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During the fall, nothing is better than a warm bowl of soup, a cozy blanket and a Halloween movie. The feeling of a delicious soup warming you from the inside out is simply unmatched. Soups can be a great side — pair it with a baguette, salad or sandwich for an easy and delicious meal — but it can also be a meal by itself — just throw in some protein and vegetables and you will be warm and full for the rest of the night.
I love how easy it is to make soup. Whether it’s throwing together some vegetables and broth or heating up a premade soup in the microwave, soup is one of the best and most reliable fall meals to stave off the fall chills. You can even meal-prep soup for the week to save time and have it to keep you warm for several days.
Soup offers benefits beyond its ability to warm you up on a fall day. It’s a great meal if you’re feeling under the weather, which often comes with the changing seasons. Soup also provides lots of nutrients for those who are on a budget — most premade grocery store soups are under $4 and contain vitamin- and antioxidant-rich vegetables. Finally, soup can help reduce anxiety and calm your nerves, which is helpful for midterm season.
However, the vast variety of soups can make it hard to decide what the best soups are and where to find them. While it’s hard to pick out my favorite soups, here are three of the soups that never fail to put a smile on my face and warm me up on a cold day.
Cauliflower Soup
Hear me out on this one before you automatically count out this soup because you see the word “cauliflower.” I, too, was initially skeptical of this soup because cauliflower and soup don’t sound like they would go well together, but as soon as I had my first bite, I was in heaven. This soup honestly tastes like a soup version of mashed potatoes — it is the coziest soup that will heal you of any daytime troubles or chills.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yields: 1 serving
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped cauliflower
⅓ cup chicken broth
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cream cheese
⅛ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 strips turkey bacon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place cauliflower into a medium pot, and add water until cauliflower is completely covered. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about five minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
- Drain the cauliflower and transfer to a medium saucepan. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper and other seasonings of choice. I personally like to add a dash of onion powder and cayenne pepper. Then, add in the chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Whisk in cream cheese until well combined. Simmer on low heat.
- Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey or regular bacon and fry until crisp.
- Chop turkey bacon into small pieces.
- Top soup with yogurt and bacon. Enjoy!
Trader Joe’s Autumnal Harvest Soup
Everyone knows that Trader Joe’s has the best fall products. From the pumpkin bread mix to the butternut squash mac and cheese, you truly cannot go wrong with any of their fall products. One of my favorites is the Autumnal Harvest Soup. It is simply the perfect mix of warm, cozy and delicious. This soup is a creamy, tomato-based soup with pumpkin and butternut squash, and it can be warmed up in the microwave in under five minutes. If you’d like the full “from scratch” experience, you can also heat up this seasonal soup on the stove. This is definitely a hearty and creamy soup that fills you up, unlike some other soups that always leave you wanting more.
As for pairings, a piping hot bowl of Autumnal Harvest Soup will go perfectly with some sliced baguette or whatever bread you have on hand. Bring your bowl outside and enjoy the dropping temperatures with a cup of apple cider — let the fall festivities begin!
Miso Soup
I genuinely think miso soup is one of my favorites. It’s perfect for any season and any time of day. I’ll admit that I’ve even eaten miso soup for breakfast in the winter, and it starts my day off on the right note. Another thing I love about miso soup is its reliability — I’ve rarely ever had bad miso soup, no matter where I’ve had it. From Asian Express to Ten, there are so many great restaurants around the University that will always deliver a great miso soup.
Your local grocery store certainly carries packs of ready-to-make miso soup that you can prepare in the comfort of your own kitchen. Using these packets, simply prepare the broth per the instructions on the back of the box, dice up some tofu cubes, finely chop up some green scallions and voilà.
Hopefully these soups will keep you cozy and ward off any fall chills. If you keep these ingredients and soups in your fridge you’ll always have a delicious and filling meal on hand.
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