The Best Soup Recipes Of 2021

From the most basic to the most complex, there's one thing that can be said about soup: Soup is comfort food. Whether your earliest memories including slurping down chicken noodle soup while sick or learning a cherished family recipe for pho or chicken and dumplings, soup is a dish we return to time and time again when we're in need of comfort, warmth, and delicious satisfaction. It's just a bonus that many soups are pretty easy to make and pretty healthy as well.

Often filled with vegetables and low on the carbs and convenient to whip up on a weekend for meal prep, soup ticks all the right boxes. But you can't eat the same soup every single time you get a craving, so Mashed's recipe writers have been hard at work, coming up with some delicious new soup recipes for you to try. Check out our best soup recipes of 2021 and start cooking, stat!

Unless you're just really into Italian food, you may not be familiar with cioppino soup. But while it looks Italian, sounds Italian, and tastes Italian ... this dish isn't Italian at all. In fact, it was invented in the 1800s in San Francisco to affordably use up unsold seafood and provide a filling, cheap dinner to the working classes. But this dish has gained status since it first arrived on the scene, and now it's considered a bit more high-class. You can still follow the old method of just throwing in whatever seafood you have in your fridge, but following our recipe will guarantee tasty results.

Remember the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when Charlie's mother cooks up some watery cabbage soup that's pretty much just a sad mix of water and cabbage? That scene may have turned you off cabbage soup for good as a child. However, it's time for you to rediscover cabbage soup and learn to love it — with our mouthwatering cabbage soup recipe. We're combining cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onion, fire-roasted tomatoes, and herbs for one hearty, nutritious, veggie-based soup that your family will rave about.

Ham is good. Beans are good. Add them together, and you get a delicious soup that's deceptively simple. Who knew so much flavor could come from such simple ingredients? If you've never cooked with a ham hock before, don't let our recipe scare you off just because it includes one. As chunky cuts of the pork leg, ham hocks are salted, smoked, and cured, and you can usually find them in the butcher section of your local grocery store.

Known as a soup with a bright red hue and an Eastern European heritage, borscht deserves a place on your rotation of soup recipes. Made with potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and, of course, beets, this fuchsia soup is best served with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill. While our recipe is vegetarian, you can also add pork sausage, bacon, or beef shank for an extra hit of flavor — you can also add beans for more veggie goodness.

Everyone has their own chili recipe, but we have a good feeling that you'll like our recipe quite a lot, primarily because it's as easy as throwing some ingredients in your slow cooker before a busy work day or on a weekend morning. Requiring only some ground beef or sausage (or turkey or chorizo or really any kind of ground meat), a few veggies, some cans of beans and tomatoes, and spices, this recipe comes together in minutes before simmering low and slow on your counter for four to eight hours.

But what about those days when you don't have four to eight hours to wait for your chili to cook in the slow cooker? On those days, you might want to consider our turkey chili recipe (though you could certainly switch out the turkey for another ground meat if turkey's not your preference). Coming together with minimal ingredients in under an hour, this chili is a great pick for blustery winter weeknights when you want something warm and comforting, but you don't want to stand over the stove for hours.

Yeah, Olive Garden didn't necessarily create zuppa toscana, but the Italian casual dining chain certainly helped introduce the delicious, savory soup to a whole new crowd of home cooks. If you have an Instant Pot, you can use our zuppa toscana recipe to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes flat. Toss together a simple salad, and you have a complete meal. Go ahead and open a bottle of wine while you're at it, too. After all, when in Rome and all that.

Do you or does someone in your household not quite care for veggies? This sneaky broccoli cheddar soup recipe delivers a hit of health with a mix of broccoli and carrots, but all you'll taste is the pure liquid gold, or rather, cheddar cheese. Creamy, dreamy, and oh-so-delicious, this soup is an easy way to get in a few veggie servings for the day without chomping down on any raw or just-plain-boring vegetables.

While soup is generally considered a fall and winter dish, this corn chowder recipe pulls its weight all year long. In the summer, farm-fresh corn makes for unbeatable flavors, while in the fall and winter, even frozen corn can be used to create this comforting dinner. Corn, potatoes, celery, cumin, and paprika come together for a savory, mildly spicy dish that's sure to please. Serve the soup on its own or with a side of crusty bread or a salad for a meal that's complete in under an hour.

If you love your local Chinese restaurant's egg drop soup but you're really racking up the Grubhub and DoorDash fees, consider making your own egg drop soup at home. It's definitely not as difficult as it sounds. Our recipe requires only minimal ingredients (chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, eggs, cornstarch, and scallions) and comes together in 30 minutes for a simple, savory soup in a snap. Make the recipe your own by topping your soup with a range of extra ingredients, from bok choy to broccoli.

Tomato soup is a childhood classic, but if you're looking to level up your tomato soup experience from a can of the condensed stuff from Campbell's, consider our more refined tomato soup recipe. You still get the creamy, simple texture of classic tomato soup but with upgraded flavors provided by onions, garlic, cumin, chili pepper flakes, and more. Serve it with a more refined grilled cheese (maybe some crusty French bread and some gruyere?), and you have one great, adult-approved comfort food meal.

Chicken and dumplings are a Southern favorite, but don't think that it takes a wealth of cooking know-how to come up with your own batch of this hearty, thick, stew-like soup. The dumplings may seem intimidating, but anyone can make them with a little work. Just remember — follow our recipe to the letter, and don't worry about overall appearance. This is rustic food that boasts big flavors, so it doesn't have to look the prettiest.

If you're not a huge fan of peas, you may think split pea soup isn't for you, but hold up. Split pea soup is not just a bowl of peas, and it certainly doesn't taste like only peas. Our recipe blends the split peas with carrots, celery, veggie stock, onions, garlic, and more for a homey, tasty soup that's not only delicious but also low-calorie and relatively high in fiber and protein. You'll never look at peas the same way again.

When you ask someone to list their favorite soups, you probably won't hear many people mention miso soup, but that's a sad fact. Miso soup deserves more widespread recognition. The strong umami flavors, delicate blend of ingredients, and gut-friendly properties make this Japanese soup one to try outside your favorite restaurant. Sure, it might require a little more chopping and an extra trip to your local international foods store, but the extra work is worth it. Our recipe shows you all the steps.

Another soup that gets most of its love in the restaurant rather than in the kitchen, pho (it's pronounced "fuh," people) is a soup you can easily make at home, no need to order take-out required. You just need to have the right ingredients on hand, some of which may be unfamiliar, but that can definitely level up your cooking. Our recipe breaks the process down into easy-to-follow instructions, so you're only about an hour and a half away from delicious homemade pho.

Regardless of what you think about gazpacho, this chilled Spanish soup is one that's an impressive addition to your recipe repertoire. A lovely way to still enjoy soup even when the temperature rises, gazpacho makes an impressive focal point for your spring and summertime spreads. Our recipe combines farm-fresh summer produce for a delicious soup that comes together in just three easy steps. All you need is an oven, blender, and refrigerator, and you're good to go.