Super Soup Tips + Recipe Round Up

For our family winter means comfort food cravings are in high gear- and that means lots of soup. At least half our winter dinners are bowls of hearty, steaming soups and stews. So I’ve grown my soup making tips, techniques and repertoire over the years. Soups really have endless variety.

Soups are budget friendly vehicles for veggies, protein and help stretch meats in families where your kids (like my two teenage boys) can eat so much that we go through an entire chicken at every meal.

I’ve got some soup tips like making your own Stock, Blooming your Herbs, and making an Herb Sachet. These can all take your soups to the next level, and save you money along the way. I also link to all my favorite, modern homesteader approved (healthy + easy) soup recipes at the end.

Chicken Stock Recipe (for freezing)

Roast the Carcass First for Extra Flavor:
If you want a deeper, golden, restaurant-style flavor, roast the chicken carcass on a sheet pan at 400°F–450°F for 20–30 minutes until browned. Deglaze the roasting pan with a splash of hot water and scrape up the browned bits (“fond”) into your pot.
Combine in a Pot:
Place the chicken carcass into a large stockpot, Dutch oven, or crock pot. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, and peppercorns.
Add Water:
Pour in cold water until the bones and vegetables are completely submerged by about 2 inches.
Bring to a Boil and Skim:
Heat the pot over medium-high heat until it reaches a low boil. As it heats, foam, fat, and impurities (“scum”) will rise to the top; use a spoon or ladle to skim and discard them for a clearer stock.
Simmer Low and Slow:
On Stove: Reduce the heat to low so the liquid maintains a gentle, lazy simmer. Cover the pot partially with a lid and simmer for 3 to 4 hours (or up to 6–8 hours for maximum collagen extraction). Do not let it roll-boil, or the stock will turn cloudy.
In Stock Pot: leave on high for a few hours, then turn to low if leaving for the day or overnight.
Strain:
Remove the large bones and solids with tongs or a slotted spoon. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or secondary pot. Do not press down hard on the mushy vegetables, or it will cloud the stock.
Cool and Store:
Let the stock cool to room temperature. Refrigerate it for up to 3 to 4 days (you can skim the hardened layer of fat off the top once chilled) or freeze it in jars or freezer bags for up to 3 to 6 months.
Stock or Broth
Are they the same thing? This is a common question, with an answer of ‘not really, but…’
Broth is traditionally made with meat. Stock is made with bones. Also, Broth is usually seasoned, salted etc. more. If you’re buying from a store, I’d recommend stock because you can play with seasoning and sodium more.
But if you make your own you don’t have to play by the rules- just go for the most delicious liquid you can get from simmering whatever meat and bones and veg scraps (like carrot, onion, celery) you have and call it whatever you’d like. Usually I have a little meat left on a bone or carcass anyways, it all adds to the flavor.

I also make stock out of my ham bones. I have a detailed step by step in my Ham + Lentil Soup Recipe.

The one thing all my soups have in common is a LOT of veggies.

The only other meals that come close to the daring amounts of vegetables in my soups are stir fry or salad. And soups are simply more satisfying when the snow is deep and the nights are long.

I try to start with as many local ingredients as possible- the surest way to do this is by going to one of the many farmers markets, or even Winter Farmers Markets popping up- or grow surplus in the Summer garden to freeze or can for Winter use.

*Kid Tip*
The way I sell even the most vegified soup to my kids?? Pairing it with homemade biscuits/breads/grains + cheese. They will slurp every last drop to get another toasted cheesy anything!

My quitclaim; I am pretty bad at sticking to recipes. This is very possibly why I love making soup so much.

It’s like I get to play chemist with flavor layers. In my kitchen, a soup is never really ‘done’. I often add a few extra ingredients to a soup while heating it up for leftovers the next day. Ohh, I see you there garbanzos, leftover broccoli or peas.

Soups are massively forgiving and as simple or complex as you make them. You can feel in control of the outcome and learn so much about flavors as they mix and mingle in that big ole pot. I’m going to state loud and clear that I share RECIPE SUGGESTIONS, more than exact recipes.

Just like my vegetable garden plans (that I am knee deep in right about now) you might veer off course while you’re putting it together, but end up exactly where you were supposed to be when you dig in. Make soups your own!

Trust your soup gut.

Almost every single soup starts with lots of onions and garlic…

Super Soup Tips

Bloom Your Herbs

I’m going to share a little soup starting MAGIC: Sauté the onion/garlic/leek/scallion/scapes in plenty of fat (oil/butter/bacon fat etc.) then add dry herbs + spices to let them ‘bloom’ (I love that term for letting the spices come to their full potential) which deepens their flavors fast. Then add the other veggies, for a quick sizzle and spin with the oil and spices- then add your tomatoes and other liquids. This is typically an Indian cooking technique (ohh curry, how I love you) that truly adds oomph to any dish you’re making.

Use an Herb Sachet

If you want to add flavor but keep the broth clear, use an herb sachet. You can either make a small pouch or tie the herbs into a bundle with cotton or linen twine, (often called butcher’s twine), or use leaves of celery or leeks as a wrapper.

Aromatics & Herbs: Bay leaf, fresh thyme sprigs, rosemary, tarragon, marjoram, and parsley stems (use stems rather than leaves so they do not discolor or break down into the broth).
Spices: Whole black peppercorns, crushed garlic cloves.
Alternative: A bouquet garni wraps these herbs directly inside a folded leek leaf or celery stalk tied with kitchen twine.

How to Make and Use a Sachet

Cut the material: Lay out a square piece of clean cheesecloth or muslin.
Add ingredients: Place your herbs in the center.
Tie it up: Gather the corners of the cheesecloth and tie them tightly with kitchen twine, leaving a long tail of string you can anchor or hang over the edge of the soup pot.
Simmer and remove: Drop the sachet into the soup or stock while it cooks, then lift and discard the entire pouch before serving.

So once you get the basics down with my soup tips, the options are endless! Here are some of my tried and true favorites!