There is something about the first truly chilly day that makes soup sound like exactly the right answer.
The grill gets used a little less. The slow cooker comes back out. Fresh bread suddenly feels like an essential grocery item. And dinner starts looking a whole lot better served in a big bowl.
Soup season is officially back at The Market.
If you are looking for fall soup recipes to add to your dinner rotation, we have three that are worth trying. One is creamy and comforting, one brings a little smoky heat, and one is hearty enough for the hungriest person at the table.
Best of all, you can find everything you need at your neighborhood Market.
Grab the big pot. Soup season is here.
1. Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
This is the soup for the first truly cold night of fall.
Tender chicken, pillowy gnocchi, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, Parmesan, and a creamy broth come together in one seriously comforting bowl. It feels a little more special than your usual weeknight soup without requiring an entire evening in the kitchen.
What You’ll Need
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
16 ounces potato gnocchi
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups fresh spinach
Salt and black pepper
Red pepper flakes, optional
How to Make It
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then cook the chicken until golden and cooked through. Remove it from the pot, chop or shred it, and set it aside.
In the same pot, sauté the onion until softened. Add the garlic and sun dried tomatoes and cook for another minute.
Pour in the chicken broth, add the Italian seasoning, and bring everything to a simmer. Add the gnocchi and cook according to the package directions.
Return the chicken to the pot, reduce the heat, and stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan, and spinach. Simmer gently until the spinach wilts and everything is warm and creamy.
Add red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.
Serve with crusty bread on the side, because leaving that creamy broth behind would be a shame.
2. Smoky Street Corn Chicken Chowder
If you are not quite ready to let go of summer corn, this one is for you.
Sweet corn meets smoky peppers, tender chicken, fresh lime, and cotija cheese in a creamy chowder that brings a little heat to soup season. It is colorful, hearty, and a fun change from the soups you make every fall.
What You’ll Need
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced, optional
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups corn, fresh, frozen, or canned and drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup heavy cream
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese, plus more for serving
Fresh cilantro
Salt and black pepper
How to Make It
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, poblano, and jalapeño and cook until softened.
Stir in the garlic, corn, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Cook for a few more minutes, allowing some of the corn to develop a little color.
Pour in the chicken broth and simmer for about 15 minutes.
For a thicker chowder, carefully remove about two cups of the soup, blend until smooth, and return it to the pot.
Add the shredded chicken and heavy cream and heat gently. Remove the pot from the heat before stirring in the lime juice and cotija cheese.
Top each bowl with extra corn, cotija, cilantro, and another squeeze of lime.
Short on time? Pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken and use it here. One less step between you and dinner.
3. French Onion Beef and Wild Rice Soup
This is the hearty one.
Caramelized onions, tender beef, mushrooms, and wild rice make it filling enough to stand on its own as dinner. Then toasted bread and melted Gruyère bring in everything you love about classic French onion soup.
If someone in your family claims soup is not a full meal, start here.
What You’ll Need
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 pound beef stew meat, cut into small pieces
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
3/4 cup wild rice blend
Salt and black pepper
Crusty bread
Gruyère or Swiss cheese
How to Make It
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot. Add the sliced onions and cook over low heat until they are deeply golden and caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Do not rush this part. Those caramelized onions are what give the soup its rich flavor.
Remove the onions temporarily and increase the heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then brown it in the same pot.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for several minutes. Return the onions to the pot, then add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and wild rice.
Cover and simmer until the beef is tender and the rice is cooked, about 45 to 60 minutes depending on the wild rice blend you use.
Ladle the soup into oven safe bowls, add toasted crusty bread, and top with Gruyère or Swiss cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
That is one bowl that can absolutely count as dinner.
Make Your Fall Soup Recipes Go Further
One of the best things about homemade soup is how much you can get out of one pot.
Make enough for tomorrow’s lunch, freeze an extra portion for a busy night, or serve the leftovers later in the week with fresh bread or a simple salad.
Before you shop, check the weekly deals at your nearest location to see what makes sense to build dinner around.
Chicken on special might mean Tuscan Chicken and Gnocchi Soup tonight, with enough left for another meal later in the week. A great buy on beef could move the French Onion Beef and Wild Rice Soup straight to the top of your list.
Use our Store Locator to find your neighborhood Market and see what is on special at your location before you make your grocery list.
A little planning can stretch your grocery budget and make the week ahead easier.
And a big pot of soup usually means one of our favorite things.
Tomorrow’s lunch is already handled.
Soup Season Starts at The Market
Cooler nights are here, and we are officially ready for the big pot to come back out.
Whether you start with creamy Tuscan chicken, smoky street corn chowder, or hearty French onion beef and wild rice, stop by your neighborhood Market for fresh produce, quality meats, dairy, cheese, pantry staples, fresh bread, and everything else you need to fill the pot.
Pick your soup. Grab some good bread. Find the biggest bowls in the cabinet.
Soup season is served.
