During the cold winter months, nothing beats a steaming bowl of flavourful soup. These hearty recipes are loaded with healthy vegetables and will be perfectly soothing for lunch or a light dinner. Simply add a few crackers or a slice of crusty bread and voila!


Chicken noodle soup
Chicken noodle soup is the perfect pick-me-up for any day of the week. Filled with hearty vegetables, warm broth and tender chicken, this is the perfect winter soup.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 shallots, finely diced

• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced

• 1 carrot, finely diced

• 2 scallions, finely sliced

• 2 cups of chicken stock

• 2 handfuls of egg noodles

• 1 small handful of fresh spinach

• 1 egg, beaten

• 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• Extra virgin olive oil

Directions
1 Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, and add the 2 bay leaves. Add the chicken.

2 In a separate saucepan on medium low heat, add a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the shallots, garlic and carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the scallions and chicken stock. Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the noodles. Cook according to package instructions.

3 Once the chicken is poached, remove from the water, and shred using a fork (discard the bay leaves). Season with salt and pepper and add to the chicken broth (about 2 minutes before the noodles are cooked). Add the spinach, the beaten egg and stir until the egg is cooked (about 1 minute). Add the Parmesan.

4 Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with crusty bread, a drizzle of olive oil and a little extra Parmesan.

Serves 4.
White BOWL, Indigo.

Roasted tomato soup
The secret to this soup is to slowly roast the tomatoes. While roasting, the tomatoes become wonderfully sweet and make the perfect soup. During the summertime, this soup is also delicious served cold.

Ingredients

• 15 tomatoes, quartered

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 2 shallots, diced

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of low sodium chicken stock

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• Olive oil

• Mini mozarella or bocconcini balls

• Fresh basil

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 375F. Place the quartered tomatoes and diced shallots in a bowl. Drizzle with 3 tbsp of olive oil, the dried oregano, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread out to create an even layer of tomatoes. If there are too many tomatoes to create one layer, use two baking sheets.

2 Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and fragrant. Set aside.

3 Bring 1 cup of chicken stock to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Set aside.

4 Add the tomatoes to a food processor and add 1/2 of the chicken broth. Pulse until smooth. Add the tomato paste and pulse again. Add up to 1/2 cup of chicken broth for a thinner consistency.

5 Serve immediately and garnish with a few mozarella balls and fresh basil.

Serves 4.
Squash and sweet potato soup
Adding crispy sage to this soup gives it a wonderfully flavourful crunch.

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

• 1 squash, seeded and cut in quarters

• 1 tbsp of brown sugar

• One 1/2inch slice of pancetta, diced

• 1/2 white onion, finely diced

• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped thyme

• 2 cups of chicken stock

• 10 sage leaves

• Olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and add the chopped sweet potato and quartered squash. Generously drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the squash and sweet potato are soft. Once cool enough to handle, use a spoon and scoop out the flesh of the squash. Reserve the squash and sweet potato.

2 In a large stockpot on medium heat, add the diced pancetta. Cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add a little olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped thyme and lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the squash and sweet potato pieces and top with the chicken stock. Add cold water  until the squash and sweet potato are just covered with liquid. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3 Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add a couple tablespoons of water if the soup is too thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

4 In a small saucepan, and a good drizzle of olive oil to fry the sage leaves. Place the leaves in the oil, and cook until the leaves are just crispy. Remove from the heat, place on paper towels to soak up excess fat, and serve on top of the soup, with a dollop of sour cream, yogurt or ricotta.

Serves 8.

Mushroom soup
This creamy soup will make any mushroom lover rejoice.  It's perfect using cremini mushrooms but don't hesitate to mix in any other wild mushrooms.

Ingredients

• One 1/4 inch slab of bacon, diced

• 1/2 onion, finely diced

• 4 finely chopped sprigs of thyme, stem discarded

• 4 cups of quartered cremini mushrooms

• 1-1/2 cups of low sodium chicken stock

• 1/4 cup of heavy cream

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• Fresh oregano or basil to garnish

Directions
1 Place a stockpot on medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the onions and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

2 Turn the heat back to medium and add the mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have slightly browned.

3 Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and and cook for 10 minutes.

4 Transfer to a food processor and pulse until the soup is smooth. Add a little water if you would like the soup to have a thinner consistency. Return to the pot and fold in the cream. Serve topped with fresh oregano or basil and a dollop of creme fraiche.

Serves 4.

Shrimp noodle soup
This noodle soup is flavoured with sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic and filled with bright green bok choy and flavourful shrimp.

Ingredients

• 4 baby bok choy

• 12 sugar snap peas

• 12 shrimp, peeled

• 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger

• 1 tbl of peanut (or canola) oil

• A pinch of dried chillies

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tsp of sesame oil

• 2 tsp of light soy sauce

• 2 spring onions, sliced

• 4 cups of low-sodium chicken stock

• Toasted sesame seeds

• 300 grams of dried udon noodles

Directions
1 Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Run them under cold water once cooked, and reserve.

2 In the meantime, add the bok choy (cut in half lengthwise) and the sugar snap peas to a pot of boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes. Shock the vegetables by placing them in ice cold water. This stops the cooking process and helps the vegetables maintain a nice green colour. Once the vegetables are cold, drain and remove excess water with paper towels.

3 Heat your wok to medium low heat. Add the peanut oil, ginger, garlic and dried chili. Stirfry for 2 minutes. Add the peeled shrimp. Once the shrimp starts to turn pink, add the vegetables, stirring constantly. Once the shrimp is entirely pink in colour add the noodles.

4 Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once the broth has come to a boil, add the soy sauce, sesame oil and spring onions and cook for another minute. Serve topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 4.

For more delicious combinations, check out the best homemade soup recipes.