Sure, the temps are climbing here in Texas, but the beginning of my third trimester of this pregnancy has me craving soup like nothing else. Luckily, Mr. Cotton Candy will eat soup anytime, so long as it doesn’t have cheese. (Side note: I will never get over the fact that he hates cheese. It just does not compute.) I’ve been trying a few new soup recipes out lately, and these are some of the best ones that my family has enjoyed. Plus, see below for the best garlic bread recipe of all time—my book club has been making it for years, and it’s always a hit.

thai shrimp soup

1. Thai Shrimp Soup (via Damn Delicious). I discovered this little gem of a recipe through Pinterest. Made it for my fam, and they loved it. Even Little Cotton Candy ate a few bites, and he normally doesn’t eat what we are having for dinner. However, I think it was this meal that led to his discovery of what “meat” is. (Were these real shrimps?)

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked rice (any kind)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoon red curry paste
  • 2 (12-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook rice according to package instructions and set aside. Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add shrimp, salt, and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper to the stockpot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in curry paste until well combined, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in coconut milk and vegetable stock, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in rice, shrimp, lime juice and cilantro.

2. Panera’s Turkey Chili Copycat Recipe (adapted from Triplo G Italian Kitchen). I wanted to find a new turkey chili recipe, and since I love Panera, I decided to try theirs. I adapted this recipe by switching out the shredded turkey for ground turkey, as that is what I had on hand. I also left out the edamame because that’s a rather expensive ingredient and I didn’t think it was necessary. I finished it off by topping with sliced avocados and full fat Greek yogurt. Yum!

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds ground turkey
  • 2 medium sweet onions
  • 2 carrots
  • 4 celery stalks
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 28 oz. pureed tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 1-2 Tbsp. chili power
  • 1-2 Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 1 16 oz. can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup corn
  • 1 16 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 32 oz. vegetable stock
Directions:

Chop onions, celery, and carrots and add to Dutch oven or stockpot. Add olive oil and minced garlic, and saute over low-medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, red pepper, and Italian seasoning. Saute another two minutes. Start with the lower amounts and add more according to taste and spice level desired. Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey. Add turkey, pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock to pot. Stir well and simmer for 30 minutes. Add beans and corn. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Add toppings and serve.

3. Tamale Soup. This is a soup recipe that I got from my mother-in-law. It’s super easy, as it’s really just a bunch of cans of things (as well as the star ingredient: packaged tamales) combined together into a big pot. We love to eat it ourselves, but it also makes a great recipe that we take to friends after they have a new baby and need some go-to freezer meals. If your grocery store sells packages of fresh tamales, you’re in luck—you can grab a package of whatever kind of tamales you like (I am partial to pork), chop them up, and add them directly to your soup.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
  • Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
  • 2 15-oz. cans pinto beans, undrained
  • 1 16-oz. can yellow corn
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 package tamales from grocery store, chopped into roughly 1-inch pieces

Directions:

In a large cooking pot, brown the ground beef with the onions and bell pepper, and season to taste with salt and pepper; if necessary, drain excess fat. Add remaining ingredients, except the tamales, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Gently stir in the cut-up tamales and heat just to a boil. Serve.

4. Creamy Tomato Basil Soup. When I was in law school, I got obsessed with a creamy tomato basil soup that our cafe served. I tried multiple recipes at home in an attempt to recreate it, and the one below is the closest I got. Unfortunately, Mr. Cotton Candy doesn’t like creamy soups, so he won’t eat it, but it’s still one of my faves (and it is so freaking easy to make!).

Ingredients:

  • 2 14.5-oz. cans Italian-style tomatoes
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 small carrot
  • ½ tsp. thyme
  • ½ tsp. dried basil
  • ½ tsp. parsley (for garnish)
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • ½ pint heavy whipping cream
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Dice carrot and onion, and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft. Add tomatoes, basil, and thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Blend in blender until smooth. Put back in pot and add whipping cream. Heat. Add parsley to garnish.

italian wedding soup

5. Italian Wedding Soup (via Blue Apron). Did you know that you can access Blue Apron’s recipes for free on their website, even if you don’t have an account with them? We love to get Blue Apron from time to time as a splurge, but it doesn’t normally fit into our budget. The Italian Wedding Soup recipe is one we have made through Blue Apron, and also again after purchasing the ingredients ourselves. Both times it was excellent and will continue to be a family favorite.

Ingredients:

  • 10 oz. ground pork
  • ½ cup semi-pearled khorasan wheat (we substituted quinoa when we made this with our own ingredients)
  • 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 yellow onion
  • ½ bunch collard greens
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp. pork meatball spice blend (ground fennel seeds & ground dried oregano)

Directions:

Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Once boiling, add the khorasan wheat (or grain of your choice) and cook, according to package directions. Reserving 2¼ cups of the cooking water, drain thoroughly. While the grain cooks, wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and medium dice the carrot. Peel and small dice the onion. Medium dice the celery. Peel and mince the garlic. Remove and discard the collard green stems; roughly chop the leaves.

While the grain continues to cook, in a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, spice blend, half the cheese, and the crushed red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Gently mix until just combined. Using your hands, form the mixture into 12-14 equal-sized meatballs; transfer to a plate. In a large, high-sided pan (or pot), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside in a warm place. Add the carrot, onion, celery, and garlic to the pan of reserved fond; season with salt and pepper. (If the pan seems dry, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.) Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, 4-6 minutes, or until slightly softened and fragrant.

Add the collard greens, diced tomatoes, browned meatballs, cooked grain and reserved grain-cooking water to the pan; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, cook, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced in volume by about ¼ and the meatballs are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the finished soup between 2 bowls. Garnish with the remaining cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

6. Gorgonzola Garlic Bread (via Thibeault’s Table).

This is seriously the best garlic bread of all time, and it goes well with lots of different soups. And yes it has gobs of cheese, so Mr. Cotton Candy won’t eat it. More for me!

Ingredients:

  • long loaf of Italian bread or French bread
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese
  • 1 to 2 cloves garlic
  • parsley
  • salt
  • pepper
  • fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • Optional: basil or oregano

Directions:

Cream the butter with the Gorgonzola cheese using a mixer. Mince your garlic and add to the cheese mixture. Add chopped parsley, and season with salt and pepper. (If using the basil or the oregano, add that now.) Leave the loaf whole, but cut slices so that the loaf stays together. Spread the cheese mixture in between each slice and reshape the loaf. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with Parmesan cheese and wrap in foil. Place in 400°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes and serve hot.

That’s it! I hope you enjoy some of these recipes. If soup in summer doesn’t sound good to you, feel free to bookmark and save for colder days!