5 Easy Fall Soup Recipes That Earn a Second Bowl

When the weather turns, soup is the most forgiving dinner there is. One pot, mostly hands off, and leftovers that taste better the next day. The trick is picking soups that are easy enough for a Tuesday and good enough that people actually go back for more.

Here are five fall soup recipes built to feed a family of five, with plain ingredient lists, short steps, and honest timing. After the recipes, you will find the four things that make any soup worth a second bowl, and the food safety rules for storing and freezing it so leftovers stay safe.

Every recipe below makes 6 servings, which is five people with a little left over for lunch. Salt is to taste, and I mean it: taste at the end, then adjust.

1. Chicken and rice soup

Time: 45 minutes | Serves: 6

A classic for a reason. This is the soup you make when the first cold snap shows up.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 3/4 cup long grain white rice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and black pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots and celery for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add the broth, chicken and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. It needs to reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
4. Move the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks.
5. Add the rice to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes, until tender. Return the chicken to the pot.
6. Remove the bay leaves, add the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Top with parsley.

Note: Rice keeps soaking up broth as it sits, so leftovers will be thick. Add a splash of broth or water when you reheat.

2. Creamy roasted tomato soup

Time: 50 minutes | Serves: 6

Pair it with grilled cheese and you have dinner. Roasting the tomatoes first is what gives it depth.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes (Roma work well), halved
• 1 onion, cut in wedges
• 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk for a lighter soup)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, if the tomatoes are sharp)
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil, if you have it

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. On a large sheet pan, toss the tomatoes, onion and garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are browned.
2. Squeeze the garlic from its skins. Move everything, plus any juices on the pan, to a large pot.
3. Add the broth and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Blend until smooth. Use an immersion blender, or work in small batches in a regular blender with the lid vented and covered with a towel, because hot liquid expands and can blow the lid off.
5. Stir in the cream and warm gently. Do not boil after adding cream. Taste, and add sugar only if it needs it.

Note: Canned whole tomatoes (two 28 ounce cans, drained) work in a pinch. Skip the roasting time and start at step 2 after sauteing the onion and garlic.

3. Sausage, white bean and kale soup

Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 6

Hearty enough to be the whole meal. This is the one to make when you need something filling and fast.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage (mild or hot), casings removed
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
• Two 15 ounce cans white beans (cannellini or great northern), drained and rinsed
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• Grated Parmesan, to serve

Steps

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it up, for 6 to 8 minutes. It should reach 160°F internally. Pork sausage needs at least 160°F, and turkey or chicken sausage needs 165°F.
2. Add the onion and carrots to the pot and cook 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, oregano and pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Pour in the broth and beans. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the kale and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until tender.
6. Season, and serve with Parmesan.

Note: Use canned beans here. Dried kidney beans, cooked improperly, contain a natural toxin, so they need a full boil and thorough cooking. Canned beans skip that risk entirely.

4. Butternut squash soup

Time: 55 minutes | Serves: 6

Sweet, smooth and simple. It is the most fall thing on this list.

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or a pinch of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup cream or coconut milk (optional)
• Toasted pumpkin seeds, to serve

Steps

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and apple for 5 minutes.
2. Add the squash, spices and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is very tender when pierced with a fork.
3. Blend until smooth, using the same safe blending method as above: small batches, vented lid, towel over the top.
4. Stir in the cream if using, and season. Thin with more broth if it is too thick.
5. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Note: Buying pre cut squash saves the most annoying step. If you cube it yourself, microwave the whole squash for 2 to 3 minutes first to soften the skin and make it easier to cut.

5. Beef and vegetable soup

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes (mostly hands off) | Serves: 6

The long simmer is the point here. This is a Sunday soup that makes Monday easy.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups low sodium beef broth
• One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound potatoes, cubed
• 1 cup frozen peas or green beans
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper

Steps

1. Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat and brown the beef in batches, about 3 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Move the beef to a plate.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Cook the onion, carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
3. Return the beef to the pot with the broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 1 hour.
4. Add the potatoes and simmer, covered, for another 30 minutes, until the beef and potatoes are tender.
5. Add the peas and cook 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, taste, and adjust the seasoning.

Note: For a slow cooker, brown the beef, then combine everything except the peas and cook on low for 8 hours, adding the peas at the end.

The four things that make a soup worth a second bowl

Recipes are the start. These four habits do more than any single ingredient.

1. Build flavor at the start. Do not skip the first step where you cook the onion, carrot and celery in fat. That slow softening is where much of the taste comes from. Browning meat and toasting tomato paste for a minute add another layer.

2. Season in stages, then finish with acid. Salt a little as you go, not only at the end. Then, right before serving, add something sharp: lemon juice, a splash of vinegar, or a spoonful of yogurt. A soup that tastes flat almost always needs acid or salt, or both.

3. Get the texture right. Blend part of the soup (a few scoops) to thicken it without cream. Or add a starch like rice, potatoes or beans. A soup with contrast is more satisfying than one that is all one texture, which is why a crunchy topping is worth the extra minute.

4. Serve it with something. Crusty bread, grilled cheese, a simple salad, croutons, toasted seeds, grated cheese. The topping and the side are what turn a pot of soup into a meal people remember. If you want more easy dinners, take a look at our 5-ingredient dinners.

Make ahead, storing and freezing (the food safety part)

Soup is a great make ahead meal, but big pots of hot liquid cool slowly, and that is where bacteria have time to grow. The USDA’s guidance on leftovers is simple and worth following:

• Refrigerate within 2 hours. If the room is hotter than 90°F, the limit is 1 hour.
• Cool it in shallow containers. Divide a big pot into several shallow containers so it cools quickly. Do not put a huge, hot pot straight in the fridge.
• Eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days. After that, throw it out.
• Reheat to 165°F. Bring soup to a rolling boil or until it steams hot all the way through.
• Freeze for longer. Soup freezes well, and stays safe indefinitely at 0°F, though quality is best within a few months. Leave room in the container for expansion.
• Thaw safely. In the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Never on the counter.

Which soups freeze best? Chicken and rice is fine, but the rice softens, so undercook it slightly if you plan to freeze. Tomato, butternut squash, sausage and bean, and beef and vegetable all freeze well. Freeze cream based soups before adding the cream if you can, and stir it in when you reheat. Potatoes can turn grainy after freezing, so the beef soup is best with them added fresh or slightly undercooked.

For the internal temperatures cited above, the USDA safe minimum internal temperature chart is the reference: 165°F for poultry, 160°F for ground meats like sausage, and 145°F with a rest for whole cuts of beef.

A shopping tip for fall

Fall is when squash, carrots, onions, potatoes, kale and apples are at their best and cheapest. If you want to know what is in season, check our September produce guide. Buying seasonal makes these soups cheaper and better.

Which one should you make first?

• Need something fast and filling: sausage, white bean and kale.
• Someone is sick, or it is the first cold day: chicken and rice.
• Feeding picky eaters: tomato soup with grilled cheese.
• Want something a little fancy for guests: butternut squash with toasted seeds.
• Have a lazy Sunday: beef and vegetable.

Make one this week, and if you like it, make a double batch next time and freeze half. Future you will be glad. For more ideas like these, browse more recipes and ideas, and check the WCP shop for kitchen picks.

Sources: USDA FSIS, Leftovers and Food Safety, USDA FSIS, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart

Common questions