Today I’ll continue my recap of previous posts featuring some of my favorite soups, stews, chilis and chowders. There’s nothing like a nice bowl of comforting soup to take the chill off of your day and put a smile on your face! This particular group of hot soups—the chunky—seems quite timely as our winter temperatures are feeling a bit more seasonal this weekend. I hope you’ll find a bowl of goodness here that you’d like to try. Be sure to click on the name of the soup for a link to its recipe.

Moving on from the puréed world, this first soup is creamy, hearty comfort in a bowl. Chicken, Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup has a touch of comforting cream in it and really is just what the doctor ordered along with this next soup below…

Home-styled comfort from the cold…or a cold!

The classic, clear broth Betsy’s Cure-All Chicken Noodle Soup is exactly what you’re looking for when you need a lift of spirit or body. If you want a great chicken noodle soup with restorative power, you can’t get much better than this one.

This Black Eyed Pea and Collards Soup was created as my way to combine two of my favorite New Year’s food traditions into one dish. But don’t wait until New Year’s Day to try this one. It’s a healthy bowl that fits the bill any time, and especially when collards are at their peak.

Veddy Veggie Soup is a rustic winter vegetable soup full of fresh herbs and a warming secret spice. This is one I developed over many years and it is a perennial favorite. You can use rich, homemade chicken stock, or a vegetable stock for a pure vegetarian/vegan soup. Either way, it’s a winner that freezes beautifully, too.

Add your liquid to the veg, bring to a boil, add the pasta, the finish with meatballs and greens. Absolutely delicious and fit for a wedding of any kind!

In this slightly different take on Ina Garten’s version of this soup by the same name, Italian Wedding Soup is made with wonderfully flavorful chicken sausage meatballs, vegetables, and orzo pasta, is finished with arugula stirred in and then topped with more parmesan cheese. I made this with a dear friend while visiting her in Virginia, and I now think of it as  “Virginia Friend’s Soup.” Whatever you want to call it, it is a special soup worthy of any special occasion.

An awaiting bowl of warm happiness on a cold winter’s night.

Speaking of old friends, this soup was inspired by one. Betsy’s Split Pea Soup with Ham has a story behind it and is an interesting twist on an old favorite. If you like split pea soup, you’ll love this one! And don’t skip the crouton, which adds a lovely texture as well as taste to this rich soup.

Mmmmm. Is there anything chicken stew can’t do?

Chicken and Black Bean Stew. This is the one I make year after year and I never get tired of it. It comes together quickly so it’s perfect to make on a weeknight, it freezes beautifully and it is oh-so-satisfying. I have some in the freezer right now!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve yet to meet a curry I didn’t like. Curries are so exotic, so transformative and so mysterious with their deep spice and depth of flavor. This Curried and Spiced Lentil Stew is my “ode” to curry. It’s a warming stew that contains a lot of my favorite ingredients from curry dishes including lentils, potatoes, tomato and spinach, and it has just a little kick of fresh ginger, too. This stew is the spice of life, I’m telling you!