Nothing beats the winter blues better than a steaming bowl of soup. Soup can warm your body up from the inside out while chasing a dreary winter day away. Soups are so versatile, whether as a lunchtime meal, a first course, an appetizer for a winter get-together or a self-contained dinner in a bread bowl; it is hard to imagine a more comforting addition to your day. The egg roll soup will clearly remind you of an egg roll in a “soupified” way. All your favorite ingredients are in a broth topped with crispy wonton strips. Bolognese soup starts with the aromatics, beef and pork simmered in wine and then thickened with cream before adding spaghetti; this is going to be a Bolognese lover's delight. Try serving it in a hollowed-out bread bowl. The creamy broccoli potato soup is perfect to serve on a cold winter night and will become a family pleaser for any midweek dinner. The chili soup recipe is a blend of spices and textures that are the ultimate comfort meal that can be customized with the addition of “you-choose toppings” of sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado slices, chips or cilantro. Meet the soup challenge this winter and get your ladle out to dish yourself up a hearty bowl of comfort! Happy New Year!

Egg Roll Soup

Ingredients
2 lb. ground pork, chicken, or turkey
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, thinly chopped
½ medium cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
½ small red cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. ginger, finely chopped
8 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sriracha

Garnishing and Toppings
1 tsp. sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. green onions (only green part), chopped
Sriracha, to taste
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers if wonton strips are desired
High smoke-point oil for frying

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add chopped onions and carrots and sauté for a few minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add in pork and start cooking the pork by breaking it with a wooden spoon, keeping it a bit chunky. Cook the pork till no longer pink. Add chopped ginger and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add chicken broth along with soy sauce, Hoisin sauce and Sriracha. Stir in chopped cabbage and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until carrots and cabbage are nice and tender. Stir in sesame oil until combined. Taste for seasonings like salt or soy sauce. Serve and garnish with sesame seeds, green onions and Sriracha.

To make homemade fried wonton strips, cut the egg roll wrappers into your desired size strip. Next, briefly fry (in your preferred high smoke-point oil) until golden and float on soup.
Serves 6

Bolognese Soup

  

     

Ingredients
4 ounce pancetta, chopped (bacon or salt pork may be substituted)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
½ tsp. black pepper
2 cups red wine
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Small piece Parmesan cheese rind
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups beef broth
5 oz. dried spaghetti, broken, or other pasta

In a 5- to 6-qt. Dutch oven cook and stir pancetta over medium-high heat 5 minutes or just until starting to brown. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add carrots and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Add ground meat and sausage. Sprinkle with pepper. Cook 9 minutes or until meat is browned, breaking up meat as it cooks; drain off fat. Add wine, scraping up any crusty brown bits. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until wine is reduced slightly. Stir in tomatoes and nutmeg; bring just to simmering. Add cheese rind; simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and cream. Bring to boiling; stir in spaghetti. Simmer 10 minutes more or until spaghetti is tender.
Serves 6

Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large white potato, cubed
8 cups broccoli florets and stems
salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a stockpot over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the melted butter until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add potato and broccoli stems; generously season with salt and pepper. Pour broth into potato mixture, cover, and simmer until potatoes are softened, about 10 minutes. Mix broccoli florets into soup and simmer until broccoli is tender, about 5 minutes. Blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; whisk flour, milk, and heavy cream into melted butter. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk milk mixture until bubbling and thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk thickened milk mixture into soup until incorporated; adjust salt and pepper. Tip: Remove a few broccoli florets before puréeing with an immersion blender, returning florets to soup before serving.
Serves 6

Chili Soup

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 cup frozen corn
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
Toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro
In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the pot. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and beef broth. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and black pepper. Stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add frozen corn and tomato paste. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Serve hot with desired toppings.
Serves 6