17 Soup Recipes That Feel Like a Hug in a Bowl

I did not used to be a soup person. For most of my 20s and 30s, soup struck me as the food version of giving up.

Like, “I am too tired to cook a real dinner, here is some liquid food.” Then I had a year that knocked the wind out of me a little, and I started making soup.

And I started understanding what people meant when they called something comforting.

Now I have a soup rotation, and these are the ones I come back to over and over. Some are quick.

Some simmer all day. Every single one of them tastes like somebody is taking care of you.

Bookmark this list for the first cold week of fall, the first sick kid of the winter, and every Sunday night that needs to be quieter than the rest of the week.

“Every single one of them tastes like somebody is taking care of you.”

1) Zuppa Toscana (Keto).

This is the Olive Garden one, except better, and made in your own kitchen, and without the carbs if you are watching for that. Italian sausage, cream, kale, a little garlic, and that broth that has somehow become more than the sum of its parts. The keto part means cauliflower instead of potatoes, which sounds wrong and tastes completely right. My husband, who is not a soup man, asks for this.

That is the highest endorsement I can give a recipe in this house. If you are not doing keto, regular diced potatoes work just as well in this one. It freezes fine too, though the cream can look a little separated when it thaws, so just give it a good stir while it reheats on the stove. Zuppa Toscana Keto — the cauliflower swap sounds wrong and tastes completely right.

2) Chicken Tortilla Soup.

The base is tomato and chicken broth and just enough spice to make your nose run a little, in the best way. Tender chicken, black beans, corn, all the toppings, and crispy tortilla strips on top that you have to keep adding because they keep getting soaked into the soup and you cannot have soup without crunch. I make this when somebody needs a little waking up. It is not a sad day soup.

It is a get back up soup. Rotisserie chicken is the easy move here, shredded in at the end so it just warms through. Set the toppings out in little bowls so everybody can build their own, because the kids and the adults never want the same amount of spice. Chicken Tortilla Soup — not a sad day soup, a get back up soup.

3) Instant Pot Pierogi Soup.

This tastes exactly like a pierogi melted into a creamy potato soup, which is to say it tastes like everything good about Polish food without any of the rolling out dough commitment. Potatoes, cheese, butter, a little cream, and frozen pierogi dropped right in at the end. If you have never had this kind of soup, it might change your whole opinion of soup. I do not say that lightly.

Grab the frozen pierogi from wherever you can find them, there is no need to make your own for this. This one does not love the freezer once it has the pierogi in it, so I make it fresh and just plan on a bowl for lunch the next day instead. Instant Pot Pierogi Soup — Polish food comfort without the rolling out dough commitment. This is one of the simplest Instant Pot recipes I own, and it is on the list for nights when the pantry has pierogis and not much else.

4) Cheesy Potato Soup.

If you are going to have one potato soup in your life, make it this one. It is creamy enough to feel rich, cheesy enough to feel like comfort food, and chunky enough to actually be filling. Top it with bacon and green onions and you basically have a loaded baked potato in soup form. I make this on snow days. My mom Carol made it on snow days. There is no version of a snow day that is not improved by a pot of this soup on the stove.

Precook your bacon earlier in the week and keep it in the fridge, then this comes together even faster on the actual snow day. It also reheats beautifully the next morning if anyone wants soup for breakfast, no judgment here. Cheesy Potato Soup — a loaded baked potato in soup form, perfect for a snow day. “I make this on snow days. My mom Carol made it on snow days. There is no version of a snow day that is not improved by a pot of this soup on the stove.”

5) Easy Chicken Noodle Soup.

This is the chicken noodle soup that does not taste like a can. The broth is rich. The chicken is actually tender. The noodles are the thick kind, the ones that feel like a real noodle and not a wet ribbon. When somebody in the house starts sniffling, this is the first thing I make.

Carol always said chicken soup was medicine and she might have been onto something. This is one of those soups where the leftovers actually thicken up in the fridge, since the noodles keep drinking the broth. I just add a splash of extra broth or water when I reheat it and it is good as new. Easy Chicken Noodle Soup — the first thing I make when somebody starts sniffling.

6) Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup.

The crockpot version, for the days when you want chicken noodle soup waiting for you when you walk in the door, not after another hour of stove work. Same idea, but the broth gets extra rich from cooking all afternoon, and the chicken practically shreds itself when you take the lid off. I add the noodles in the last 20 minutes. Everything else is set it and walk away.

This is my go to for a busy weeknight with kids yelling about homework, because I load the crock in the morning and do not think about dinner again until it is time to add noodles. If you want to freeze a batch, freeze it before the noodles go in, since noodles get mushy and sad after a trip through the freezer. Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup — set it and walk away comfort, with the noodles added at the end. Ever been sick and had someone bring you a bowl of chicken noodle soup?

7) Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup.

This one tastes like the inside of a cheeseburger, which I will keep saying because I keep meaning it. Ground beef, potatoes, cheese, all in a broth that is somehow creamy without feeling heavy. It is hearty enough to be a whole dinner. If you have a picky eater who refuses soup, try this.

The cheeseburger framing seems to get them past the soup hurdle every single time. Brown the beef ahead of time on a Sunday and keep it in the fridge, then this practically assembles itself on a weeknight. A few pickles on top is not traditional, but it is very good, so do not knock it until you try it. Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup — the soup that gets picky eaters past the soup hurdle every single time.

8) Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup.

Like a chicken enchilada turned into a soup, with all the cheesy creamy goodness and none of the rolling. Beans, chicken, green chilies, cream cheese stirred in to make it luxurious. Top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado, a little cilantro if you are a cilantro person. I serve this when I want soup night to feel like a little event.

It has that energy. Let the cream cheese soften on the counter first so it stirs in smooth instead of leaving little lumps floating around. This one also doubles easily if you are feeding a crowd or just want lunch for the whole week. Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup — the soup to make when you want soup night to feel like a little event.

9) Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup.

Imagine the inside of a chicken fajita: peppers, onions, chicken, all the warm spices. Now put it in broth. That is this soup. It is bright and warm and has just enough heat to feel like it is doing something for your mood. I make this when I want Mexican food but I do not want the heaviness of cheese and chips and the whole thing.

It scratches the same itch. A bag of the frozen pepper and onion strips works great here and saves you the cutting board mess on a weeknight. Squeeze fresh lime over the top right before serving, it wakes the whole bowl up. Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup — Mexican food in soup form, without the heaviness of cheese and chips.

10) Easy Crockpot Potato Soup.

This version uses frozen hashbrowns, which is one of the smartest cheats in soup making. The hashbrowns break down a little and create that perfect creamy chunky texture without any peeling or chopping required. It is the easiest soup on this list, and somehow not the worst. That is the magic of a really good shortcut recipe.

Toss the hashbrowns in frozen straight from the bag, there is no need to thaw them first. This is the one I hand off to my husband when I need a night off from cooking, because it is nearly impossible to mess up. Easy Crockpot Potato Soup — the smartest hashbrown cheat in soup making, no peeling required. My picky son finishes every drop of this and asks for more.

11) Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup.

This is a grown up soup. Hearty pieces of beef, pearled barley, carrots, celery, a beef broth that has been cooking long enough to taste like it knows what it is doing. It is the kind of soup that makes you sit down at the table to eat it instead of standing at the counter. I serve this with a hunk of bread and call it dinner. Nobody complains.

Half of them ask for seconds. Cheap stew meat is perfect here since the long cook time in the slow cooker turns it fall apart tender anyway. This one freezes beautifully in individual containers, which is basically a homemade version of the good frozen dinners. Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup — a grown up soup that makes you sit down at the table to eat it.

12) Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup.

The copycat that actually tastes like the Panera one. Creamy, cheesy, broccoli forward without being broccoli aggressive. The kind of soup that tastes like a treat even though you made it in your own kitchen with regular grocery store ingredients. Make a double batch and put half in the freezer. You will thank yourself in February.

Shred your own cheese if you can, it melts smoother than the bagged kind that is coated to keep it from clumping. Serve it in a bread bowl for special occasions, or just a regular bowl on a random Tuesday, both are correct. Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup — make a double batch and freeze half. You will thank yourself in February.

Questions I Get About These Soups

Can I make these soups ahead of time?

Most of these taste even better the next day once the flavors have had time to sit together. Cream based ones like the potato and enchilada soups are best made a day ahead and gently reheated, not boiled.

Which of these freeze well?

The beef barley, broccoli cheddar, and chicken tortilla soups all freeze great in a container or flat in a bag. I would skip freezing anything with pierogi or noodles already stirred in, since they get soft and strange after thawing.

Can I double any of these for a crowd?

Yes, almost all of them double easily in a bigger pot or a large slow cooker. Just give creamy ones a little extra time to come back up to temperature since there is more volume to heat through.

What if my kids are picky about soup?

Start with the cheeseburger soup or the tortilla soup with toppings set out separately so everyone can build their own bowl. Giving kids some control over what goes on top makes soup feel less scary to them.

Can I swap the meat in these recipes?

In most of them, yes. Ground turkey works in place of ground beef, and shredded rotisserie chicken can stand in anywhere a recipe calls for cooked chicken.