Cooler temperatures call for warm foods, and soups are where it’s at. The heartier, the better! Because soups are liquid, it may seem like they’re a bit too light for hibernation season. However, hearty soups with meats, beans and dense veggies make a difference in your soup experience. Combining warmth and fullness, here are five hearty soups to try this fall.

Broccoli and Potato Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 pounds of broccoli, thick stems peeled and diced (about 2 cups), tops cut into small florets (about 1 quart)
1 1/2 pounds of boiling potatoes (about 5), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 cups of canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
3 cups of water
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Start off by washing and chopping your veggies. Then, melt your butter in a large pot on a low heat. Throw in your onion, and stir occasionally for about five minutes or until they’re translucent.

Add your garlic, broccoli stems, potatoes, broth, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until your veggies are tender, which should take about 10 minutes. Typically pureed, you’ll want to pulse your soup in a food processor or blender. Return your mixture to the pot and simmer once more. Add your broccoli florets and simmer until tender before stirring in your ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese into the soup and on top.

Collard Greens Ramen

Ingredients

1-1/2-pound bunch collard greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bacon slices
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup (2 ounces) of bourbon or other whiskey
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
8 cups of cold water
4 teaspoons of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 cup of lower-sodium soy sauce
12 ounces of uncooked instant ramen noodles, cooked
4 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved
8 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons shichimi togarashi

Cut your collards into 2-inch squares. Rinse them in cold water, and heat your olive oil in a sauce pan/ stockpot on a medium heat. Add in your bacon and cook until crisp for about 10 minutes. Once it’s done, transfer your bacon to drain on a few paper towels. Save the drippings.

Add in your onions and garlic to cook on a medium heat until golden brown. Add bourbon, vinegar and then stir, scraping up the bacon bits from the bottom of pot for about 30 seconds. Pour in 8 cups of cold water. Bring to a simmer before adding your collards, salt and pepper to taste. Allow the collards to simmer until tender, which should take about an hour. While you wait for your collards, boil your eggs followed by pouring your soy sauce into four bowls. Add your tender collards and noodles into the same bowl, topping with bacon, boiled eggs, scallions, lime wedges and shichimi togarashi.

Chicken Pozole Verde

Ingredients

7 cups of chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups of water
4 chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
1 pound of tomatillos, husked and halved
1 small onion, quartered, plus more for serving
2 poblano chiles, cored, seeded, and quartered
2 jalapeños, seeded and quartered
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon of oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
3 15-ounce cans of hominy, drained
Iceberg lettuce, finely shredded, for serving
Radish, sliced, for serving
Onion, chopped, for serving
Avocado, diced, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Tortilla chips, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

Clean your chicken and veggies before bringing a large pot of chicken stock and water to a boil. Add chicken to the pot (skin down) and simmer in a separate pan until tender and cooked thoroughly, which should take about 25 minutes. Once cool, transfer the chicken to a cutting board where you’ll shred the pieces ahead of blending your tomatillos, quartered onion, poblanos, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro and oregano.

Add one cup of the chicken stock-water and puree, adding salt and pepper to taste. Heat your vegetable oil in a deep skillet and add the tomatillo puree, cooking on a medium heat for about 12 minutes or until it’s a deep green color. Then pour the liquid into your large pot of chicken stock-water, adding hominy and shredded chicken. Once you’re ready to serve, pour your soup into bowls and top with lettuce, radishes, onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges.

Vegetarian Bean Soup

Ingredients

20-ounce package of 15-bean soup mix (flavor packet discarded)
10 cups of water
1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda
¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 medium-size yellow onions, finely chopped (2 1/2 cups)
3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (1-1/2 cups)
2 medium celery stalks, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
¾ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
¼ cup of red wine vinegar
28-ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
3 (1-ounce) Parmesan cheese rinds, plus grated cheese for garnish
10 to 11 cups of vegetable stock (as needed), divided
1 small head escarole, coarsely chopped (6 cups)

Place your beans, water and baking soda in a large bowl. Let them sit covered at room temperature for a half-day. Drain and rinse your beans well before heating oil in a large pot on a medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and a teaspoon of salt. Cook until the onions are soft and browning, for about 12 minutes, before adding in your garlic, rosemary, crushed pepper and vinegar. Stir until soft, for about four minutes. Then add in your beans, tomatoes, Parmesan, stock and another teaspoon of salt.

Boil your mixture on high and then reduce to a simmer, leaving the lid slightly lifted off of the pot. You’ll cook your soup for about two hours or until your beans are tender. Add in a cup of stock at the hour marker if your beans aren’t covered by liquid. Add your escarole at the two-hour marker, and stir until wilted before pouring into bowls. Garnish with Parmesan and rosemary.

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup of chopped fresh Italian parsley
Large egg
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
8 ounces of ground beef
8 ounces of ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound of curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Stir your onion, parsley, egg, garlic, salt and torn white bread into a large bowl. Add in the cheese, beef and pork, molding the mix into 1-inch balls and placing them on a cookie sheet. Next, you’ll move on to making your broth, starting with boiling water in a large pot and adding in your meatballs. It’ll take about 8 minutes until they’re cooked thoroughly. Next up, whisk your eggs in a bowl, adding in your cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the meatball water, stirring for about 1 minute. Pour the soup into bowls and top with Parmesan.

Ready for your next warm and delicious recipe? Which will you try first?