What Soup Would You Like to Learn to Make This Week?

I'm convinced that there are two types of people in this world when it comes to soup-making. There are those that follow a recipe to the letter, and then those who toss stuff in a pot and turn on the heat hoping for the best. o matter which type of person you are, there are probably still one or two types of soup you'd like to take on — well good news, we're here to help!

In my own personal kitchen I am determined to learn to make my mother-in-law's corn chowder. Now although technically speaking it's a chowder and not a soup, by golly that's not stopping me. Even if I have to use storebought corn now while I wait for the summer crops to start pouring in, it's all I can think about (and dare I admit dream about).

What soup is calling your name? Is there something you'd like to try out but never found a perfect recipe to test out? Make sure you let us know in the comments below and we'll do our best to fulfill all requests during the week ahead. Make sure you bust out the crusty bread; it's going to be a delicious and heart-warming week of super-soups!

(Image: Flickr member peapodsquadmom licensed for use by Creative Commons)

Comments (63)

Chinese take-out style egg drop soup! I'd love to learn how to make a good (and hopefully gelatin free) version. I'm not talking nice, high street, delicate broth versions either. No no, only the gooey, yellow, high-salt type will millions of egg ribbons will do.

This recipe may be a good place to start!

Tonkatsu ramen soup! I love the insane amount of collagen in there. Perfect for a winter night.

Bouillabaisse! It terrifies me.

Vegetarian french onion soup, veg Italian meatball soup...basically veg versions of soups that traditionally are composed of meat-based broths and ingredients.

http://vegoutandabout.wordpress.com/

A Mexican restaurant in my neighborhood makes a soup called "xolchi" (sol-chee) that seems to be a standard Latin American soup with chicken, rice, onion and LOTS of cilantro, topped with avocado and served with fresh tortillas. It's a nice alternative to standard chicken noodle - but maybe because I'm a cilantro lover!

Web searches pretty much only bring up the restaurant that I've had it at. Perhaps the spelling and/or recipe are unique?

Cheddar Ale soup. I loved it when I lived in Michigan and would love to be able to make it myself.

I would love to make tortilla soup, and I like spicy. Also It would be nice corn soup.

Ohh and I am the kind of people who throws everything in the pot wishing for the best!

A REALLY good cheesy potato soup. I can never seem to get mine quite right.

When I visited Chicago last fall I ate a bowl of the best soup I've ever eaten. It was the Vegetables & Black Bean (woodland mushrooms, zucchini, potato-masa dumplings, black bean broth, greens, avacado, serrano chile) soup from XOCO, and I loved it so much that I took notes about what I tasted so that I could recreate it at home. Alas, I haven't had much luck.

Cream of garlic soup! With some nice crusty bread, I'd be in heaven!

KKeen - your soup sounds like something I make and call Caldo Tlalpeno. Here's a recipe, but, like any soup if one is so inclined, you can adapt it to your taste.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Caldo-Tlalpeno-13156

ANY soup! I've only made soup once and it had pasta in it. I didn't realize that you can't just leave a soup like that and it got all thick. And gross looking. I still ate leftovers (after adding some more water), but my husband refused. So any recipes that come with pictures that look delicious enough for me to want to try making soup again would be great!

I'd love to learn to use lentils in a soup or any soup that is low in sodium but high in flavor.

KKeen - you may be looking for a recipe for Caldo Xochitl (so-cheel). Here's one in spanish: http://cocina-mexico.com/sopas/CaldoXochitl.html
Essentially: boil a chicken in salted water. Shred the chicken when cooked. Divide into 4 bowls: add broth, chicken, a slice of serano chile, spring onion and cilantro.
Yum!

A good minestrone and chicken and dumplings (is that a soup?).

A good ramen.

I want to find a good tomato soup recipe -- one that would satisfy my girlfriend, who is a lifetime Campbell's eater (I'm trying to decrease our processed food eating).

I also want to find a good lentil soup recipe.

I concur on good ramen - how to make a delicious, rich dashi and maybe even how to make ramen noodles at home.

Oh my god, I would love to make (or just eat) the soup in the picture!! I love everything I see there.

I'm trying to find a recipe for minestrone that doesn't taste overwhelmingly of sour tomatoes. Or maybe I just need to cook a different vegetable soup.

I did not like tomato soup as a kid but I tried the cooks illustrated cream of tomato soup a couple of summers ago when we had an overabundance of tomatoes. I have been hooked ever since. This summer we made a base for the soup and froze individual portions. Now we just warm up a block and add cream and sherry for fabulous soup any time. Absolutely blissful with a grilled cheese sandwich.

One way we have improved our soups is to make our own broth. We save up bones from various meals and when there's enough we put them in a pot of water and let them simmer all day. Then the broth goes in the freezer until we need it. Did I mention we have a big freezer?

Dutch split pea soup: the original snert, solid enough that a poon can stand upright, with bacon, sausage and shank.....

.... with dark rye bread....

I can eat that all winter and most of summer....

Gulashsuppe the way it's made in Austrian restaurants in the winter. Never have gotten that one right.

I spent time in Morocco during Ramadan and we always had a spicy soup called Harira to break the fast! It was probably beef broth with tomato, chick peas, some noodles and LOTS of cilantro but I can't seem to make mine taste as good... It's still the only way I'll eat cilantro!

Something delicious, hearty, filling and healthy. Not cheeseburger soup. Nope. Totally not that.

@ CDBaker: This Bacon Lentils recipe is great and very easy. Just add a little more stock if you want it more soupy, or cook a little longer if you like a thicker soup. I've made it several times with red lentils.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/bacon-lentils-recipe/index.html

mulligatawny! i love indian flavors and would love to tackle it.

I agree with everyone who has said yes to ramen. And to learn to make the noodles would be awesome.

I would LOVE to know how to make a version of the amazing hot and sour soup from PF Chang's.

I'm also on board for the recipe for the corn chowder pictured in this article. :-)

I too would love to see the recipe for this corn chowder!!

Second the mulligatawny. Also the ramen.

Along the lines of Indian and vegetarian lentil soups, I'd love a good recipe for sambar. I've looked around the internet, but it's hard for me to tell which recipe of the thousands will be good.

I love a good bowl of sambar with any sort of dosa on a cold winter night. Great after a chilly, wet bike commute!

I'd love to know how to make a great beef barley soup. And a tortilla soup for sure!!

I second Cheddar Ale soup. I've tried once or twice but have not been able to get it right. Hope you guys can help!

Mulligatawny!! Please.

Nabeyaki udon and tempura soba! Two of my favorite soups.

Also, I would love to figure out a tomato soup that doesn't have cream. There was a restaurant in Kansas City that had the best tomato soup. It definitely had Italian flavors, no cream, but was very tomato-y (instead of a broth with tomatoes in it).

Any kind of low-to-no meat content slow-cooker soup, some with beans! I love beans.

Vegetarian Wonton

I concur with all calls for ramen. I've seen some great recipes, but I generally fall in the "hope for the best" soup-making camp. I dream of having an amazing ramen broth in my freezer that I can add noodles, meat, and veg to as needed.

I would love to be able to make the curried shrimp and roasted corn bisque that they have occasionally at Hale and Hearty

Omg, the soup in the picture looks amazing! I would love recipes on anything with the following main ingredients: cheese, potates, sour cream...mmm reading everyone's comments on Cheddar Ale, cheesy potato soup, yummm! (I always get baked potato soup at Claim Jumper, I can't deny my love for cheese + sour cream! )

African Chicken and Peanut! The perfect combination of spicy and comforting!

Making Knoephla tonight. I resolve to come up with a version that my husband and I will both love!

I'd love some ideas for thick vegetable based stews. I have a great beef stew recipe that I make for my family and I have a hard time replicating the thickness and texture in a veggie stew without things getting too tomato-ey or "cream-of-veggie"-ey.

Aladdin's Chicken LenChili.
I can make chili, I can make lentil soup, but I cannot - for the life of me - figure out what makes their combo so amazing.

Liver-Dumpling Soup like my German Grossmutter used to make.

by the way newsgirl2177... Melissa Clark has 2 fabuolous Red Lentil Soup recipes in her new cookbook In The Kitchen With A Good Appetite. They're both excellent.

broccoli cheese soup, potato soup and or corn chowder that are not laden down with dairy products. I made a potato soup once without dairy and it just didn't taste right.

I second the call for veg versions of traditionally meat-heavy soups. I'm particularly interested in Asian or Middle-Eastern soups, but really, I'll take anything.

Something with ham and the ham bone. I have a nice big ham bone with lots of pieces of ham still clinging. I've made potato soup twice...looking for something new. Thanks

I had an amazing mushroom bisque at a restaurant in Montgomery, Alabama, and I've been wanting to recreate it for years!

what about a butternut squash soup, or carrot? Some kinda of hearty 7/9 bean deal?

I love a good "rhode island/clear" chowder - but I'm on board with the raman.

I don't have a preference, but my honey says "...a spicy gumbo!"

I'd like to know what soup that is in the picture! It looks yummy :)

I second the nominations for ramen and African chicken-peanut soup -- it looked SO good on Top Chef a couple of weeks ago. As for tortilla soup, I heartily recommend the Cook's Illustrated recipe. It's time-consuming, but totally worth it.

I wanted to try out a lentil soup recipe from the December issue of bon appetit. I threw it together last night and it was fantastic! I modified it slightly only because I had a few extra things lying around, but I think it would be a great recipe as-is.

A hearty, authentic borscht with meat.

I absolutely second a version of PF Changs hot and sour soup - the one with the cherry tomatoes. What are those stubby noodles? Mmmmm!

Yes! Mulligatawny, I agree! And also that African peanut soup.

I'm seconding a good cream of garlic soup!

i like that picture, and i also really like the chicken enchilada soup at chillis (we served it at the cafe i worked at in college but i havent the first clue how to replicate it... anyone??)

Caldo Gallego!

Would love a good recipe for a spicy peanut soup!! I've had 2 versions at 2 different restaurants, neither of which I live close to anymore and I'd LOVE to be able to make some at home!!

I've been vegetarian for over 15 years, and the only food that continually tempts me back is clam chowder. I've tried my own variations, but if anyone has ever made a tasty vegetarian chowder besides corn, I'd be the first in line to try it myself!

Cheddar Broccoli soup and Cheddar Ale soup... I can never get cheese soups to work for me :-(