17 Best Winter Soups and Stews Recipes

Jump to recipe

There is nothing like coming in from the cold to a hot bowl of soup or a stew.  A hearty soup or stew warms the body, but it also acts to stop dehydration.

While getting a can of soup from the supermarket is a good idea, making it yourself with fresh ingredients is a better one.  Especially if you use fresh vegetables.

Let’s take a look at seventeen of the best soups and stews for those winter days.  These are soups that fill you up with lots of vitamins and are made with love.

Contents

17 Best Winter Soups and Stews for Cold Days

1. Beef Stew

A simple, efficient stew that’s thick and full of protein, beef stew is a classic.  Some recipes add potatoes or beer to the mixture, too.

The best stews don’t cook quickly; getting the best flavor can take hours.  But a good beef stew will keep you going in the coldest weather.

https://melaniemakes.com/stout-beer-beef-stew/

2. Chili

While the debate over whether chili counts as a stew is ongoing, one thing is for sure: chili is great for winter nights.  It’s versatile with a lot of recipes for different diets, too.

Chili is based on chili peppers, so it’s served hot and spicy.  It’s perfect as a stew or as a dip for game nights and holiday parties.

https://dinnerthendessert.com/oklahoma-chili/

3. Minestrone Soup

Minestrone is a thick Italian vegetable soup that usually has pasta or rice in it.  It’s usually based on tomato or bean broth, but others like chicken can also be used.

There are many different kinds of minestrone soup, depending on what vegetables you have or want to use.  How long it cooks depends on what you’re using to heat it up.

https://www.galonamission.com/minestrone-soup/

4. Potato Soup

I’ve heard that winter soups tend to be based around roots and tubers, so here’s one that revolves around a famous tuber.  Potato soup is made of vegetables, chicken broth, and of course potatoes.

And what would potato soup be without yummy toppings?  Use cheese, bacon bits, or other foods to add to the taste of your potato soup and make it memorable.

https://www.mamalovesfood.com/potato-soup/

5. Mushroom Bisque

Bisque is a French soup, originally a seafood soup line chowder, but now it’s expanded to other foods.  The soup is thickened by a table sauce called a roux, which is usually made from flour and butter.

Mushroom bisque goes very well with most sandwiches, especially grilled cheese.  When served together, the two dishes will definitely chase away the winter blues.

https://simplysundaysfoodblog.com/2019/01/27/rustic-mushroom-bisque-2/

6. Butternut Squash Soup

Squash is a good vegetable for nutrients like fiber, vitamin A, or potassium.  It’s also low on calories.  It’s also considered a winter squash because it’s harvested around late fall into winter.

Butternut squash soup blends and balances the flavors of squash, onions, broth, various spices, and vegetables.  It takes under an hour to make from scratch to wowing eaters at your table.

https://themovementmenu.com/butternut-squash-soup/

7. Beef Barley Soup

Beef barley soup is an easy-to-make dish that’s not only good for a meal but easy to freeze and will still be good weeks later.  It’s a rich, hearty soup for big appetites.

The soup is easily made from leftover beef and barley, a grain that’s like wheat or rice.  Add in a lot of vegetables, beef broth, and tomato paste and cook it for over an hour for the most flavor.

https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/beef-barley-soup/

8. Chicken Pot Pie Stew

Chicken pot pies are delicious, but have you tried the same ingredients in a stew? After all, the pie is just stew contained in a crust.

If you want a rich filling food, this is it.  Chicken, onions, celery, garlic, and more are all covered in a delicious broth.  Be careful to make this stew a rare treat, since it’s high in sodium.

https://jenelizabethsjournals.com/2014/11/13/slow-cooker-chicken-pot-pie-stew/

9. Winter Vegetable Soup

If you want a healthy soup for the cold, you can’t go wrong with vegetable soup.  Imagine your favorite vegetables simmering in tomato or vegetable broth.

But you don’t have to imagine it.  A hot bowl of vegetable soup can be ready in as little as an hour to warm up all who eat it.

https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/provencal-winter-vegetable-soup/

10. Irish Stew

Irish stew is made from mutton mixed with potatoes, onions, and carrots, and other vegetables, depending on the recipe.  It’s considered a national dish of Ireland.

If you want a quick stew, this isn’t it; Irish stew can take over two hours to cook.  The end result is worth the wait, however.

https://amycaseycooks.com/irish-lamb-stew-with-carrots-parsnips-potatoes-peas-and-guinness/

11. Tomato Basil Soup

This is the best-known soup to go with sandwiches.  It’s dairy-free, it comes in vegan style, and of course, it’s vegetarian-friendly.  Don’t forget to serve it with something crispy!

Tomato soup is one of the healthiest soups out there, especially if it’s been made fresh.  Canned soups are quicker, but they tend to be higher in preservatives like sodium.

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/homemade-roasted-tomato-basil-soup/

12. Clam Chowder

The most famous soupy cuisine of the northeastern United States, clam chowder has many different recipes depending on the region.  The soup is usually served with either oyster crackers or saltines.

The main two recipes are the New England recipe and the Manhattan recipe.  The New England recipe has a thick soup, with milk and cream in it, while the Manhattan version is based around tomato broth and tomato paste.

https://www.theseasonedmom.com/new-england-clam-chowder/

13. Chicken Posole

A posole is a kind of Mexican stew.  It’s made from meat, chili peppers, green vegetables, and a kind of dried corn that’s called hominy.

If you want to make posole yourself, bear in mind that the hominy may take a long time to cook.  Chicken posole also comes in multiple varieties, depending on the kind of chili used.

https://pamelasalzman.com/chicken-posole-verde-recipe/

14. Chicken Noodle Soup

A classic soup to eat when you’re cold, or when you have a cold.  Chicken noodle soup puts fluids back into you, and it tastes great.

The best chicken noodle soup is the homemade kind, with lots of carrots, celery, and onions.  It’s easy to make, and easy to store any leftovers afterward.

https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/

15. Everything Soup

Everything soup is—well, just that.  A little bit of everything: beans, meat, vegetables, herbs, and broth.  It’s a recipe that can easily be adapted depending on what you have or want to use.

The other advantage to everything soup is that it’s healthy.  Between all the ingredients, you’ve got a huge helping of vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients.

https://www.blessthismessplease.com/everything-but-kitchen-sink-soup/

16. Lentil Stew

Lentils are a small legume, but those small exteriors hide a lot of energy-packed carbohydrates.  There are several types of lentils used in cooking, most commonly brown lentils.

As a stew, lentils are combined in a broth along with carrots, celery, potatoes, and peas.  This makes a vegan-friendly dish that’s healthy and brings the family together.

https://simplefitvegan.com/vegan-winter-lentil-stew/

17. Pumpkin Soup

While whole pumpkins may only be available for a short time in the stores, pumpkin puree is used to make many foods.  Mainly pumpkin pie and, more rarely, pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin soup is like squash soup, but it’s thicker due to using the puree.  It’s vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and ready to amaze anyone who eats it in under twenty minutes.

https://strengthandsunshine.com/vegan-curried-pumpkin-soup/

Wrap Up

Many of these soups are flexible enough that you can substitute a lot of the ingredients and still have the same soup.  If you feel like something could improve any of these recipes, try it.

A good winter soup or stew will definitely keep the cold away.  It’s hearty, full of vegetables, and built to pack a full meal into a bowl of soup.  You can’t ask for more than that.

Related posts:

  1. What to Serve With French Onion Soup?
  2. 17 Best Crockpot Recipes
  3. 17 Best Grill Recipes
  4. 17 Best Christmas Candy Recipes

Leave a Reply