it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. It will be so much easier to peel and cut!
Also, this is a slow cooker recipe, but if you don’t have a slow cooker or don’t want to spend 6-8 hours waiting, you can totally make this on the stovetop too.
Creamy Tortellini Soup
Sooo quick and easy! Basically, just dump everything in and let it do its “soup” thing. This is another slow-cooker recipe, but I’ve also done it on the stovetop (simmer for about 30 minutes).
Personal preference – I usually skip the Italian sausage. It’s good either way, so make it your own!
Harvest Cheddar Soup
This recipe is a little different…the ingredients don’t look like they should work together. But, oh, it’s SO good! This soup definitely deserves some crusty bread or even a bread bowl.
It IS a recipe specifically for the Vitamix. If you don’t have one, toss everything except the cheese into a pot on the stove, cook until soft, blend, then add the cheese last.
The recipe doesn’t specify what kind of white wine, but I’ve found that Sauv Blanc is my favorite option. And Pinot Grigio didn’t work very well with the apples. If you try anything else and love it, comment below! I’d love to hear some other options.
Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup
Sooo…I haven’t actually tried this one yet. Why is it on my favorite’s list? Because I have no doubt that it’s going to be amazing. First, because it has “cozy” in the name. Hehe. And second, because I’ve never had a bad recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
Easy Pumpkin Soup
Before “pumpkin-everything” became a joke, there was always pumpkin soup. This recipe is so simple and easy to make. It makes the whole house smell like fall. And it’s surprisingly good with garlic bread…
And finally, Homemade Chicken & Noodle Soup
Chicken & Noodle is the king of soups. And this recipe is fantastic! The noodles are the key here…skip the shelves at the grocery store and head to the freezer section. Grab a bag of Reame’s egg noodles and never look back.
Also, this recipe has you making your own chicken broth. If that’s not really your style, just use chicken broth instead of water and some cooked chicken breast or a rotisserie chicken instead.
And you DEFINITELY want to freeze this one. At some point, someone will come down with a sniffle, a cold, the flu, or “that other thing” that we’re all pretty tired of hearing about… It’s really nice to have chicken noodle soup ready to heat up when you’re feeling icky.
Honorable mentions
While these aren’t *technically* soups, the process is the same – put ingredients in a pot and leave it alone for a while. You still eat them out of a bowl, and they’re perfect for fall. So, even though they’re not soup, we’ll consider these “honorable mentions.”
Buffalo Chili
I make this at least once a month during the fall and winter months. There’s something just perfect about a bowl of chili on a cold day.
And I know there are strong opinions about styles of chili. This recipe is my favorite, but if it’s not your style, that’s okay.
I do make a few adjustments: First, no bell peppers. Second, I’ve made this with bison, beef, turkey, and chicken. They’re all excellent. Third, I like beans in my chili, so I add 2 cans of kidney beans (drained). And last, the salsa is where the heat comes from in this recipe…so pick your salsa accordingly!
Top with cheese, onions, crackers, or whatever you like. By the way, I grew up eating chili with peanut butter & maple syrup sandwiches. Has anyone else ever heard of that???
Sausage & Sauerkraut
Fall means Oktoberfest, and Oktoberfest means sauerkraut…and sausage…and beer. It may not be soup, but it’s warm and hearty, and you eat it out of a bowl. 😉
What are your favorite fall soup recipes?