It’s soup season again, and we aren’t mad about it. When the chill returns to the air and seasonal vegetables shift from bright and fresh to earthy and cruciferous, we unearth our stockpots and dig out our tried and true soup recipes. This year, we’ve gathered some rich and warming fall soup recipes from regional restaurants to add into the rotation. From oyster soup and spicy pho to classic french onion, we’re ladling out flavors from Austin to Charleston to the Bayou. Between soups that come together on a weeknight to those that simmer low and slow over a Sunday afternoon, this selection satisfies a range of time budgets and taste preferences.
Greek-Inspired Lemon Chicken Soup
Turn home into your favorite Greek taverna. Alex Snodgrass of the Defined Dish puts a spin on traditional avgolemono soup by substituting pearl couscous as a substitute for rice and egg to add bulk and richness. Loaded with lemon, fresh herbs, and hearty chunks of rotisserie chicken, this soup brings plenty of warmth and brightness on a chilly evening.
Smoky Field Pea Soup with Black Pepper Croutons
This vegetable-loaded fall soup recipe calls for cooking the mirepoix in bacon fat to give it a smoky, sultry flavor. Use whatever bread you have on hand for the cornbread croutons—anything crusty will work.
Your favorite cocktail hour snack meets the dinner table in this silky soup. The bright, crunchy garnish of fresh carrots, shallots, and fried okra cut through the peanuts’ richness. We recommend using Hubs Virginia Peanuts for their jumbo size.
Destinations throughout the Gulf and Southeast Coast keep perfected oyster soup recipes on hand throughout the chillier months. This one, adapted from Mosquito Supper Club ([Artisan, 2020] available through the Local Palate Marketplace), combines its own salt pork and fresh shucked oysters into a chowder-like dish. Plan in advance for this recipe—the salt pork should cure about three days before you make the soup.
Think of pozole like the Southwestern cousin of chili. Rich with pork and warm chili flavors, this version from Irene’s in Austin calls for dried corn instead of the traditional hominy.
Chile-Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Bland butternut soups, be gone! This fall soup recipe from A’Verde Cocina and Tequila Library in Cary, North Carolina, pulls in smoky warmth from roasted chiles and hazelnuts. Don’t balk at the amount of brown sugar. This soup can stand up to it.
This vegetable soup from Food for the Southern Soul is loaded with fresh summer corn, lima beans, and tomatoes. The best part? All you have to do is open the jar to get that made-from-scratch taste.
“I really enjoy the rich texture parsnips have when slowly roasted,” says Blackberry Farm’s executive chef Cassidee Dabney, creator of this creamy elixir. “In the cooler months, I often make batches of parsnip soup. I’ll have some for dinner or incorporate the soup into a casserole or tart base.”
Every soup lover needs a go-to bean soup recipe. These protein-packed bowls turn pantry staples into a delicious meal, making it the sort of dinner you can pull off on a weeknight. This recipe offers a loose formula for bean soup, using your preferred fat or oil, whatever beans you have on hand, and your choice of sturdy greens.
Bright and fresh from kaffir lime leaves and fresh lemongrass, this brothy, shrimp soup remedies whatever cool-weather ailment plagues you. While there’s no substitute for making the shrimp stock from scratch, you can use store-bought in a pinch.
This turn-of-the-century bisque continues to dominate classic seafood menus. The old stalwart holds plenty of nostalgia but it always feels elevated, thanks to the crab meat and roe. Rich and creamy, keep this recipe in your back pocket for when winter storms roll in on the coast.
With fewer than ten ingredients and about a half-hour’s worth of time, you can get a creamy, veggie-loaded dinner on the table. This recipe uses no cream, instead creating a roux from flour, butter, and stock. Serve with a crusty loaf or homemade cornbread croutons.
Made by Food for the Southern Soul, this hearty stew is a celebration of the South’s diverse and storied cooking traditions. The tomato-based stew pulls warmth from bell peppers and texture from okra, and it does the heavy lifting when it comes to getting dinner on the table. Simply add a few shrimp to the soup right before turning off the heat and then serve over Carolina Gold rice, giving instant warmth on those extra chilly fall days.
Cheesy, brothy, and carby in all the right ways, a bowl of french onion soup can do no wrong in our eyes. Give yourself ample time to make this one—it should simmer for two hours before assembly. And be sure to use brioche bread; its eggy richness makes it perfect for soaking up the caramelized onion juices.
Potato, Andouille, and Kale Soup
All home cooks should have a potato-sausage soup in their repertoire. Cheap and hearty, it infuses fresh life into the winter greens wilting in your crisper. Inspired by the Portuguese caldo verde, this soup uses andouille for a Cajun kick.
From a winter cold cure to a dinner party main, pho delights in every scenario it gets put into. The brothy stock (well worth making from scratch) bursts with spices and meaty mushrooms to awaken your sinuses. Loaded with slurppable noodles, this is a soup that actually fills you up. Plus, the variety of garnishes give a choose-your-own-adventure aspect to each bowl.
