buying good soup in nyc (for meal prep)

May 3, 2023 12:22 AM

hi! I'm disabled and need to eat more soup/stews for health reasons. I would ideally be eating homemade soup and getting it delivered to my place in the Bronx. I can't cook much because of my illness. Does anyone have recommendations for places /people that I can buy from that has 1.tasty soup 2.over 32 oz (so I can save more for later) 3.affordable (under $15 for a few meals worth) 4.delivers to the Bronx or can pickup near Flatiron Building

Also I'm realizing it may be more affordable to hire a private chef/pay someone to cook/use a meal service so if anyone has recs or would like to help, please dm me or mention suggestions.

I'm intolerant to a lot of foods, so the main types of food I can eat are Mexican, Puerto Rican, American. Mediterranean and most Asian foods are off limits (no seafood, nuts, seeds, pork, dairy, mushrooms).

posted by starlybri to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Since you have a disabling health condition and live in New York City, you’d likely be eligible for God’s Love We Deliver. I’ve heard good things about them. Despite the name, there’s nothing religious about their program. The free meals can be tailored to your preferences and health needs, and while they don’t exclusively do soup, their standard menus seem to be very soup forward. I believe they send food weekly, so you’d get a good supply. And it’s definitely less than $15. It sounds like you may not have been considering a charity program, but it might fit the bill. If you are entitled why not look into it? To access the service you’d need to ask a doctor to submit a form on your behalf. It looks like your eligibility wouldn’t depend on your income or wealth, unless you’re disability is related to HIV.
posted by reren at 1:23 AM on May 3, 2023 [2 favorites]

How about Soupergirl? They have 32oz servings and deliver to NY. All the soup is vegan which deals with several of your allergens, and I can see several that don’t have nuts, seeds or mushrooms. Their soups are not salt bombs like many other prepared soups and they use whole food ingredients
posted by sizeable beetle at 3:30 AM on May 3, 2023 [3 favorites]

It's not a restaurant but Whole Foods has some decent refrigerated prepared soups that come in a 24 ounce tub for ~$8-12. Obviously not all of them will meet your dietary needs but the ingredients are listed right on the website which may be easier than asking a restaurant whether their stock is made with mushrooms etc.

Here are some that look like they meet your requirements (they do mostly contain sunflower/safflower seed oil - hopefully that's acceptable because it will limit you a lot regardless of where you're buying):
Chicken Artichoke & Lemon Soup
Carrot Ginger Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken and Rice Soup
Classic Beef Chili
Sunchoke and Leek Soup

I don't love/condone Amazon but they do deliver a lot of things to a lot of places.
posted by mskyle at 4:49 AM on May 3, 2023

There’s obviously nothing like homemade, but the brand Amys Kitchen (available at many grocery stores) is quite good, and they have low-sodium options. You could try some flavors in individual cans from the store, then buy in bulk on Amazon when you know what you like.
posted by haptic_avenger at 5:29 AM on May 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

You may be eligible for Meals on Wheels and could ask if they can do soups/ stews. Indian food often comes in packets of lentil and bean stews; I sometimes add chicken broth to make them soupier or have with pasta or rice.

I'd also post on nextdoor, a facebook neighborhood group, or similar and ask for neighbors who might make soup for you. A team of 5 - 10 neighbors could make extra when they cook and drop off soup regularly. A small freezer could accommodate delicious soups to keep you in meals. I make a lot of soup and it would not be difficult to make extra for a neighbor, esp. if the neighbor would buy some ingredients. This is an activity houses of faith (synagogues, churches, mosques) excel at, too.
posted by theora55 at 10:10 AM on May 3, 2023

When I was dealing with a lot and just needed healthy meals that weren't all seamless orders I used the Portable Chef. I'm not sure if he would be out of your price/delivery range but you can certainly reach out to them to ask. He will work with specific health needs. Their meals were delicious and I miss them a lot now that I'm out of delivery range by a few thousand miles. My home prepared broccoli never tastes as good.
posted by rdnnyc at 2:00 PM on May 3, 2023

With food prices right now I am not sure you will find homemade food delivery services that will price in line with your specifications (under $15).

I am also NYC-based and I use Jennie's Kitchen which is great -- there are usually 2-3 soups every week that fit your specifications (her cauliflower puree soup is amazing -- it *feels* like it is made with heavy cream but it's actually vegan) -- but it's a bit more pricy than that. Soups range from $17 up for a 32-ounce container.
posted by virve at 3:17 PM on May 3, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions! The Whole Foods soups are pretty good once they're seasoned. I also ended up trying Jennie's Kitchen and love it soooo much.
posted by starlybri at 7:08 AM on June 22, 2023