- 6
- 15 mins
- 30 mins
Ingredients
- The Protein:
- 1 pound protein + 1 pound vegetables + 1 quart broth + 1 onion + 1 can tomatoes + a starch (potatoes, rice, pasta, beans) + herbs, spices, and/or flavorings.
- Just Add As Is:
- Ham: Cube or shred and add with the broth.
- Smoked and cured sausages of any kind: Slice and add with the broth.
- Fish fillets: Add with the broth and use a spatula to flake them as they cook.
- Peeled shrimp: If large, cut into bite-size pieces and drop into the soup the last few minutes of cooking.
- Bay scallops: Drop into the soup the last few minutes of cooking.
- Brown & Slice:
- Fresh sausages of any kind: Brown in the hot soup pot (no need to fully cook) before sautéing the onion. Slice and add with the broth.
- Simmer & Shred:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Cut into thirds crosswise, add with the broth, remove the last few minutes of cooking, shred with two forks, and return to the soup.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: Add with the broth, remove the last few minutes of cooking, shred with two forks, and return to the soup.
- Pork tenderloin: Cut crosswise into 2- to 3-inch chunks, add with the broth, remove the last few minutes of cooking, shred with two forks, and return to the soup.
- The Vegetables:
- Do certain vegetables go with certain meats? Some combinations are a natural—sausage with cabbage and potatoes or chicken with carrots and peas—but there’s not a bad match between any of these suggested soup vegetables and meats, poultry, or fish.
- Common Soup Vegetables:
- Asparagus: Snap off tough ends and cut into 1-inch lengths (halve thick asparagus spears lengthwise).
- Broccoli or cauliflower: Cut into small florets. For broccoli stalks, remove the tough outer peel and slice 1/4-inch-thick. Or, buy packaged florets.
- Brussels sprouts: Trim root end and halve lengthwise.
- Turnips, rutabagas, and all winter squash: Peel and cut into bite-size chunks (seed winter squash).
- Cabbage: Halve, core, and thinly slice.
- Carrots or celery: Cut into medium dice (peel carrots).
- Green beans: Trim ends and snap into bite-size pieces.
- Green peas, frozen: No prep.
- Beet, turnip, collard, and mustard greens, Swiss chard, kale, and large spinach: Stem, wash, and coarsely chop (or buy bagged prepared greens).
- Bok choy: Thinly slice crisp edible stem; coarsely chop leaves.
- Broccoli rabe: Peel stems, if tough, then coarsely chop leaves and stems.
- Curly endive and escarole: Trim root end, wash, and coarsely chop.
- Baby spinach: No prep (just make sure they’re clean).
- Bell peppers: Cut into small dice.
- Fennel: Trim the fronds and stalks and reserve fronds. Halve, core, and cut into small dice.
- Leeks: Trim off the tough dark green tops and discard. Quarter lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Wash thoroughly.
- Mushrooms, domestic white and baby bella: Trim stem ends, rinse, and slice.
- Yellow squash and zucchini: Trim and cut into small dice
- The Starch:
- 1 pound potatoes, any kind, diced
- 2 cans (16 ounces each) beans or hominy, drained
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups wide or extra-wide egg noodles or 3/4 cup bite-size pasta
- 1/3 cup long-grain white rice
- The Flavorings:
- Dried Herbs, Woody Herbs, and Spices:
- 1 tablespoon curry powder or garam masala
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary, thyme, or chopped fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, basil, or tarragon, or ground cumin or coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or caraway seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
- Fresh Herbs and Flavorings:
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or mint or lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or tarragon
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Preparation
Step 1
The Method:
Once you've chosen your ingredients, here's how to turn them into soup:
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté to soften slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Add your choice of vegetables, protein (except shrimp and scallops, which are added the last 5 minutes of cooking), and starch, as well as tomatoes, broth, and your flavorings (if using dried herbs, woody fresh herbs, or spices). Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended, 15 to 20 minutes. Add any fresh flavorings (like herbs, or citrus juice or zest) and extra broth or water if needed: the soup should be thick, but juicy. Adjust seasonings, including salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.
Tips & Tricks:
If you prefer the green vegetables brightly colored rather than fully cooked, add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
If you prefer the green vegetables fully cooked but want bright color, add a handful of chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, or cilantro at the end of cooking.
To make the soup vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth, omit the meat, and add a second starch (grains, beans, or potatoes).
To decrease the amount of meat and use it just as flavoring, increase the vegetables from 1 to 1 1/2 pounds and decrease the meat from 1 pound to 1/2 pound.
Vegetable weights don’t need to be exact, but allow a little more than a pound, so by the time you’ve trimmed them, you’ve got close to a pound.
Time permitting, boost a shrimp-based soup’s flavor by simmering the shrimp shells in some of the broth a few minutes. Strain them out before adding the broth to the soup.
For an even quicker chicken soup, add 2 to 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts or thighs.