Pine & Palm Kitchen: Top 7 Soup Season Favorites

It’s time for sweater weather and soup- here are my 7 favorite soups for cozy fall suppers

1. Classic French Onion Soup with Hearty Gruyere toast

A justice brown ceramic soup bowl with handle filled with cheese topped soup next to a spoon and a plate of green salad and toast

Let’s not mess around with number 1. French Onion Soup is the mother of the fall soup line up. Slowly caramelizing onions while enjoying a glass of wine, is the perfect way to spend an evening.

3 pounds of onions reduce down to make this fantastic recipe. It takes 3 hours, but I promise you, it is worth every bit of effort.

Click HERE for the recipe.

My soup bowls in the photo above are no longer available, but here is a perfect option from Juliska for French Onion Soup.

2. Pantry Staple Roasted 4-Tomato Soup

a blue tartan plate with a white rimmed bowl filled with tomato soup with a silver spoon insisted in the soup — Tomato soup and grilled cheese on a chilly night- yes please

I have made this soup so many times, I could probably whip it up in my sleep. A well stocked pantry is your friend when it’s too cold out to run to the store for ingredients. I use pantry staples like canned tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, tomato paste and heirloom or even humble plum tomatoes to make this creamy dish. Serve with a toasty grilled cheese for a simple, but perfect, autumn dinner.

This soup is even brighter in late summer when tomatoes are abundant.

Click HERE for the recipe.

3. Pacific Northwest Wild Mushroom & Rice Soup

A blue enamel dutch oven filled with rice soup next to a bowl of soup, dried mushrooms a spring of thyme and a white and green pumpkin — This hearty soup is a actually an easy vegetarian supper

I forage for mushrooms in our woods every Autumn.

We have fat morels that pop up when the Fall rains begin. They are so spongey and earthy. Fortunately, you do not need to live near a forest in the Northern Rockies or the Pacific Northwest to enjoy this delicious bowl of thick, luxurious soup.

Just source Oyster, Baby Portobellos and Chanterelle mushrooms and sauté with leeks and sticky wild rice. I partially purée the veggies with an immersion blender to make it creamy without adding too much dairy. If you can find plush local mushrooms from your famers market, splurge and grab them.

Click HERE for the recipe

4. Healthy Veggie & Bean Soup- Pasta e Fagioli

a white slahhowl bowl filled with a tomato broth, pasta and vegetables and beef — I love this soup and would eat it year round

Writing up this list, I realized a lot of soups I make have beans, lots of beans. This soup is packed with not only beans, but just about every vegetable I could cram in the pot. Remember eating unlimited bowls of this soup at Olive Garden when you were a kid? Me too. Find some garlic breadsticks and a big Italian salad with too many croutons and take a trip down memory lane.

Click HERE for the recipe.

a bowl packed with carrots and tomato stew

5. Quick Italian Wedding Soup

a white and red rimmed bistro plate filled with meatball soup — Marry me chicken? Forget that- try Italian Wedding Soup!

One of my all time favorite recipes is classic Italian Wedding soup. Use fresh pork sausage, onion and herbs to make tiny meatballs. Roast them to bring out tons of flavor. Escarole or kale adds a ton of fiber and brightness. I like aicini pasta for this soup, but you can use orzo or ditalini as well.

Take time to search for the best pecorino, pork sausage and freshest herbs. This soup is worth it.

Click HERE for the recipe and be prepared to fall in love.

6. Lentil and Sausage Soup

a brown and white transfer ware bowl filled to the brim with sausage soup and potatoes — This hearty soup is packed with filling ingredients like potatoes, kielbasa and beans

I have been making this very easy soup for decades. This is what to make when you have no time to make dinner and really want to put something healthy on the table. Take kielbasa, (but any sausage would be fantastic), add in onions, carrots, diced potatoes, chopped tomatoes, kale and garlic and dry French lentils. Add in herbs like thyme or rosemary to give this soup a fantastic, fragrant finish.

a large pot with a large sprig of rosemary, carrots, onions and potatoes cooking with a hand adding in red pepper flakes

The entire pot is ready in a little over an hour. And it makes a fantastic “next day” meal as well. Don’t forget to serve with crusty bread and a dry white wine.

Click HERE for the sausage and lentil soup recipe.

Need the Best Dutch Oven to cook this soup? Buy my favorite by Le Creuset HERE. I have a 5.5 quart and a 9 quart. An absolute work horse in my kitchen.

7. The “Good Stuff” Award winning Chili

A white bowl filled with red beef chili and topped with avocado and cheese — It’s award winning for a reason

This recipe was voted “best chili” at the University of Washington’s chili cook off my daughters’ sophomore year. When a boathouse full of hungry rowers and coaches agree on this winning recipe, you know it’s good. Toss in a fantastic spice mix, chopped bell peppers, two kinds of beans and loads of ground turkey (don’t use turkey breast meat- it’s too dry). Top with sliced avocado, green chilies, cheese and wedges of lime. Delish! The Boys in the Boat have it right on this recipe.

Click HERE for the full recipe.

Bonus: Try my shredded chicken chili recipe HERE