It's Almost Spoon Season: Top Classic Soups to Simmer Now

Photo by: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

As we move deeper into September, there’s no denying that it’s almost time to tuck into some colder-weather comforts. And is there anything more comforting than a bowl of homemade soup? When the need for warm-your-core food calls, forget reinventing the wheel. Instead, consider our favorite cast of classic soups, each with upward of 100 top reviews. That way, you know your first soups of the season will be worthy of your spoon.

Tomato Soup

If you’re moved to make the often-canned tomato classic from scratch, Ree Drummond’s Best Tomato Soup Ever is just as the top-rated recipe’s name reads: the best ever. Simmered with cream, sherry and just a touch of sugar, it’s the silky, smooth and warming soup you should revel in now. And if you want to do it up with a toasty grilled cheese on the side for dipping, we won’t stop you.

Split Pea Soup

While most split pea soups reel in a little smokiness from a ham bone, Ina Garten’s healthy recipe is so good it doesn’t even need it. With 250-plus top reviews, Parker’s Split Pea Soup is thick and creamy without the cream, and it’s vegetarian to boot.

FN_ItalianWeddingSoup

Photo by: Armando Rafael Moutela ©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Armando Rafael Moutela, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Italian Wedding Soup

Traditionally simmered with green vegetables and meat, Giada De Laurentiis’ take on Italian Wedding Soup has garnered over 300 reviews. Strewn with homemade beef and pork meatballs and curly endive, it’s a hearty bowl ready to go in just 35 minutes.

Potato-Leek Soup

As the weather gets colder and colder, a spoonful of warming, creamy potato-leek soup is as curative as it is delicious. For Ina Garten’s rendition, Roasted Potato Leek Soup, she goes even further by roasting the potatoes and leeks on a sheet tray before pureeing them and blending with cream and creme fraiche. Serve with homemade crispy shallots and crusty bread.

Chicken Noodle Soup; Tyler Florence

Chicken Noodle Soup; Tyler Florence

Photo by: Tara Donne

Tara Donne

Chicken Noodle Soup; Tyler Florence

Chicken Noodle Soup

A steamy bowl of good old chicken noodle can cure just about anything, whether it’s a cold or the cold-weather blues. Simmer Tyler Florence’s Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, loaded with all the usual suspects, like carrots, celery, herbs and, of course, chicken and noodles. It’s worthy of your grandma (and more than 300 reviewers).

Cream of Mushroom Soup

You won’t find this kind of cream of mushroom in a can. No, the Barefoot Contessa’s rich Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup is downright luxurious, simmered with shiitake, cremini and portobello mushrooms, plus leeks, white wine and cream.

Photo by: Marshall Troy ©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Marshall Troy, 2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

If any soup was meant for a bread bowl, it’s this one. The Pioneer’s Woman’s Broccoli Cheese Soup matches four whole heads of broccoli with milk, cream and three types of grated cheese. With just one spoonful, you’ll notice that this creamy, pureed soup gets a comforting complexity from a pinch of nutmeg.

Check out more soup recipes from our friends:

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chilled Spiced Peach Soup

Red or Green? Spiced Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Garbanzo Beans

Feed Me Phoebe: Portuguese Kale Soup with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes

The Mom 100: Avgolemono Soup

The Lemon Bowl: Red Lentil Turkish Soup

Healthy Eats: 6 Healthy Soups for the First Tailgate of the Season

Domesticate Me: Five Spice Sweet Potato Soup

Taste with the Eyes: Chicken Soup with Exotic Saffron Matzoh Balls

Creative Culinary: Chile Relleno Soup

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