January is National Soup Month, and in the heart of winter, there’s just no better time to celebrate the cozy, restorative powers of a steaming hot bowl of soup. Here, I’ve gathered a few recommendations for seasonal soup recipes that fit perfectly into January, from hearty meals to healthier options to nourishing soups that help you feel better when the flu hits your household.
Hearty & Meal-Level Soups
Soup isn’t just a starter or a side dish. Some soups are made to be the main attraction at dinner, enjoyed with a side of buttery garlic bread or a nice green salad. These soups are the epitome of comfort food, created to ward off January’s bone-chilling cold.
When it comes to cooking beef, there's nothing quite like a long oven braise to coax every last morsel of flavor and texture from a simple cut of chuck. Here, a winter mix of vegetables benefits, too, as the whole thing simmers luxuriously in a red wine-infused broth.
This is an old family recipe, concocted by mom, adored by my sibs, and faithfully reproduced by yours truly. I just love this soup so much. It's got chicken and pasta and mushrooms and loads of chili seasonings. It's the soup I love to load up in a big mug and curl up on the couch with to rewatch a favorite movie.
I love turning things that aren't soup into soup, and one day in the kitchen, I decided this classic sandwich was prime for that transformation. Philly Cheesesteak Soup borrows all the favorite flavors of the famous steak sub — proteins and vegetables topped with lots of cheese and croutons — to create a crave-worthy soup that’s pure comfort food.
The Gilmore Girls made this old timey soup famous, and with good reason. Mock Turtle Soup is a hearty and unique addition to your winter soup repertoire. Ground beef or ground turkey provides the base for layers of complex flavors and textures. Easy preparation makes this a welcome item on the menu and your family will be treated to a rich, comforting bowl of soup.
Soup can absolutely be a part of January’s conscientious eating goals. Keep an eye on the salt, use lots of vegetables, and you’re on your way to a nourishing meal.
This soup version of shakshuka, plumped up with protein-packed lentils and lots of aromatic vegetables, is exactly what we need to reset from the holidays. And I have to say, an egg poached in tomatoes with a little feta cheese is just *muah*.
If you love brothy soups, there's nothing quite like a selection of wild mushrooms and fragrant aromatics simmered in a lovely miso broth. It's umami in a bowl.
This creamy, vegetable-heavy soup, inspired by the popular chicken version, throws a little bit of a curve ball to the usual soup-making process, using tortilla chips instead of traditional flat tortillas to thicken and flavor the soup. Bonus: It's the perfect canvas to let your toppings imagination run wild.
In my book, bean and lentil soups are the ultimate winter meals. They’re satisfying to make, and fill you up like no other dish can. Plus, they’re family- and budget-friendly.
This Ham and Bean Soup is an elite cozy meal. Smoky ham and white beans simmer for hours with aromatics, creating a thick, comforting bowl of goodness. Perfect for using up leftover ham or making a budget-friendly dinner.
Made with simple ingredients, including black beans, aromatic vegetables, zesty spices and a smoky ham hock, this splendid black bean soup simmers for hours to develop a rich and creamy texture, making it superb comfort food for a chilly evening.
Lightly creamy and scented with rosemary, this hearty bean soup makes a wonderful chill-chasing meal on winter evenings. It's quick to cook, make-ahead friendly, and stores great in the fridge for next-day lunches.
Cold weather calls for a really good soup, and this Rustic Lentil Soup delivers every time. The green lentils simmer with smoky bacon and savory sausage until they're perfectly tender, while potatoes add that creamy texture we all crave.
It probably goes without saying that soup was positively built to soothe and nourish, especially when the winter blahs knock us off our feet. Chicken soup for the body and soul!
The comforting power of pasta in soup is not to be underestimated! And it's why pastina, the soup, is nicknamed “Italian penicillin”: tiny pasta simmers with a few select veggies in chicken broth, for a thick and nourishing bowl of carby goodness.
As the name implies, I created this chicken soup specifically for when we're down and out with a raging cold. From nourishing ingredients like ginger, garlic, and lemongrass, to pearl couscous (no splish-splashy noodles), and, of course, the restorative power of chicken broth, this is the soup I turn to again and again when I feel something coming on. It's been my all-time most popular soup for over a decade.
Don't let the word “creamy” trip you up. This soup's base is thick and smooth, but that's thanks to creamed corn, which does not contain dairy. I made this soup for summer, but was so bowled over by its gentle, comforting goodness that I immediately earmarked it for the wintertime icks.
I hope you’ll try something from this list to make your January warm and inviting, as only soup can do. For more soup inspiration, please browse my entire collection of Soup Recipes.
