Soup nourishes us on many levels. It simplifies and concentrates, taking disparate ingredients and flavors and simmering them into a cohesive, comforting whole. When we make soup, we break down proteins like chicken into rich broth and tender meat, and we extract the essence of restorative ingredients — ginger, garlic, and galangal, to name just a few — making them easier to enjoy and also to digest. Soup warms us, hydrates us, and restores our energy.
Consider it an added comfort this winter to know that all across America, from temperate Texas to frigid Maine, we’re united in our desire to stand by the stove and stir up something good. Soothing soups spill beyond national borders, too: There’s not a cuisine in the world that doesn’t have a classic soup recipe to offer comfort and nourishment, whether it’s herbal and bright or rich and silky, robust and filling or as clear and restorative as sunlight.
This month, we’ve gathered some of the most beloved soup recipes from around the world to add to your winter soup-ertoire, from shorbat adas, the satisfying soup of spiced red lentils beloved across the Middle East, to Mexico’s tortilla soup, its chicken-and-tomato broth laced with smoky chipotles and crowned with crunchy tortillas. So pull out your pot and ladle, set out the bowls, and get ready.
Soup’s on.
Shorbat Adas (Red Lentil Soup with Vegetables)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This lentil soup is beloved across the Middle East. Infused with warming spices and brightened with tomatoes and lemon, it’s light yet satiating, easy to make yet nourishing — just what the season calls for.
Hot-and-Sour Soup
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This soup from China’s Szechuan province was traditionally thought to have curative properties. Martin Yan’s classic recipe gets its heat from white pepper and a punch of sourness from Chinese vinegar. Tofu, dried mushrooms, and pork make each bite satisfying.
Stracciatella alla Romana (Italian Egg Drop Soup)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
In this classic restorative Italian soup from Top Chef alum Joe Sasto, beaten egg and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano gently cook into tender strands in a golden chicken broth. It comes together in mere minutes once the broth is made.
Nikujaga (Japanese-Style Meat and Potatoes)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This super-simple dish of beef and potatoes simmered in a soy-and-ginger broth lightly sweetened with brown sugar has all the qualities we love in a one-pot meal. It’s comforting, nourishing, and soulful — plus, it tastes even better the next day.
Tom Yum Goong (Thai Spicy and Sour Soup with Shrimp)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Each spoonful of chef Nok Suntaranon’s beloved Thai soup — with tender shrimp in a savory, deeply fragrant broth enhanced by lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce, and lime juice — is enlivening and delicious.
Tortilla Soup
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This iconic soup from Mexico offers a vibrant mix of silky avocados, tangy cheese, and crisp tortilla strips, all bathed in the heat of a chipotle-laced, tomatoey broth fortified — in this speedy version from 2022 F&W Best New Chef Ana Castro — with rotisserie chicken.
