30 Best Soup Recipes

There are several ways to thicken soup. A common way is to add a thickener, such as a tablespoon or two of cornstarch, arrowroot powder, or flour mixed with water (called a slurry) and then added to the soup near the end of the cooking time. Once the soup boils, the thickener starts to kick in. 

Another way to thicken soup is to puree some or all of the soup. This technique works well for soups that have starchy ingredients, such as beans or potatoes. The soup (or a portion of it) can be pureed using an immersion blender right in the pot or crockpot, or by transferring it to a blender. 

And another way to thicken soup is to use less liquid (for a thick, chunky soup) or to let a lot of the liquid simmer down and evaporate over the cooking time.

Achieve creamy, non-dairy soups by using coconut milk in place of cream, or by pureeing some of the ingredients. This works well with potato soup, cauliflower soups, and soups with beans.

You can “fancy up” almost any soup with some pretty garnishes. But some less rustic and more luxurious soups are typically pureed smooth soups. Think of options such as butternut squash soup, pumpkin soup, split pea soup, or cream of mushroom soup. Also, brothy soups with high-end proteins and ingredients, such as seafood bisque, roasted garlic soup, pho, miso soup, clam chowder, cioppino, tortellini soup, and pasta e fagioli would qualify. Also, consider French onion soup and some versions of ramen to be fancy, luxury soups.