Homemade tomato soup always goes down well in our house, as does pumpkin soup made with curry powder and coconut milk.

Our winter just past I tried a new recipe, corn (and maybe bacon?) chowder which was also well received. I also made an accidental soup which I don’t think I can repeat, unfortunately- I tried what looked like a potentially nice recipe from the local paper, which was a sort of chick pea based vegetarian stew that turned out to be bland as bland, but there was a LOT left. Not to waste it, I added some vege stock, canned tomatoes and curry powder and it was delicious!

Plaza 3 Steak Soup (probably other versions in other areas) with ground steak and vegetables in a tomato base. But there may be lots of vegetable soups brought so I would go for something a bit different. There may be a lot of potato ones too. You don't want to be one of many -- LOL!

My favorite soups to make are chowder and mushroom.

Chowder is filling and flexible: can be clam, fish, shrimp; have more or less potato; I'd like to experiment with subbing turnip or rutabaga for the potato to make a "diet chowder".

Mushroom soup, at my house, is either a clear-ish broth with greens, sliced and browned mushrooms, and sliced or diced tomato, or a hearty mushroom barley, or a cream of mushroom. Either way, it starts with 3 lb of mushrooms to make the stock. There are so many varieties of mushroom to play with, as base or garnish.

The kids really like albondigas soup and potato leek soup. SWMBO loves making a lemon-tinged, chicken stock soup with orzo, this has a name that I can't remember right now, but she does not like the traditional chicken noodle or chicken rice soups.

About now I'm thinking wistfully about cold soups on hot afternoons. When will it be Vichysoisse and gazpacho time?

Two other dishes that might be considered sort-of soups, that I like to make, are ramen and congee.

I like to take soups that perhaps others may not make on their own. My favorites are

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Stilton and Leek

and Woodies delicious Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

Split pea with ham is always welcome in winter, as is beef and barley. A family favorite is something called Rusty Knife soup I clipped from a newspaper years ago - cannellini beans with sliced smoked sausage and fresh spinach or kale in a chicken or vegetable broth. You shmush up some of the beans to thicken and best served with some salsa or a dash of hot sauce. I also like spicy tortilla soup with chicken (and with assorted toppings, like you do for tacos) and Greek Avgolemono soup, a chicken, rice and egg soup that is heavily flavored with lemon juice - delish!! Both way better than any standard chicken noodle soup!

btw, Stilton and leek sounds wonderful....I might have to try that one :-)

I have a few soups banked in the freezer. I made a pot of Portuguese kale soup with linguicia, potatoes and kidney beans. I also make a vegetable beef soup using a couple of large beef shanks, celery, carrots, onions, cabbage and butter beans. My husband makes great chili. We also make fish chowder.

Every Halloween we host a "Soup Party." I make three different soups, or sometimes chili with two soups. This particular recipe has always been a hit. You can easily tweak it, such as using whatever meatballs you like or different veggies/beans. The cheese tortellini is good, but another pasta choice is also fine. Make this ahead for best flavor, but add the tortellini/pasta at the end.

Spinach Meatball Minestrone With Cheese Tortellini

Note: I often use Barilla's Three Cheese" dried tortellini (8.9 oz pkg.) for this. The amount to use is up to you; using the entire package may require more stock.

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef (can also use half ground beef/half sweet Italian sausage)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 T. minced onion
About 1/4 cup bread crumbs (fresh or dried)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry (use a potato ricer to squeeze out the liquid)
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. pepper (or to taste)

Combine and lightly mix well with your hands. Heat 2 T. olive oil in large soup pot. Make one bite-size patty and brown in olive oil till done. Taste for seasoning and correct rest of meatball mixture, if necessary. Form rest of mixture into bite-size (about 1") balls. Saute in soup pot until brown and done. Remove from pot; reserve pot.

Soup:
2 large carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 medium onion, chopped
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped
1 14- or 15-oz. can diced tomatoes and juice
1 15-oz. can kidney (or cannellini) beans, rinsed
8 cups beef stock (or more, if needed)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 to 1 whole pkg. (8.9 oz. size) Barilla's dried Three Cheese Tortellini (definitely preferable) OR refrigerated cheese tortellini (such as Buitoni)

For serving: freshly grated Parmesan and/or pesto.

Add carrots, celery, onion and zucchini to soup pot, adding more olive oil, if necessary. Saute until tender, scraping up any bits from meatballs. Add tomatoes, beans, 6 cups stock, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and meatballs. Stir and bring to low boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Stir in tortellini; you'll probably need to add more stock at this point. Bring to low boil and cook just until tortellini is done (al dente). Serve sprinkled with fresh Parmesan and/or dollop of pesto.

I make a bacon leek soup, where the leeks and bacon are roasted in the oven first, and then mixed with stock and spices using an immersion blender. Thai curry soup (my family loves this).

I made turkey bone broth a few weeks ago, and then made simple turkey vegetable soup from it. The bone broth makes all the difference. My husband frequently requests my seafood bisque.

A couple more good ones...Silver Palate's Potato Cheese Soup or Ina Garten's Corn Chowder.

Gardengal , here is the Stilton and Leek soup recipe. It is always a huge hit add very easy to make.

Potato Leek And Stilton Soup

1 Tbsp butter

1 shallot chopped finely

1 cup leeks thinly sliced ( I only use the white and a wee bit of the green)

1 cup potato diced

2 cups chicken stock

1 to 1 1/2 cups cream

salt and pepper to taste

pinch nutmeg

few drops lemon juice

2 oz Stilton or other blue cheese

Melt butter, add shallot and leek cooking until soft but not browned.

Heat the chicken stock and add to the leeks, add the potatoes. Cook until potatoes are just tender. Cool and puree in the food processor. Separately heat and reduce the cream. Stir in the blended leek mixture.

Bring to a gentle boil. Add seasonings and lemon juice.

Pour into bowls and top each with 1/2 ounce crumbled Stilton. ( I add the cheese to the actual soup with the lemon juice and seasonings then crumble a bit more on top)

I've had Chase's Roasted Red Pepper soup and it's amazing, and different from most other soups I've had, I heartily recommend that.

I also like leek and potato, so much that I can it when I have fresh leeks in the garden, but my all time favorite is beef and barley with mushrooms, I love the stuff.

Mother likes butternut squash soup and I often make a creamy chowder with the bits left over from cleaning and filleting salmon, that's too bad about the seafood ban. (sigh)

I do make corn chowder also, because I have corn in the freezer and the kids all like it, and surprisingly enough they all like broccoli and cheese soup too.

So, I guess it depends on who is coming to eat the soup. If it's the kids, then corn chowder and broccoli cheese. Elery likes anything with beans. Everyone will eat the barley soup except Mother, go figure. My brother likes chicken gnocchi and creamy soups like Jack's chicken and wild rice. I can't imagine anyone not like Chase's red pepper soup.

Annie

Nancy, I’d love the recipe for your ciopino soup? I’ve never made it so, I’d love a tried and true version. TIA

My specialties are roasted tomato basil, roasted red pepper and stone soup (i.e., everything that needs to be used up). The roasted ones are the only ones I use recipes for. :) Oh, and pumpkin.

Oh YAY! I'm saving this link! LOVE LOVE LOVE soup! My favorite for a crowd is Balnamoon Skink! It's basically a chicken/leek/potato soup, but you can't beat the name! I got it from an Irish cookbook my mom brought me from her trip to Ireland a zillion years ago! Happy souping!

I've always liked chowders. Just finished the last of a potato, mushroom and corn chowder I made the other day. For me, a chowder has to have thyme, parsley, and milk/cream.

Soups & stews always taste better the next day, IMO.

I have a couple of my own inventions I make regularly. One is a sort of 3 sisters stew: winter squash, tomatoes, peppers &/or chiles, onions, turkey or chicken thighs, corn, & lima beans, seasoned with cumin, garlic and oregano. Another is a lentil soup made with winter squash, celery, onions, red lentils and barley, seasoned with lots of curry powder. Can you tell I really like winter squash?

I wouldn't bring it to a potluck due to a lot of folks being scared of lentils, but I will add that I have just discovered the combination of red lentils and winter squash and I love it. Being vegetarian and also trying to stay away from eating a lot of dairy (for a whole host of reasons) it makes a creamy soup that is also a good source of protein. You can spice it however you like. Red lentils are a whole other game from the brown ones. Much milder and they seem to meld into things very well. And they don't diminish the color of the squash as much as other beans might, as long as you don't use too many.

"Balnamoon Skink"

Love that name, nancyjane!

FWIW, red lentils are split and have the skin removed - like split peas, which is why they cook up and break down very quickly, compared to regular lentils.

Another lover of Chase's Roasted Red Pepper soup. We have it once a month year round.

LoneJack, my chicken (or turkey) wild rice soup doesn't have as many ingredients as your link, but it is delicious!

3 ribs celery, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 onion, diced

1 shallot, diced

hot peppers of choice (serrano or jalapeno)

3-4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

chicken broth (about 4 cups)

@ 2 cups cooked wild rice

@ 1 cup cooked turkey

1/3 - 1/2 cup heavy cream

Saute veggies in butter. Add flour to make a light roux. Add broth, then rice and turkey, then cream.

I love to make soups. All kinds! For some reason, a Williamsburg Peanut Soup just popped into my head... something different for everyone to try. :)

Create your own recipe to be famous for. If I had to write down and create a specific recipe it would mostly be needed for a list of ingredients. So many need to know what is in a recipe, likes and dislikes and allergies. Or veg/meat preferences.

The soup I make 'famously' is more method than recipe. I have a shelf in the door of my upright freezer for fast soups. Straight from the freezer. No thawing needed. (we often cannot plan even the morning ahead)...if I'm home late, no at all hungry, DH is home early but famished....in the pot, 1/2hour, 45 min done. low simmer and ready when settled in after pup attention, laundry etc.

I try to keep 6-8 quarts at all times...down to two now. Neighbors, friends, co-workers, for illness, sadness, expecting mothers, a co-worker was due Jan 1 but delivered Dec 21. She was at work Dec 20th! . (healthy and beautiful baby)...saw her yesterday.

Take a good look at your two recipes you posted. Cioppino And potato leek.

Your Cioppino base stock/broth...use beef, veg,or chicken stock instead of fish/clam broth...easy on the tomato paste...I use a few soft sun-dried tomatoes. (garden harvest). Even good canned tins whole toms roasted..and roast your veg.

leek tops that are usually tossed or composted make a great stock ingredient. For us and my parents I freeze stocks and various grains, beans, and greens in smaller containers to mix-n-match.

I'm guessing these soups will be frozen?

The method I speak of is packing containers with greens first, fresh or blanched, then chilled cooked proteins, (chicken, ham, etc) then veg grains beans...veg sautéed in broth, room temp or chilled. Ladle veg/broth/stock over the greens/protein and freeze.

When reheating the greens will be the last to heat/thaw in the pot and never get overcooked like whole pot soups. Same with the previously cooked proteins. Upside down the broth/stock reheats first.

I just call it 'storm' soup as it is the easiest all-in-one meal during snow and power outages or just tired and overworked. Cheese, avocado, croutons, etc, just garnish if I have it.

Nancyofnc sleevendog......stone soup! Everyone bring an ingredient! Create a soup or 2!

I don't quite know how you would serve say a dozen soups. Curious. Nancy

When progressive dinners were the thing, and we were young and broke, we had soup progressives that were bring your own mug. ;)

I forgot to say, originally, that I'm willing to post recipes for the roasted red pepper, roasted tomato and pumpkin soups, if anyone wants them, but I think those have already been covered.

Sleevendog, I must try your freezing method! Recently, I was introduced to the whole idea of freezing soup in cylinders rather than flat pouches or rectangular containers, and for single portions it does work better on the quick thaw, and is so much easier to unpackage. I love the idea of the different layers for different soup elements thawing at different rates.

Fish soup!

Get 2 lbs white fish, whole,

6 carrots

1 celery stick

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 fennel

2 shallots

1 lemon

400g parmesan

Olive oil

A glass white wine

Parsley, salt and pepper

Cut up the veg

Cut the filets off the fish. Put the scraps in a pan with some oil and cook over high heat to get some colour. Add the onion garlic, shallots, parsley and lemon juice. Season and add the wine.

Add 2 litres water and cook 1 hour.

Remove fish scraps and add the celery fennel and carrot. Cook 15 minutes, add the fish and cook 15 more.

Sprinkle the parmesan on a sheet of parchment paper and cook in hot oven til coloured. Leave to cool, then break into shards.

catticusmockingbird - your chicken wild rice soup does look delish! It's not all that different from the one I posted. No mushrooms and a little heat from the peppers might be a nice change of pace. I might give it a try this winter. The groundhog said winter is almost over so I better get on the ball!

I only have one more 2 lb. bag of wild rice left. I buy it from the Mille Lacs band of the Ojibwe tribe in Minnesota when we visit my siblings in the summer. They have exclusive harvest rights around Mille Lacs lake.