Soups and Stews

Ancho Chili Soup

Ancho Chili Soup

By Courtney HillOctober 8, 2018

Moroccan Beef and Chickpea Stew

Packed with vegetables and spices, a simple stew from Fes delivers riches of flavor

By J.M. HirschAugust 17, 2022

Spicy Red Lentil Stew with Coconut Milk and Spinach

“One of the best lentil soup recipes I’ve ever tried,” a reader writes about this lentil soup that mixes soothing coconut milk, woken up with spices, heat, and cut with lime.

Cape Malay Chicken Curry

Lemony and richly savory, Cape Malay curry is a chicken and vegetable one-pot from South Africa. Its ingredients are similar to those in Indian curries, but the techniques are different, creating a refreshingly light curry. Spices, for instance, aren'

By Diane UngerAugust 7, 2017

Green Pozole with Chicken

A reader favorite, one commenter writes that this pozole “has a ton of flavor for not much work, my kind of recipe.”

Tuscan Beef and Black Pepper Stew (Peposo alla Fornacina)

The simple, generously peppered beef stew known as peposo is said to have been created by 15th century kiln (fornacina) workers in Tuscany, Italy. Chianti is the best-known wine produced in that region and is the traditional choice for peposo, but any

By Diane UngerAugust 6, 2018

French Onion Soup

Is there such a thing as “light” French onion soup? The answer is an herbaceous, brothy bowl served to Chris Kimball at Bichettes in Paris. OR In Paris, we learned to make a light, bright French onion soup—the opposite of beef stock, soggy bread, and

By Courtney HillMarch 7, 2024

Somali Chicken Soup

This electric Somali-style chicken soup is heaped with fresh, crisp ingredients added at the end and spiked with hot sauce. OR. Warming spices, a cut of lime juice, and broth simmered in a pot-full of browned onions is our prescription for all ailment

By Diane UngerJanuary 8, 2018

Romanian Pork and White Bean Soup with Vinegar and Caraway (Ciorba de Porc)

This soup, called ciorbă de porc, was inspired by a recipe from “Carpathia: Food from the Heart of Romania” by Friend of Milk Street, Irina Georgescu. It’s a hearty, subtly smoky potful of pork and beans in a tomatoey broth scented with caraway and fi

By Diane UngerAugust 9, 2021

Peruvian Beef and Cilantro Stew

Seco de carne is a classic Peruvian meat and vegetable stew, and a perfect contender for cooking in an Instant Pot, either quickly under pressure or using the slow-cooker function. Fresh cilantro is a defining flavor of the dish. We blend an entire bu

By Calvin CoxSeptember 30, 2021

Red Lentil Soup

This simple yet robust soup is rich with butter and earthy paprika. Red lentils cook quickly and become creamy as they break down. The infused butter that's drizzled on at the end gives the soup a moderate heat; adjust it by reducing or increasing the

Georgian Chicken Soup (Chikhirtma)

This pearly Georgian chicken soup (chikhirtma) is incredibly satisfying to make—while relatively hands-off—with all of the components are built from scratch. OR Adapted from Darra Goldstein, this egg-and-flour-thickened Georgian chicken soup (chikhirt

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Niu rou mian, or beef noodle soup, is one of Taiwan’s signature dishes. Chuang Pao-hua, founder of the Chung-Hua Culinary Teaching Center, located in Taipei's Datong District, taught us how to make the hearty meal in a bowl the slow, labor-intensive t

By Diane UngerSeptember 8, 2018

Romanian-Style Potato and Sausage Soup

In Bucharest, Romania, at Bucataria Local Food, a restaurant owned by brothers Adrian and Gabriel Alexe, we tasted a broth containing aromatic vegetables, potatoes and a local smoked sausage called babic. The dish is one of countless types of borş, or

By Courtney HillMay 5, 2025

Coriander-Cumin Beef Stew with Lime

This hearty, fragrant stew is a simplified Instant Pot version of a recipe from Hawa Hassan. Large chunks of beef chuck are pressure-cooked or slow-cooked—depending on your preference—with aromatics, tomato paste and spices until the meat is tender; t

Portuguese-Style Pork, Bean and Collard Greens Stew

Feijoada à transmontana, a rustic, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs stew of beans, cabbage, sausage and multiple cuts of pork that originates from northeastern Portugal, was the inspiration for this Instant Pot easy meal. Kidney beans are traditional, but w

By Malcolm JacksonFebruary 1, 2023

Italian Farro and Vegetable Soup

Farro, a type of wheat, cooks up with chewy texture and a nutty, subtly sweet flavor. It’s an ideal grain for adding substance to brothy soups like this one. When shopping, look for semi-pearled farro—the grains have had some of the germ and brand rem

Polenta Soup with Kale and Parmesan

Soft polenta takes on a brothy quality in our take on comforting polentina alla toscana.

Peruvian Quinoa Stew with Queso Fresco

The Peruvian quinoa stew called quinua atamalada is thick and hearty and typically seasoned with aji amarillo, a yellow-orange chili widely used in Peruvian cuisine. For our version, we approximated aji amarillo’s flavor by using a yellow bell pepper

By Courtney HillApril 7, 2020

Persian Red Lentil and Potato Stew with Tomatoes and Lime

Dal adas is a vegetarian red lentil stew from southern Iran. The starting point for our recipe comes from “From a Persian Kitchen” by Atoosa Sepehr. To simplify the spicing, we use curry powder and supplement with a little ground cinnamon. And for bri

By Courtney HillAugust 9, 2021

Chicken Noodle Soup with Turmeric and Coconut Milk

The popular Burmese soup known as ohn no khao swe is a culinary melting pot featuring ingredients and influences from Burma’s neighbors, including chickpea flour, turmeric and ginger from India; coconut milk from Thailand; and noodles from China. This

By Laura RussellApril 25, 2023

Hand-Torn Noodle Turkey Soup

Korean-style hand-torn noodles add rustic, dumpling-like bits to this robust turkey soup that makes the most of holiday leftovers. The noodles are easy to make, no mixer or rolling pin needed. We brown the turkey bones to create broth with deep flavor

By Courtney HillNovember 25, 2024

Butter-Braised Tomato Soup

In “The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking,” Marcella Hazan shared her now-famous recipe for a sublimely delicious, remarkably simple sauce made with nothing more than tomatoes, onion and butter. This soup turns that sauce into a light meal. If you

Greek White Bean Soup (Fasolada)

Greece’s cold weather soups are designed to taste like a summer garden.

By Diane UngerOctober 8, 2018

Turkish Wedding Soup

Turkish wedding soup, called düğün çorbası, not to be mistaken for Turkish bride’s soup (ezorbelin çorbası), traditionally is served at weddings, but is an easy yet elegant meal for any occasion. This version is based on a recipe from Istanbul home co

By Rose HattabaughFebruary 21, 2023

Habanero-Onion Soup with Lime

This soup requires only a handful of ingredients but hits a wide range of flavor notes: savory, sweet, spicy, tangy and herbal. Habanero chilies are intensely spicy but also fruity. To achieve a soup with the right flavor but without scorching heat, w

By Elizabeth MindreauNovember 2, 2021

Kale and White Bean Soup

A leftover Parmesan rind and canned cannellini beans make for an extra-savory broth in one of our favorite crusty-bread soups.

White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale

This simple but satisfying one-pot meal is based on Azorean sopa de funcho, or fennel soup. Fresh Portuguese linguiça sausage lends meatiness as well as bit of spice; if it’s not available, Mexican chorizo works well in its place. We skipped the potat

By Courtney HillOctober 16, 2019

Pork and Red Chili Stew

This is a simple Mexican-inspired pork stew of earthy dried red chilies, sweet-tart tomatoes and warm spices. With a little cider vinegar to brighten up and balance the richness of the braise, the sauce echoes the flavor profile of classic Mexican ado

By Courtney HillFebruary 24, 2025

Mexican Chicken and Fideos Soup (Sopa de Pollo Con Fideos)

This comforting soup, based on Mexican sopa de pollo con fideos, consists of toasted noodles in a tomatoey broth, enhanced by tender chicken and quick-charred garlic, jalapeño and onion. In place of fideos—the short, skinny wheat-based pasta tradition

By Malcolm JacksonApril 25, 2023

Carrot-Lime Soup with Cilantro

This colorful, creamy, cream-free carrot soup injects autumnal sweetness with a jolt of spice, lime, and heat.

By Courtney HillJune 11, 2021

Spanish Lentil and Chorizo Soup

This flavorful soup is a lighter, fresher take on Spanish lentejas con chorizo, a thick lentil and chorizo stew. And thanks to canned lentils, it's quick to make. We liked smoked hot paprika here, but if you only have smoked sweet paprika, add ¼ teasp

By Courtney HillDecember 10, 2018

Pozole with Collard Greens

Traditional Mexican pozole is a hearty stew of pork and hominy (also called pozole) flavored with fresh or dried chilies. In this simpler, lighter version, collard greens stand in for the meat; cooking the puree of ancho chilies, tomatoes and onion el

By Courtney HillApril 13, 2020

Pozole Rojo with Chicken

A key ingredient in the hearty Mexican soup known as pozole is hominy, or dried corn kernels cooked in an alkali solution. Hominy has a satisfying and subtle chewiness and a mild sweetness. It's sold in cans, often in the Latin foods section of the su

Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorbă de Perișoare)

Ciorbă is a category of Romanian soups that can feature just about any type of meats and/or vegetables, but always has a tart, tangy flavor from an acidic ingredient, such as fermented wheat bran or vinegar. This simple, rustic meatball ciorbă is our

By Hisham Ali HassanMarch 27, 2025

Turkish-Style Chicken Soup with Yogurt, Chickpeas and Bulgur

There are many different versions of düğün çorbası, or Turkish wedding soup, and a good number of them are made with lamb. But a chicken-based recipe from “Anatolia” by Somer Sivrioglu and David Dale inspired this soup, which is rich and satisfying bu

By Courtney HillApril 6, 2021

Mexican Wedding Stew with Pork (Asado de Bodas)

This is our version of the traditional chili-rich Mexican stew prepared for special occasions. The ingredients vary by region, but to keep things simple we opted to use widely available ancho and guajillo chilies and cocoa powder instead of Mexican ch

By Diane UngerOctober 15, 2019

Umbrian Lentil Soup (Zuppa de Lenticchie)

In her kitchen in Perugia, Italy, home cook Silvia Buitoni taught us how to make brothy but hearty Umbrian lentil soup, or zuppa di lenticchie, a regional classic and a fine example of rustic Italian cooking. Of utmost importance, of course, are the l

By Diane UngerAugust 9, 2021

Lemony Lentil-Kale Soup with Sweet Potatoes

We use lemon two ways in this bright, lemony lentil kale soup, based on Lebanese soup adas bil hamod.

By Courtney HillDecember 17, 2019