11 warming soups and stews to make when the weather gets chilly
Mackensy Lunsford
Soup and sweater weather go hand in hand. What's more comforting than a pot of simmering stew on the stove when the mercury dips? Here, we've rounded up some of Southern Kitchen's best soup and stew recipes so you can bring warmth to your kitchen.
Smoked sea salt cauliflower soup: Curry powder and smoked sea salt lend extra depth to this soup, which can be made vegetarian if you skip the chicken stock.
Butternut squash soup: This warming take on a fall classic starts with roasting the butternut squash, which makes for a richer soup.
West African chicken and peanut stew: The list of potential ingredients in this hearty stew often extends to okra, tomatoes, hot peppers, and ginger, but it’s the indispensable peanut that gives it its essential earthy character.
Creamy tomato soup: This is the quintessential creamy tomato soup recipe. We recommend adding a pinch of sugar at the end to really bring out the sweetness of tomatoes.
Baked potato soup: This baked potato soup can be ready in less than 30 minutes. It leaves aside the salt-laden "cream of" soups and copious amounts of heavy cream, relying instead on the natural starch of potatoes and a touch of flour to lend a comforting richness.
Southern chicken and dumplings: While dumplings can take on various forms, we like these drop biscuits for their softness and the fact that they slightly thicken the sauce as they cook.
Charleston She-Crab Soup: A staple of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry, she-crab soup is a creamy bisque with intense seafood flavor from crab roe.
One-pot fall Minestrone: This veggie-packed soup makes a deliciously healthy and satisfying one-pot dinner. Featuring zucchini and Swiss chard, it’s perfect for enjoying at the first sign of fall. A Parmesan rind adds rich umami flavor — don’t skip it!
Brisket chili: While this recipe has a longer cook time than a chili made from ground beef, your patience will be rewarded with an intensely beefy stew with a flavorful kick from rehydrated dried chiles.
One-Pot Creamy Shrimp and Corn Soup: A wonderfully creamy soup, this easy one-pot dinner is packed with protein and summer flavors, which is comforting when it's cold out. Top with crumbled bacon and chopped green onion for even more color and flavor. Get the recipe
Portabello mushroom stew: This dish is meant to be a meatless version of classic beef stew, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who won’t love it. At its base is a rich mushroom stock, fortified with root vegetables for a hearty meal.
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Mackensy Lunsford is the food and culture storyteller for USA TODAY Network's South Region. She's the editor of Southern Kitchen and a correspondent for The American South.
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Reach me: mlunsford@southernkitchen.com