I am Minnesotan through and through, and when the weather turns, I make soup AT LEAST 2-3 times per week. Not an exaggeration. I feel like my whole life has been preparing me for this series – and it has been exactly as fun, cozy, and delicious as I had imagined. My hope for the soup series was that it could be almost like a broad and exciting idea board for you – that as you approached the season and looked for new recipes to fill in your soup schedule (a slow food soup on the weekend, a quick soup for a weeknight), we could give you ideas or starting points from which you could take and build a soup that would perfectly fit YOUR moment. And so many of you have done that with this series. Hearing your stories of the soups you’re making, who or what you’re making them for, what you loved, what you changed, and how it made your day a little better – I LIVE FOR THIS. Thank you for cooking along with us through this series and letting us share these moments with you. Today we’re taking a look back at the series – its most memorable and delicious moments, a handful of your soup photos, and some of the things you’ve said about it. It’s like end of senior year slideshow… but for soups? Very normal.
Why The Soup Series Has Been So Great This Season
There are few things more fall-ish than returning from the apple orchard, tucking into your comfiest hoodie, opening the window, and starting up a big, bubbling pot of soup on the stove. Soup is one of those food groups – can we call it a food group? – that is just never wrong for fall in the Midwest. It makes for a perfect weekend project. It’s there for you on weeknights. It can compliment a holiday meal. You can go nutritious or indulgent with it, quick or slow-cooked, meaty or completely meatless. It can handle any ingredients you throw at it (looking at you, CSA vegetable overload!) and it can shape-shift easily to be exactly what you need (dairy free, gluten free, any other thing). It just doesn’t get any better than humble, friendly, works-for-everyone soup. Soup for prez!
Introducing: The Soupys
It’s time to review some series highlights and hand out some Soupy awards to some of our most-loved soups from The Soup Series! ❤️ Think the Academy Awards, or maybe better yet, the Dundees, but with no fashion blunders or Michael Scott moments. (But maybe we can all channel some Michael Scott with this. Would that really be so bad?) With that, here are some of our favorite highlights and notable mentions from the soup series.
🏆 Best Soup for Dippers 🏆
Did you expect anything less from our favorite Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup? Herby Italian sausage, kale, smoky paprika, creamy beans and potatoes, and a splash of cream. This is a must-make for soup season! And really, this is a soup made for dunking, scooping, just getting after it with any and all of the extras you can. You can use softer bread to sop up the broth, or crispier bread to scoop up the chunks… you can do it all with this one. Those peppery torn croutons on top are a match made in heaven.
🏆 Best Soup to Make You Love Mushrooms 🏆
It’s gotta be the Creamy Mushroom Soup! Earthy mushrooms, velvety broth, onions and shallots, plus splashes of white wine and cream to finish. The flavors are rich, complex, comforting, and delicate all at once – and the thinly sliced mushrooms make it a win with the mushroom texture being barely-there in all the right ways. It’s an otherworldly soup moment with this one!
🏆 Best Soup for Cozy Couch Weeknights 🏆
This Smoky Red Lentil Soup with Spinach is it! It’s ultra-creamy, totally vegan, and packed to the brim with veggies, red lentils, coconut milk, plus lots of spices. A total win for the coziest months of the year! I made this today – it is truly epic!! And making the broth is a MUST!!!. I could eat this EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!!! Thanks!
🏆 Best Fall Classic Soup 🏆
The Sunday Chili is here for you! It’s got all of the best ingredients – Beef, bacon, tomatoes, chopped veggies, beans, and spices. It’s a fall essential!
🏆 Best Show-Stopper Soup 🏆
Give it up for this Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and Rice! The flavor here is BIG and BOLD and there are not any sad feelings about any of it. A savory coconut creamy broth, swirls of chili oil floating on top, beautiful veg and cubes of flavor-soaked tofu, and a pile of steamy rice at your service, ma’ams and sirs. YUM! Thank you, friends, for letting us peek into your kitchens and see what you’ve been making. It’s a true joy for us to see you making Pinch of Yum recipes for yourself, your family, your friends, and your community. ❤️ Keep an eye on the blog for our next series announcement coming your way soon! You’re not going to want to miss this one. Think snowy days (maybe?), food shared with friends and family, cozy smells filling up your kitchen all day, and foods that hug your heart. EEEP! I’m buzzing. Stay tuned. PS. Need the complete list of all our soups from this series? Catch all of our soup recipes here!
