The Comforting Joy of Homemade Soup

Is this mid-winter time, after the holidays when the sun sets too soon and the cold temperatures leave you wanting to stay inside, getting you down? Are you looking for some simple pleasures to encourage you and lift your spirits? In these cold dark days of winter, comfort yourself and your family with steaming hot bowls of homemade soup! Add warm bread or rice on the side and you have easy, pleasurable meals to enjoy.

Soup can be quite easy to prepare. It’s often a one pot affair. While you only need a saucepan, it also suits an Instant Pot or slow cooker well. Soup features in nearly all cuisines, so regardless of what you usually eat at home, you can find many recipes. On the flip-side, if you or your family like to try new-to-you ethnic foods, look for soup from different cuisines. It can be a wonderful change of pace. And if you’re recovering from an expensive December, soups usually are a very inexpensive option to feed yourself or your family.

Personally, in winter I eat soup nearly every day. I’ve been cooking for a long time and with that experience, I have a good sense of what goes into a soup and when to add it. So, I often prepare soups from scratch.

I start with leftovers: a chicken, ham bone, beans or a rice dish as the main ingredient. I add water & cook slowly at a low temperature in a saucepan on the stove or in a slow cooker until the items are soft and tender.

I add vegetables and spices that feel appropriate for the main ingredient (If I’m not sure what to add, I’ll browse a cookbook for a recipe similar to what I’m making.). The veggies can be fresh, frozen, canned or leftovers. Carrots & onions are a good bet and they can be added when you add the water. Hearty greens can be added early, too. Cut everything up in bite-sized pieces.

More delicate vegetables like sweet peppers or tomatoes can be added after the main ingredient is cooked until soft. Tender greens, like spinach, are best to add when the soup is nearly done.

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot with bread or rice.

Sounds complicated? Start with canned broth (and maybe beans). Add chopped meat or a quick-cooking grain, like lentils. Cook until tender and add a bag of frozen vegetables (whatever kind that you like). Heat through and season with salt & pepper. Voilà, you have soup!

You can find recipes and inspiration in the Mercer County Library System catalog. Have your pick of cookbooks featuring soup recipes: