Friends, Romans, Countrymen; Lend me your Brothy Soup Recipes!
December 6, 2023 7:08 AM   Subscribe

I'm in a phase where I'm craving brothy soups. I'll make a pot and keep going back and eating it thoughout the day and night and it makes me very happy. I have a very limited repertoire in this area, and have stuck mainly to various versions of chicken soup, Tom Kha Gai (yet another version of chicken soup), my version of minestrone, and Miso soup base with a variety of add ins. When I'm feeling fancy I will also make Giadas Cioppino, but that's more rare. A whole bunch of snowflake food preferences within.

I don't really have any dietary restrictions, however there are things that I prefer not to eat. I'm also trying to stay strictly within the brothy set of soups, nothing heavy like chowders or creamy or starchy soups.

I like most vegetables quite a lot, with the exception of okra (I just can't figure it out), and prefer soups with more emphasis on vegetables, less on starches like noodles, rice, potatoes, or grains.
I love the flavors of Mexican, Thai, Italian cuisines the most, but like most other cuisines as well and am open to try anything flavor wise, even more chicken soups that I have yet to experience.
Chicken, fish, shellfish, and tofu are my preferred proteins.

Now the negatives:
I don't eat pork, but if it's a great recipe otherwise I can sub the pork out for something else.
I don't eat beef often, but if a recipe is really great, I'll give it a try.
I don't like beans at all with the exception of black beans and the occasional chickpea.
I also don't like lentils, but I do have a package of Italian lentils that people have told me I'll like for some reason and so I'd be happy to give them a try in your favorite brothy lentil soup recipe.

Soups I've shortlisted from previous asks: Sausage and lettuce soup, Ribollita without the bread, use some of the lentils in this greek soup, I Dream of Genie Soup, Vietnamese tofu and garlic chive, this salmon, kale, and coconut soup, and this onion soup. This is a great start but looking for more!

TIA, I'm souper looking forward to trying something new!
posted by newpotato to Food & Drink (31 answers total) 39 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: You might like Roberto, the soup.
posted by OrangeDisk at 7:15 AM on December 6, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I just made this Pork Meatball soup and it was easy and delicious, and my friends enjoyed it too. The recipe notes that if you don't eat pork, you can do ground chicken, turkey, or fish balls instead. Comments indicate that the ginger shouldn't be optional, so I will probably add it on my next attempt.
posted by PussKillian at 7:18 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Yi Jun Loh’s One-Pot Coconut Water ABC Soup is really cool. Loh's mom came up with the idea of using coconut water when one of her daughters went vegetarian and she couldn't use the more traditional Malaysian soup bases anymore. This is a very simple recipe, but you can always add tofu or other vegetables.
posted by FencingGal at 7:24 AM on December 6, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Half Baked Harvest's Chicken Tortilla soup converted me to Tortilla soup. All others I'd had were too bland. This one is quite good. If you want it brothier, just add a bit more, well, broth.
posted by hydra77 at 7:28 AM on December 6, 2023 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Also, this Hot and Sour Pot Sticker Soup is delicious and customizable to suit your tastes.
posted by hydra77 at 7:31 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I love this Turkey Soup with Lime and Chile. (I got the recipe from the NY Times. This is the same recipe, but not paywalled.) I have always left out the cinnamon because I don't feel like I'd like it in this soup. And I just put the turkey meat right into the stockpot at the end, instead of adding it to each individual bowl. The lime juice is the key element that makes this wonderful, so be generous with it.
posted by Redstart at 7:39 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I made a simple vegan brothy soup this week, starting with lightly frying one chopped white onion, two chopped carrots and a handful of chopped baby potatoes in oil, then blending 500ml (~17.5 fl oz) of vegan broth with a package of fresh parsley and a package of fresh dill. I added a can of chickpeas and a can of lentils (not necessary if you don't like them) and simmered the vegetables & legumes in the herby broth for half an hour or so. The only other seasonings I added were salt, lots of ground black pepper, and a dash of apple cider vinegar. It was very simple and delicious.

I also considered adding diced tofu or vegan lardons - both would be good but in the end I decided to keep it extremely simple.
posted by terretu at 7:40 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: My own particular version of scotch broth/cawl: lamb meat and broth, bit of tomato paste, onions and/or leeks, barley, and whatever root veg you like, turnips/swedes/carrots/parsnips all good. Plenty of salt and pepper. Doesn't really need any other spices as the ingredients are all fairly strong flavoured.
posted by Rhedyn at 7:52 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Do you make your own stock? I do so by saving all my veggie scraps (everything but cruciferous or beets) in the freezer then simmering them all in a large pot for an hour or two. If you eat poultry you can save the skin and bones too. If you don't have any fat, add a few tablespoons of a good rich fat like refined coconut oil. You can then freeze the broth in smaller portions for future use.

All your brothy soups get better with homemade stock!

Chu hou paste is another way to level up many Asian brothy soups. With that and homemade stock you can simmer any veggies you like with a bit of garlic and a grain or noodle if desired and have a pretty good easy soup!
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:03 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I'll recommend it here again: there's a series available on Netflix in the US (perhaps elsewhere) called Nation of Broth, all about Korean soups. 3, hour long episodes about soup. That old thread may also be inspiring if you haven't already seen it.

I also like to make Italian Wedding soup. You can make with whatever ground meat you'd like.
posted by paradeofblimps at 8:08 AM on December 6, 2023 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Lately I can't get enough of Chongqing Hot and Sour Glass Noodle Soup (Suan La Fen). Yes, it's a noodle soup but the pickled mustard really shines and I always add a healthy thwack of spinach and some halved cherry tomatoes to the final product for extra vegetable-ness.
posted by mezzanayne at 9:38 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: You can make an enormous difference to your standard bone broth and vegetables soup by simply changing the flavour with curry paste. Red curry paste is my favourite but the yellow curry paste you use to make Singapore curry noodles works well too.

South American: Use chili, some sweet peppers and serve with tortillas on the side. Slop some leftover salsa in it too.
Asian: Ginger, garlic and soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil.
European: Include some beets and some paprika.
Italian: Cut up a little bit of low fat sausage, add oregano and orzo
Scottish: Mutton, turnip and barley. Also includes carrot and onion.
Seafood: Some shrimp, clams, scallops and a tough white fish like Pollock.
Eternal: Mix your broths and randomize your vegetables: Combine turkey with beef, or chicken with mutton or pork - any combination.
Cock a leekie: Chicken soup with leeks
Squash soup: Start with a chicken broth, throw in veggies, at least as much squash as all the other veggies and puree before serving.

I am assuming you don't want to make milk chowders or cream of soups.

I find that peas and lentils work well if you throw a little in along with the bones when you start the cooking, and cook them until you can't find them. The vegetables go in when the lentils or peas are cooked enough to eat so that they are invisible by the time the vegetables are done. They will add to the heartiness of the soup and make the flavour profile more complex without giving you an overwhelming pulse or legume flavour. The more different types of vegetables the better.
posted by Jane the Brown at 9:42 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Italian Wedding Soup! Could probably be easily made with ground chicken or poultry if you'd prefer.
posted by Teadog at 9:51 AM on December 6, 2023


Best answer: One of my favorite brothy soups is this cabbage, sausage and potato soup. It is so hearty and comforting in the cold weather months. I have often swapped out the pork sausage for turkey kielbasa or different varieties of chicken sausages with great results.

Side note: if you're embracing brothiness, I highly recommend investing in an assortment of Better Than Bouillon. It's the next best thing to long simmered homemade broth. I love the chicken, garlic, mushroom, AND "not chicken"/vegan varieties so, so much.
posted by little mouth at 9:53 AM on December 6, 2023 [4 favorites]


Best answer: Sinigang! A delicious savory and sour filipino soup flavored with tamarind with a lot of veggies. Although pork sinigang is the most common version that comes up for me on google if I don't specify the type, there are lots of other versions, especially with seafood (and yes just get the knorr powder mix lol)
posted by wellifyouinsist at 10:10 AM on December 6, 2023 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Champon seems to always have way more ingredients than I personally find convenient, but I do like the soup broth part of this recipe. I think it'd taste good with pretty much anything in it.
posted by automatic cabinet at 10:26 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I love a black bean sweet potato kale soup. I wing it with the recipe, but this one looks about right. I don't usually bother with broth and instead sauté some carrots/peppers/celery up with the onions and garlic. Sometimes I'll through in a can of diced tomatoes with the water, too, if I want that tomato-y taste.

Minestrone is a great brothy soup with lots of variation. And while this recipe has lots of info on varying it to your taste, you can also use chickpeas instead of the beans listed and use canned if that fits into your cooking times better.
posted by carrioncomfort at 10:59 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I like this 'Hungarian' mushroom soup with the milk but without the sour cream.

I like this chicken leek soup but I leave the rice separate, or replace with noodles but keep those separate as well.

I made a soup recently that included soy sauce in the broth of a not-asian soup and it was a great way to add salt to my homemade chicken broth.
posted by vunder at 11:00 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: This is an old family favorite (although everyone seems to love it; it tastes like good stuffed cabbage). It's very filling and reheats well if you eat it over several days.

Cabbage Soup
3/4 head cabbage, chopped
6 c water
1 large onion, chopped
3 T sugar
1 T salt
pepper
dash allspice
1 bay leaf
2 T Worcestershire
1 lb ground beef (at least 85% lean)
2 6-oz cans tomato paste

Combine all ingredients except tomato paste in Dutch oven or soup pot. Bring to a boil; simmer one hour. Add tomato paste; simmer 15 minutes longer.

NB: We have tried making this soup with ground poultry instead of beef and It's Just Not The Same.
posted by DrGail at 11:30 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: This tuna kimchi jjigae recipe is delicious and can be made brothier if desired (I usually do).
posted by Lexica at 11:31 AM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I love soup!!!

For my regular soup, like not A Specific Dish but Just A Soup, my go-to formula is:
  • mirepoix/aromatic soup base: carrot, celery, and onion/shallot/leek, plus garlic. Also some herbs depending on your flavor profile. I always include a bay leaf or two.
  • Starch: either
    • one or more of the following: potato; sweet potato; bean of some kind; grain of some kind (barley, farro, rice, wild rice); small pasta (macaroni, orzo, penne, etc.) OR
    • combination of lots of root veg: more carrot, parsnip, celery root, rutabaga, turnip, whatever is on hand. This includes cubed squash like butternut, which is not a root veg but acts like one in this scenario.
    • EXCEPT: not beets -- that makes it not Just A Soup

  • Non-starchy veg
    • leafy: kale, cabbage, spinach, OR
    • broccoli, cauliflower

  • Optional ingredients: mushrooms; meat/tofu

  • Optional base flavor: tomatoes

  • Optional extras in small-ish amounts for flavor (select depending on your flavor profile & other ingredients): preserved lemon; canned chipotle (spicier than you'd think -- be careful!); fresh or dried chiles;
  • Garnishes: cheese; herbs; nuts; fried onions or shallots; croutons; chopped-up version of whatever green you used; chili oil or other flavored oil

Either starch or non-starchy veg should be dominant, but not both. So if your mirepoix is 1 part, by volume, I'd do 1 part starchy + 2 parts non-starchy, OR 2 parts starchy + 1 part non-starchy. Personally if I'm using meat I also do ~1 part meat, because I want it veg-forward too. But play with the proportions too!

Examples (all assume you are starting with mirepoix/aromatic soup base):
  • 2 parts potato + ≤1 part sausage + 1 part spinach = potato soup with greens & sausage
  • 2 parts kale + ≤1 part sausage + 1 part potato = kale soup with potato & sausage
  • 2 parts root veg/cubed squash + 1 part shredded kale/cabbage = root veg soup with greens
  • 2 parts cauliflower + 1 part leek = cauliflower leek soup, but not blended (serve garnished with some feta, cotija, or dry-ish chèvre?)
  • 2 parts chickpeas + 2 parts kale + leftover chicken + basil & oregano = vaguely Italian leftovers soup (optional inclusions: canned tomatoes; small pasta [macaroni, penne, etc.]). Garnish with fresh herbs and fresh-grated parmesan.
  • 1 part black beans + 1 part sweet potatoes + chorizo/soyrizo/leftover chicken + cumin/coriander = vaguely Mexican-flavored bean soup. Garnish with fresh cilantro and crema and/or cotija (or feta)
  • 1 part chickpeas + 1 part farro + 1 part leafy green + tomato base + basil/pesto = beans & greens & grains soup, Italian-ish
Here are some Specific Dishes that I haven't tried but that are on my list: (I have an NYT subscription; anybody should feel free to DM me and I can export specific recipes if you need them)

Tried and true recipes I return to frequently. Some of these are more stew-y or thicker, but you can just make them as brothy as you want them to be!
  • Posole, one of my favorite meals in the world! Can be complicated, but also you can fiddle and simplify and wing it and still end up with a delicious soup. I usually do a mashup of these recipes: posole rojo (with pork) and chipotle turkey posole (both are from Simply Recipes)
  • Beans & greens soup with salted yogurt and sizzled mint ("inspired by ash reshteh, a thick Iranian soup") -- calls for cranberry beans and lentils but you could just leave them out and do more chickpeas (Bon Appétit)
  • Bouillabaisse (Simply Recipes) -- tomato-based seafood stew. Can be complicated, but fun if you like a project, and delicious. Feel free to simplify (I don't always make the sauce rouille, for example).
  • Salmon chowder (Hunt, Gather, Cook) -- I have done this method, more or less, with different fishes, and it has worked great. Also I never make the broth, I just use my regular [homemade] chicken broth but a little less so it's not super chickeny.
And here's one of the first things my partner and I learned to cook when we were learning to cook, from Caprial's Bistro-Style Cuisine. I very loosely transcribed it into my recipe app, so, sorry about the non-detailed steps. I also just noticed it doesn't even mention the actual tortillas part. You can fry strips but I just use tortilla chips usually.

Caprial tortilla soup
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, halved seeded and diced (note: I never use fresh, just canned)
1/3 cup tomato puree
2 quarts chicken stock
1 tablespoon ground toasted cumin seed
2 teaspoons chile powder
2 teaspoons ground toasted coriander seeds
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
salt
pepper

1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
Saute onion and garlic
Add tomatoes and puree
Add stock and cook until toms cooked
Add spices and simmer for 15

Source: Caprial Pence



Other things to consider:
  • If you have a store with a cheese counter and can get parmesan rinds, toss one in the broth as you're cooking an Italian or French-ish flavor profile. Yum
  • As others have said, add a dollop of miso or curry paste even if you're not doing a Japanese or Thai soup ... it can work magic!
  • If you feel like something's missing from your almost-finished soup, try adding a bit more salt. Also consider trying adding (a bit at a time!!): fish sauce; lime or lemon juice, or a decent-quality vinegar; MSG (I'm not joking); smoked paprika. You can also put a ladleful of the soup in a separate dish and add just a teensy dash of these things, then taste-test, so you don't ruin the whole pot.
I feel like I'm forgetting a bajillion things. I just have a lot of thoughts about soup, I guess!!!
posted by librarina at 12:04 PM on December 6, 2023 [6 favorites]


Best answer: I can't find the recipe again, but I've made a brothy soup that I really like that is 1 can chickpeas, you can use the bean juice or not, as you prefer, 1 can chicken broth, some crushed garlic, and the juice of a lemon, plus a generous lemon peel. Simmer to blend the flavors. Finish with some fragrant olive oil, I think. I usually make it again as soon as I finish it because the flavor is unusual and I start craving it.

Homemade chicken or turkey broth is really delicious, so if you can get the remains of a bird, simmer it in lots of water. 1 rotisserie chicken makes @ 2 quarts of excellent broth. If you know how to make matzoh balls, they are quite nice, and not hard.

I've been making broth, adding any leftover chicken, sauteed onion, carrots, potato, cabbage, kale (frozen chopped kale is easy), a stick of cut, browned, choriizo or other spicy sausage, cooked white beans, and sauerkraut. plus Korean gochugaru or other chili pepper to taste. I think of it as Midwestern Hot & Sour Soup. Simmer until kale is quite tender.
or, the easier variation: Chicken Italian sausage, sliced & browned, carrots, potatoes, chicken broth, kale, again, simmering quite a while.
posted by theora55 at 2:00 PM on December 6, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Rick Bayless' Potato Crema with Mushrooms, Corn and Poblanos is really good. The smokiness of the poblanos is a nice pairing with the blended potato texture.

I love everything I've made from Chinese Cooking De-mystified, and have enjoyed their mustard green dishes previously - so while I haven't made this fish and pickled mustard greens soup, I think I'm adding it to my own weekend menu plan. I can also recommend their Egg Drop [anything] soup.
posted by SoundInhabitant at 2:34 PM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


[on edit, sorry I missed the disinterest in starchy chowders - still can recommend either of the Chinese soups]
posted by SoundInhabitant at 2:42 PM on December 6, 2023


Best answer: If you like Mexican flavours, you should make pozole. Brothy, great for winter, filling and does not contain beans.

Traditionally, it is made with pork, but you can definitely make it with chicken instead. You can find many recipes, but basically you want to cook some dried chiles in stock until they are very soft (mostly guajillos and some anchos, plus arbol if you want more spice), blend that up, then saute some onion and garlic. Throw it all together with some chicken (shredded rotisserie chicken is fine or any kind of leftover) and some pozole/hominy and cook for a bit.

Serve topped with your selection of sliced radish, shredded cabbage, ribbons of romaine lettuce, minced onion, lime, dried oregano (the Mexican kind if you can get it, but regular is fine), sour cream, tostadas or tortilla chips.
posted by ssg at 4:29 PM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Vietnamese canh, canh chua, canh chua cá
posted by eyeball at 9:11 PM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Brothy, Mexican flavors, sublime. Caldo de Albondigas.

https://www.copymethat.com/r/OyUCRARLC/caldo-de-albondigas-meatball-soup/
posted by Pantengliopoli at 10:03 PM on December 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: OrangeDisk: Roberto was already on my list to try, I forgot to mark it down!

SaltySalticid and little mouth; I do make my own stocks when time allows. I get a rotisserie chicken about once a week and use that as a base mostly. I also have almost every version of Better than Bouillon to use in pinch. I go through many jars of the roasted veg, chicken, and vegetarian chicken. I even have the roasted garlic and sauteed onion ones when I'm feeling extraordinarily lazy and can't be bothered to saute up my own alliums. I'm about to try the Adobo and Sofrito ones as well.

librarina; omg thank you for your extensive response, lots of good info for me to look into there!

theora55: I love the simplicity of your soup, do you think it would work subbing out half the chickpeas with carrots and zucchini or green squash?

ssg: The only time I made pozole it was heartier than what I'm looking for, but your comment inspired me to do a brothy version with the hominy I have left-so thank you!


I've marked all best answer because I've now got enough soup recipes and inspirations to last me all winter-I'm very excited and can't wait to get cooking!
I know already which ones I want to try first (looking at you Vietnamese canh, cabbage soup, and Roberto, the soup), I knew mefites would come through, thank you all!
posted by newpotato at 1:51 AM on December 7, 2023 [2 favorites]


Weirdly, my answer is entirely pulled from 1990s vegetarian cookbooks, so I guess soup is a nostalgic thing!

The mushroom soup recipe linked below is the best mushroom soup recipe I've ever experienced. When my dad makes it, it's pretty brothy. When I last made it, as written, it was more like a stew, so I think you may want to increase the stock beyond what the recipe calls for. It's a little bit of a project but very worth it.

Make this mushroom stock first, then use it to make this mushroom soup. The recipe is from Fields of Greens if you happen to have the book kicking around or want more from the authors.

I also really like Deborah Madison's butternut squash & tofu stew (random blog link but it's from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone). I make it brothier than she calls for and it's really delicious for being such an easy recipe. You'll see it's very much in the "white person in the 90s interprets Thai food" genre, which, as a vegetarian who learned to cook in the 90s, is kind of nostalgic for me, but ymmv.
posted by snaw at 3:17 AM on December 7, 2023


Mexican Zuchinni Soup very quick and easy. I haven't made it in years but your question reminded me of it and made me want to find the recipe again.
posted by BoscosMom at 8:57 AM on December 7, 2023


Another hot and sour option, this recipe is easy: Hot and Sour Soup with Tofu. I recommend adding dried shitake mushrooms. Soak in warm water for 30 min, use the soaking liquid for part of the veg broth, discard the stems and slice the caps thinly to go in to the soup.
posted by Lookinguppy at 9:13 AM on December 12, 2023


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