Quick Soup Recipes – NYT Cooking

You don’t have to stand over a simmering pot for hours to make a delicious, comforting soup. Each of these 18 recipes comes together in around 20 minutes, proving that you can have a quick and satisfying meal without sacrificing comfort or flavor. They’re perfect for busy weeknights, work-from-home lunches or anytime you want a cozy bowl without the wait.

Inspired by shin ramyun and kimchi soondubu jjigae, this single-serving recipe cooks ramen noodles in a fiery red broth of kimchi, gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce and gochugaru. To mitigate some heat, Ali Slagle adds soft or silken tofu and cracks an egg into the pot. And if you’re trying to eat more vegetables, throw in some leafy greens or broccoli.

Recipe: Kimchi Ramen

Sue Li’s recipe packs in protein two ways: ground chicken and quinoa. The soup gets its flavor from garlic, ginger, cumin, crushed red pepper and ground dark-meat chicken (versus a leaner breast meat). Frozen or fresh sliced mushrooms add an element of umami and a meaty texture.

Recipe: Chicken and Mushroom Soup With Spinach

Ali Slagle simplified the hearty Italian soup of pasta and beans we know and love. The key players are pantry standards: a can of tomatoes, two cans of white beans, chicken broth and short pasta. Her recipe skips the tedious steps of chopping and sautéing celery, onions and carrots and instead builds a savory base with bacon (or pancetta) and garlic.

Recipe: Quick Pasta e Fagioli

Sue Li recommends using a mandoline to speed up your prep and cook time, as thinly sliced vegetables soften quicker. Her recipe calls for half-and-half over heavy cream, which is a bit lighter but still adds richness to the broth. Top your chowder with crushed saltines toasted in butter and hot paprika.

Recipe: Quick Fish Chowder With Hot Butter Crackers

Kristina Felix’s quick version of sopa de fideo calls for star-shaped stelline, but you can use any cute pasta like pastina, anellini or alfabeto. The miniature noodles are toasted in oil before cooking in a tomato-enriched chicken broth. It’s simple and deeply comforting — the perfect thing to pack in a Thermos and take to school or work.

Recipe: Easy Tomato and Stars Soup

“This recipe really delivers — super comforting and delicious, while also very easy and quick to make when you really don’t feel like spending time cooking,” one reader wrote about Hetty Lui McKinnon’s vegetarian take on the Thai hot and sour soup. The addition of vermicelli and tofu is not traditional, but turns this dish into something substantial.

Recipe: Tom Yum Soup With Tofu and Vermicelli

Carolina Gelen’s zippy, one-pot recipe is inspired by the traditional Greek soup, but streamlined for busy (or tired) weeknights. She replaces the typical rice with store-bought gnocchi and uses rotisserie chicken. The soup gets it silky texture and bright flavor from whisking in egg yolks and lemon juice at the end.

Recipe: Avgolemono Chicken Soup With Gnocchi

“Gosh, just amazing,” one reader wrote about Cybelle Tondu’s recipe for this fast-cooking Chinese soup. The key to this dish is the harmony of textures: There’s velvety, ginger-infused broth, delicate egg ribbons, chewy shiitake mushrooms, silky tofu and pillowy ground beef.

Recipe: West Lake Beef Soup

For the chef Roy Choi, doctored instant ramen is a Korean American staple: “It’s our snack, it’s our peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it’s our bowl of cereal.” Something magical happens to the ramen noodles when you add butter, an egg and two slices of American cheese.

Recipe: Perfect Instant Ramen

This velvety soup is brought to you by Ali Slagle, queen of the one-pot recipe. Cocoa powder highlights the fudginess of the black beans, while salsa verde adds tartness. Turn leftover soup into refried beans, top them with a chile-fried egg and you’ve got a whole new meal with very little effort.

Recipe: Spicy Black Bean Soup

Slicing two shallots is the most difficult part of this easy meal from Carolina Gelen. Her no-fuss recipe leans on pantry ingredients like store-bought pesto and canned chickpeas. Baby spinach is added at the end for freshness.

Recipe: Pesto Chickpea Soup

Ali Slagle’s vegetarian red curry is spicy, creamy and customizable. Use any vegetables you like, but it’s nice to have one hearty vegetable (like sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower or winter squash) and one crisp one (like snow peas, bok choy, edamame or green beans) for a mix of textures.

Recipe: Thai-Inspired Coconut Curry Soup With Vegetables

“I had no idea that homemade wonton soup was so astronomically better than what you get at a restaurant. This recipe was a revelation for me!” one reader wrote about Genevieve Ko’s speedy recipe. Here, bok choy stands in for the usual gai lan or choy sum to lend some sweetness and color.

Recipe: Wonton Soup

This recipe is one of Nigella Lawson’s “regular near-instant meals,” and it’s easy to see why. Sliced scallions are sautéed in garlic oil, and then frozen peas and stock are added to the pan and cooked until tender. Once the mixture is no longer piping hot, transfer it to a blender with grated Parmesan cheese and purée until very smooth.

Recipe: Easy Pea Soup

Sue Li’s mushroom soup feels elegant enough for a date-night dinner at home, but comes together in less than half an hour. The broth is umami-packed with soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions and shiitakes. Top each bowl with a poached egg (which feels fancy but is easier than you think).

Recipe: Somen Noodle Soup With Mushrooms

Hetty Lui McKinnon took the sweet, tangy and savory elements of stir-fried tomato and egg, the beloved Chinese dish, and turned them into a soup. “Hit the salt-acid-heat scale perfectly,” one reader wrote. “Warming and satisfying.”

Recipe: Tofu and Tomato Egg Drop Soup

Store-bought gnocchi and rotisserie chicken shine in Alexa Weibel’s no-fuss chicken and dumplings-inspired soup. The ingredients simmer in a comforting broth of chicken stock and heavy cream seasoned with rosemary and thyme along with leeks, carrots and celery.

Recipe: Quick Chicken and Dumplings

Kay Chun’s gingery minestrone is super flexible. Swap green vegetables depending on what you have on hand and use whatever short pasta you like. The recipe calls for swirling pesto and Parmesan in at the end, but you could also finish the soup with tapenade, sour cream, ricotta or a splash of your favorite hot sauce. You do you.

Recipe: Spring Minestrone With Kale and Pasta

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