Now it's soup weather. Try these 4 easy recipes

The extended stretch of warm weather has its benefits, including more patio time and a grace period for finishing those outdoor chores we've been putting off. There are downsides, too, and chief among them, at least in the kitchen, is a delay in soup season. It just didn't seem right to simmer and slurp when it's sunny and 80 degrees.

But with forecast highs starting to dip, and our Dutch ovens and slow cookers continuing to beckon, we're finally declaring it soup season. And thanks to new cookbooks, we have fresh recipes to mark our foray into fall.

Bestselling author Julia Turshen's "What Goes With What" encourages cooks to be creative, providing tips and building blocks to guide them. Her Minestrone-ish recipe is a safe place to start, and the book is a hit for both beginners who are just starting to explore, and those who want to level up their culinary skills.

Those familiar with the website RecipeTinEats know its founder, Nagi Maehashi. Her commitment to easy meals extends to her latest venture, "Delicious Tonight: Foolproof Recipes for 150+ Easy Dinners." But don't mistake easy for not impressive. The Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is top on my list, and while Maehashi uses button mushrooms in this luxurious recipe, it could easily be a forager's delight.

We can't resist a good copycat recipe, and have been cooking our way through "Most Requested Copycat Dishes: 100+ Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Restaurant Recipes." The book offers a spin on Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, but is made for the slow cooker. Start the easy (and customizable) recipe in the morning and have dinner waiting in the evening. Obviously, serve it with unlimited salad and breadsticks.

Finally, TikTok darling Heather Bell chronicles her life with eight kids as @justthebells10, so it's no surprise her cookbook focuses on big-batch cooking. Green Chile Taco Soup from "Mama Bell's Big Family Cooking" serves 14, making it ideal for meal planning or gameday parties. You can easily downsize the recipes, but why bother? Take a page from Bell, who also chronicles her family's story of adoption and foster care in the book, and share your big-batch dishes with friends or neighbors. The more the merrier.

Minestrone-ish

Serves about 6 to 8.

From "What Goes with What," the new book from bestselling author Julia Turshen, who writes: "This falls somewhere on the soup spectrum between minestrone and pasta fagioli; it's full of vegetables, with deep tomato flavor from lots of tomato paste, and hearty from a mix of beans and pasta. Topped with grated cheese and a dollop of pesto, it's a satisfying vegetarian soup. But if you want to make it extra special, try Haley's Savory Sprinkles (recipe below), which are the most delicious lemony breadcrumbs. (Flatiron Books, 2024).

• ¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• Kosher salt
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 lb. green cabbage, roughly chopped (about 8 c.)
• 1 (15-oz.) can beans (cannellini, chickpeas or small red beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 6 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 c. small pasta, such as ditalini, orzo, orecchiette, elbows — whatever you have
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
• Pesto, for serving
• Haley's Savory Sprinkles (recipe follows), for serving

Directions

Place the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and dried oregano and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about a minute.

Add the cabbage, beans, diced tomatoes with their juice, and the broth, turn the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Season to taste with salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the cabbage is softened and the flavors are very well combined, at least 30 minutes (but it's fine for up to an hour or two over very low heat, if that helps to know). Just before you're ready to eat, add the pasta and cook until softened, about 10 minutes or so.

Serve the soup hot with lots of grated cheese, freshly ground black pepper, a spoonful of pesto, and/or a shower of Haley's Savory Sprinkles in each bowl.

To make Haley's Savory Sprinkles: Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a cup of coarse fresh breadcrumbs (or panko) and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the breadcrumbs cool for a couple of minutes, then stir in the finely grated zest of a lemon and ½ cup of grated Parmesan (or ¼ cup nutritional yeast, if vegan). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Serves 4.

From "Delicious Tonight: Foolproof Recipes for 150+ Easy Dinners" by Nagi Maehashi, who writes: "A down-home bowl of comfort, full of texture and character. Wild rice instantly makes any dish more rustic and interesting, with its striking black grains and firm, nutty bite. I just love how the dark grains visually pop against the smooth, white surface of this soup. Meanwhile, deeply browned mushrooms, thyme, and sage build woodsy flavors that are a perfect match for the rice. This is just the soup for a brisk night — all that's maybe missing is a log cabin in the woods with a flickering open fireplace." (Countryman, 2024)

• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. button or brown mushrooms, sliced ¼ in. thick, divided
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
• ¾ tsp. black pepper, divided
• 2 tsp. finely minced garlic, divided
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into ¼-in.-thick pieces
• 1 celery stalk, chopped into ¼-in.-thick pieces
• 2 tsp. finely minced fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp. ground sage, optional
• ¾ c. wild rice, uncooked
• 4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. heavy cream or milk
• 1 c. (3 oz) finely grated Parmesan, tightly packed

Directions

Mushroom topping: Melt half the butter and heat half the oil in a large heavy-based pot over high heat. Add half the mushrooms with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper. Cook for 4 minutes until the mushrooms turn light golden — initially they will dry out, then go wet and floppy, then start to become golden. When the mushrooms are light golden, add ½ teaspoon of the minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute until the mushrooms and garlic are golden. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside — these are to top the finished soup.

Sauté: Melt the remaining butter and heat the remaining oil in the same pan, still on high. Add the onion, remaining garlic, the carrot and celery, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the remaining mushrooms and the thyme and sage (if using), and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are softened (they won't turn golden) and the onion is translucent.

Broth and rice: Add the wild rice and stir for 30 seconds to coat it in the tasty flavors. Add the broth, bay leaves, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a simmer, then put the lid on and reduce the heat to low so the broth is simmering gently.

Simmer: Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the rice is just about done — mostly soft but still with a bit of a firm bite in the center (it will cook more in the next steps).

Thicken: While the rice is cooking, whisk the flour with ⅓ cup of the cream in a bowl until it is lump-free. Whisk in the remaining cream, then slowly pour the mixture into the soup while stirring.

Finish: Cook the soup for an additional 5 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and the rice is done (it shouldn't be super soft and mushy). Add the Parmesan and stir it in until melted.

Serve: Reheat the mushroom topping (I just use the microwave). Ladle soup into bowls, then top with the warmed mushrooms and a pinch of fresh thyme for garnish. Crusty bread for dunking is a must.

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 days, the freezer for 3 months. Store the rice and vegetables separately from the soup or the rice will bloat overnight. To do this, drain in a colander set over a bowl.

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana

Serves 8.

From "Most Requested Copycat Dishes: 100+ Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Restaurant Recipes," from the folks at Favorite Family Recipes: "In our opinion, this Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe is actually better than the original from Olive Garden! It has a creamy broth base and is loaded with sausage and potatoes." Notes: Use any kind of potato you want in this recipe. Russet potatoes work great, but you can also use a waxy potato like a Yukon Gold or red potato. You can leave the skins on, or you can peel them. Totally up to you. Prepackaged, pre-rinsed kale will make your life easier. You can also get kale from the produce department. Just make sure you rinse it really well (Shadow Mountain, 2024).

• 1 lb. mild ground Italian sausage
• 5 ¼ c. (42 oz.) chicken broth
• 2 c. heavy cream
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 c. kale, chopped
• 3 medium potatoes, scrubbed, halved, and thinly sliced

Directions

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Form the sausage into little balls. Brown the sausage in the frying pan, stirring frequently. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off some of the grease.

In a large slow cooker, put sausage, broth, cream, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, bacon and kale. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. (If you prefer your kale more crisp-tender, wait to add the kale with the potatoes.) Add potatoes during the last 40 to 60 minutes of cooking.

Stir well and serve with breadsticks and salad.

Green Chile Taco Soup

Serves 14.

From "Mama Bell's Big Family Cooking" by Heather Bell, who writes: "This soup is so good, and it's perfect for those cold days when you need a little kick to warm your insides up. It's even better with a dollop of sour cream and some Cheddar cheese sprinkled on top, then garnished with a sprig of cilantro. It really does taste like a taco in a bowl. I make this often because it's so simple to make and tastes great. Plus, it easily freezes if you plan meals throughout the week." (Adams Media, 2024)

• 2 lb. lean ground beef
• 2 lb. ground pork
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 (10-oz.) bag matchstick carrots
• 2 (4-oz.) cans chopped green chiles
• 2 (10-oz.) cans fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
• 4 tbsp. ground cumin, divided
• 1 tbsp. garlic salt
• 2 tbsp. dried minced onion
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp. ground white pepper
• 1⁄2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained if desired
• 2 (15-oz.) cans navy beans, rinsed and drained if desired
• 1 (29-oz.) can tomato sauce
• 8 c. beef broth
• 2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 c. shredded medium Cheddar cheese
• 2 c. sour cream

Directions

In a 10-quart stockpot, combine ground beef, pork, onion, carrots, chiles, tomatoes, lime juice, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons cumin, salt, minced onion, paprika, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not drain juices.

To the same pot, add beans, tomato sauce, broth and remaining 2 tablespoons cumin. Stir and cook for an additional 15 minutes over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 more minutes.

Scoop into bowls and top each portion with cilantro, cheese and sour cream. Serve.