19 Comforting Soups You Can Make Ahead

By

Danielle DeAngelis

Published on October 8, 2022

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Soup is one of the best dishes to make ahead of time. Whether you're meal prepping for lunch or looking for an easy weeknight dinner that you can quickly reheat, these delicious soups will not disappoint as you enjoy them throughout the week. Store recipes like our Spicy Butternut Squash Soup and Stuffed Cabbage Soup in your fridge or freezer for easy access when you're craving a warm meal.

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Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

This silky-smooth butternut soup gets a hit of spice from chipotle, cloves and cumin. Adapted from Chef Jesús González, Chef of La Cocina Que Canta at Rancho La Puerta.

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Stuffed Cabbage Soup

Like stuffed cabbage? You'll love this easy stuffed cabbage soup. It's got all of the classic flavors of stuffed cabbage without all the fuss of stuffing. Plus, you can make this warming soup ahead of time or freeze it for later for a quick dinner or lunch.

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Classic Chicken Soup

Classic Chicken Soup

Classic chicken noodle soup gets a healthy upgrade with low-sodium chicken broth, whole-wheat egg noodles and tons of vegetables. To get a homemade stock flavor using store-bought broth, we simmer bone-in chicken breasts in the broth before adding the rest of the soup ingredients. But you're short on time, feel free to use pre-cooked chicken and start the recipe at step 2.

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Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup — Photographer /Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Emily Nabors Hall

This easy carrot soup recipe is a great way to use up a bag of carrots that were forgotten in your produce drawer. The carrots cook together with aromatics like onions, garlic and fresh herbs before being puréed into a silky smooth soup that's delicious for dinner or packed up for lunch.

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Pea Soup

Pea Soup

This simple pea soup recipe makes an elegant start to a spring meal. It's also a great way to use frozen vegetables when the produce section is looking bleak.

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Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium. To simplify the prep, look for chopped fresh onion and shredded carrot or a soup starter mix in the produce section.

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Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup

Karla Conrad

In this healthy cauliflower soup recipe, roasting the cauliflower first adds depth and prevents the florets from turning to mush. A little tomato sauce and coconut milk give the broth a rich, silky texture. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if desired.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Chicken & Chickpea Soup

The only things better than healthy dinner ideas are healthy dinner ideas that are easy. This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker soup recipe is just that. It simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. Using bone-in chicken is the key to making rich soup without adding broth.

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Tomato Soup

Tomato soup — Sonia Bozzo

This simple tomato soup is perfect paired with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Make a double batch and freeze the extra for rainy-day emergencies.

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Instant Pot Potato Soup

Instant Pot Potato Soup — Photographer: Dera Burreson, Food stylist: Josh Hake

Russet potatoes turn tender and soft in minutes in a pressure cooker, so you can make this comforting soup quickly on busy weeknights. Garnish with the classic potato soup fixings—bacon, scallions and melted Cheddar cheese.

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Chicken & White Bean Soup

Once again, rotisserie chickens can really relieve the dinner-rush pressure-especially in this Italian-inspired soup that cries out for a piece of crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

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Wild Mushroom Soup

Wild Mushroom Soup — Photographer / Victor Protasio, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke

This creamless—but creamy—mushroom soup recipe showcases the savory flavor of fresh morel mushrooms. If you can't find fresh or dried morels, try other dried mushrooms, such as dried shitakes or creminis, but be sure to use at least one ounce dried mushrooms to keep the luscious flavor in this healthy soup. Serve with crusty garlic bread.

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Veggistrone

Veggistrone

This vegetable-packed minestrone soup recipe is inspired by a popular Weight Watchers vegetable soup recipe. It makes a big pot of soup, so keep some in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and freeze the rest in single-serve portions. That way you always have an easy, delicious vegetable soup to start your meal or to eat for lunch. Think of this vegetable minestrone recipe as a starting point for other healthy soup variations, too: toss in leftover chopped cooked chicken or whole-wheat pasta or brown rice to make it more satisfying.

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Cauliflower Soup

A healthy take on a loaded baked potato, this creamy cauliflower soup recipe has all the fixings of a loaded potato (bacon included) but for way fewer calories and carbs. Ready in a quick 20 minutes, this easy soup is great for busy weeknights or can be meal prepped ahead of time to take for lunch or frozen for a ready-made meal down the road. This recipe was originally made for one serving but can be easily adapted to serve more.

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Gluten-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

There's no cream in this silky mushroom soup. Pureed potatoes give this vegan mushroom soup its creamy texture. Be sure to use Yukon Gold--russets don't provide quite the right texture.

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Alaskan Cod Chowder

In this healthy fish chowder recipe, heavy cream is replaced with milk and flour-thickened fish (or seafood) broth and we keep sodium amounts reasonable with lower-sodium broth. By making your own homemade fish chowder, you'll save up to 300 calories, 20 grams of saturated fat and 500 milligrams of sodium per serving compared to many store-bought or restaurant chowders.

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Slow-Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup Freezer Pack

Your favorite restaurant soup just got easier and healthier with this freezer-to-crock-pot recipe. If you keep a special bottle of olive oil on hand for stand-out dishes, this is the recipe to pull it out for. The headiness of the fruity olive oil truly elevates the flavors in this Italian meal-prep slow-cooker soup.

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Italian Wedding Soup

This Italian Wedding Soup recipe is Italian comfort food at its best, and this easy soup recipe lends itself to countless variations. Substitute spinach, chicory, chard or any other leafy green for the escarole or kale, and any leftover cooked (or canned) beans for the white beans in this healthy Italian wedding soup recipe.

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Spicy Vegetable & Chicken Soup

Southwestern Vegetable & Chicken Soup

Who wouldn't want to eat their vegetables when they're tucked into a fragrant broth with bits of tasty chicken and spiked with a shot of fresh lime and cilantro? This healthy Southwestern chicken vegetable soup seems even richer with the smoky flavor from roasted poblano peppers and garlic. Serve this healthy chicken soup recipe with tortilla chips.

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