10 Fall Soups to Make at Home This Season, From Squash to Split Pea

Simple Pots of Soup for Cooler Days

The ten soups below are built on fall vegetables and pantry staples such as broth, canned beans, lentils, barley and canned tomatoes. Most cook in a single pot, and two go into a slow cooker in the morning and are ready by supper.

If you cook for one or two, plan on leftovers. FoodSafety.gov, the federal food safety site, says homemade soup keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and holds its best quality for 2 to 3 months in the freezer.

1. Butternut Squash Soup

A three-pound squash, peeled and cubed, cooks with onion, garlic, fresh sage, rosemary, a little grated ginger and olive oil. You soften the onion, add the squash, stir in the herbs, garlic and ginger, then pour in about 3 cups of vegetable broth and simmer until the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Blending it at the end makes it creamy without any cream.

It takes about 45 minutes, serves six and freezes well.

2. French Onion Soup

Three pounds of thinly sliced sweet or yellow onions cook slowly in butter and oil for 45 to 55 minutes until deep golden and almost jammy. That slow cooking gives the soup its sweetness. White wine, a little flour, six cups of beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaves follow, then about 30 minutes of simmering and a splash of dry sherry. To serve, top broiler-safe bowls with toasted baguette slices, Gruyère and Parmesan and broil them for 3 to 5 minutes.

Plan on about two hours. Chicken broth works in place of beef, and you can leave out the wine and sherry and add a tablespoon of lemon juice instead. Freeze the soup without the bread and cheese.

3. Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This slow-cooker supper takes about ten minutes to put together. Onion, carrots, celery, garlic, a cup of wild rice, bay leaves and dried thyme go into a 6-quart slow cooker, topped with about two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 10 cups of low-sodium chicken broth.

Cook it on low for 6 to 6 1/2 hours or on high for about 3 1/2 hours. Then shred the chicken with two forks, return it to the pot, remove the bay leaves and stir in fresh parsley. The recipe makes eight servings, so portion some into the freezer if your household is small.

4. Beef and Barley Soup

This one-pot soup uses beef chuck or another marbled stew meat, since a lean cut turns out dry. You brown the beef, stir in carrots, onion, celery and garlic, then add water, salt and bay leaves and simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once the meat is soft, pearl barley goes in for another 30 to 35 minutes. Beef stock can replace the water if you cut back on the salt.

Plan on a little over two hours, though a pressure cooker cuts the cooking time roughly in half. The soup freezes well, and two-cup containers let you thaw one portion at a time.

5. Potato Leek Soup

Leeks hide sand, so halve them lengthwise and rinse between the layers before chopping the white and light green parts. Cook them gently with garlic in butter for about 10 minutes, then add two pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, seven cups of chicken or vegetable broth, bay leaves and thyme. After about 15 minutes of simmering, remove the herbs, purée the soup and stir in a cup of heavy cream, or a little less for a lighter soup.

It takes about an hour. If you plan to freeze some, freeze it before adding the cream and stir the cream in when you reheat.

6. Split Pea Soup With Ham

Everything goes into a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker at once. That means a pound of dried green split peas, two cups of cubed cooked ham, onion, carrots, garlic, dried rosemary and thyme, plus a 32-ounce carton of reduced-sodium chicken broth and two cups of water. The peas need no soaking, and a reduced-sodium ham is another choice.

Allow about 15 minutes of preparation, then cook it on low for 8 to 10 hours, stirring a few times so nothing sticks. The soup freezes well. It thickens when chilled, so thin it with water or broth when reheating.

7. Lentil Soup

Onion, garlic, carrot and celery cook gently in olive oil for about 10 minutes, building a sweet base. Two cups of dried green or brown lentils go in with crushed tomatoes, six cups of low-sodium broth, cumin, coriander, paprika and bay leaves, all simmered in one pot for 35 to 40 minutes. Most lentils work, but skip the small dark French lentils, which hold their shape instead of softening.

A few pulses with a stick blender thicken it, and lemon zest and juice added at the end brighten it. Plan on about 55 minutes. The soup freezes well.

8. Minestrone

Onion, carrot, celery and tomato paste soften in olive oil for 7 to 10 minutes. Two cups of seasonal vegetables, such as potatoes, squash or green beans, go in with garlic, oregano and thyme, followed by a large can of diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, water and bay leaves. After 15 minutes of simmering, small pasta, a can of white beans and spinach or kale cook for about 20 minutes more, and a little lemon juice finishes the pot.

It takes a little over an hour and tastes even better the next day. The soup freezes well, but the pasta can soak up broth as it sits, so if you plan on leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it when serving.

9. Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This recipe is a lighter take on the usual version, with low-fat milk in place of cream and a little less cheese. Onion and garlic soften briefly in butter, then get a dusting of flour. Four cups of broth and four cups of low-fat milk go in with about five cups of small broccoli florets, salt, cayenne and nutmeg, and the pot simmers for about 15 minutes.

Shredded sharp cheddar stirred in at the end melts and thickens the soup. It comes out slightly brothy rather than thick, is ready in about 30 minutes and makes six servings.

10. Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup

This soup turns creamy without cream because one can of cannellini beans is blended with a cup of chicken broth before it goes in. Chopped bacon is crisped in a Dutch oven, then onion, carrot, celery, garlic and fresh rosemary cook in the drippings. The blended beans, two more cans of whole beans, a diced potato and the rest of the broth simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, and chopped kale goes in until wilted.

Parsley and grated Parmesan finish it. Great Northern beans can replace the cannellini, and curly kale works too. Total time is about 55 minutes, and the soup freezes well.