It's 3:47 PM on a Wednesday in December and the sun set approximately one million hours ago (give or take).

Everyone is cold and tired and sniffling and just plain grey. The overstimulation of bundling and unbundling the kids is getting old fast. And trying to keep a tote bag on your shoulder over your puffer jacket might make you cry. It just doesn’t fit, I don’t know why I keep trying.

All you want is coming warm. Something cozy. And most of all, something EASY.

Enter: Soup.

This is no novel concept. Winter has always been the soupiest of seasons, but there’s something about a set it and forget it recipe that never fails and yields a meal for the whole family (fit with leftovers for days), that just doesn’t get old. It’s the ultimate “I don’t want to make dinner” “here’s a way to use up everything in my fridge” “secret way to hide the vegetables from the complainers” “feels like a hug in a bowl” solution.

BUT!

I feel like I have to clarify what I mean here.

When I say Soup, I mean with a capital S.

Not the sad, watery, mysteriously clumpy kind that comes from a can and tastes like General Pantry Product. I mean easy soups that follow a formula but taste reliably great and look impressive every time.

Side note: If you want to read a cheeky, funny (if I do say so myself), satirical newsletter about Soup’s made up PR team (that’s not a sentence I ever thought I’d type), I wrote one last year!

🍷 A Pre-Holiday Present from Pepper! 🍷

At the end of a long day of holiday hullaballoo, there’s nothing that feels quite as cozy (and well earned) as a glass of your favorite wine. SO, this year we’re partnering with Naked Wines, a direct-to-consumer wine service that funds independent winemakers and delivers their small-batch bottles straight to your door at teasingly low prices.

Get $100 off 12 bottles + 1 free sparkling gift bottle with the code BUBBLES12 when you use this link!

I have been a member for the past 5 years and have found so many of my favorite bottles through their wildly simple (and honestly, fun to use) selection framework!

Why Soup Is the Perfect December Food (according to history & common sense)

Soup has been around forever. Actually though.

So long, in fact, that it was dubbed "archaeological evidence of early human cooking" by the Smithsonian. That’s why every culture has soup, every historical era has soup, every grandma has soup, and in one form or another, pretty much everybody likes soup.

Soup exists because it solves problems (see: Charlie’s grandparents before the golden ticket chocolate factory lottery).

Problem: You have random vegetables that are about to go bad. 

Solution: They all go in the soup. Carrots, celery, that half an onion in the back of the fridge, the wilting spinach you bought with good intentions. Soup the the most Type B food group. It will go with the flow. BONUS points, because soup also makes the veggies easy to hide and disguise from picky eaters when you either chop them up really small or blend them into a creamy bisque.

Problem: Cheap cuts of meat are tough and need long cooking. 

Solution: Soup cooks low and slow. Chuck roast or chicken thighs that you might otherwise not know what to do with will reliably get tender and delicious after 6 hours of simmering.

Problem: Everyone in your family wants to eat at different times. 

Solution: Soup stays good on the "warm" setting for hours. Sometimes it’s even better the next day. So you don’t need to navigate the tennis practice at 7:30 but play rehearsal ends at 9pm scheduling semantics.

Problem: December is cold and everyone is tired and needs comfort. 

Solution: Hot soup in a bowl is literally designed for this. It's warm. It's cozy. It makes you feel like someone is taking care of you even if that someone is you from 8 hours ago.

The Soup Formula That Works Every Single Time

The best thing about soup (yes, there are many) is that it's basically impossible to mess up if you follow a very simple formula.

THE FORMULA:

[Aromatic Base] + [Protein] + [Vegetables] + [Liquid] + [Seasoning] = Soup

It’s literally a cheat code.

Aromatic Base (onions, garlic, celery, carrots)

This is where the flavor lives. Sauté these first (or throw them in the slow cooker raw if you're in a hurry, they'll cook down). This is the foundation. Skip this and your soup tastes flat and like Things Floating in Broth.

Protein (chicken, beef, beans, lentils, sausage, whatever)

This makes it a meal instead of seasoned water. It gives you staying power. It's the reason you're not hungry again in 45 minutes.

Vegetables (literally whatever you have)

Fresh, frozen, canned, doesn't matter. They all work. Taste the rainbow!

Liquid (broth, stock, even water with bouillon cubes works)

This is the Soup part of Soup. Chicken broth is the most versatile. Veggie broth is good if you're going meatless. Beef broth amps up the umami for heartier situations. I like to make my own whenever I have bones to spare, but store brand or bouillion cubes are also fine in a pinch.

Seasoning (salt, pepper, herbs, whatever makes sense for the soup you're making)

This is the difference between "food I am eating" and "food I am enjoying." Don't skip the salt. Your soup needs more salt than you think. Add it at the end, taste, add more if needed.

Side Note: IF you do want to level up your Soup Skills, try adding toppings! Here are a few ideas.

• Sour cream or Greek yogurt

• Shredded cheese

• Fresh herbs

• Crispy bits (croutons, tortilla strips, crackers, crispy onions, crushed chips, anything with crunch)

• Citrus

• Hot sauce

• A drizzle of EVOO, balsamic glaze, or even pesto

That's it. That's soup. Everything else is just variations on this theme.

The 3 Types of Soup You Need in Your Repertoire (with recipes!)

Category 1: The "I'm Getting Sick" Soup

This is your classic chicken noodle, chicken and rice, chicken tortilla. Really, any soup where chicken and vegetables swim in a clear broth.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that kids are sticky and snotty. That means that someone in your house is always getting sick in December. This is where the medicinal powers of soup come in. The steam opens up sinuses. The salt helps with hydration. The warm liquid soothes sore throats. Anything chickeny and brothy is the key to making you feel taken care of.

Formula: Chicken broth, shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken is fine!), carrots, celery, whatever starch you want (noodles, rice, potatoes), herbs (thyme, parsley, dill).

This healing ginger and turmeric chicken soup is my go-to anytime anyone in my family is coming down with something.

Category 2: The "I'm Cold and Need Carbs" Soup

This is your chili, your minestrone, your white bean and sausage, anything with beans or lentils that sticks to your ribs.

This soup is great when you need something filling and hearty. A real, full, capital M Meal.

Formula: Beans or lentils drained and rinsed, some kind of meat, tomatoes, vegetables, and any good seasonings.

Chili is my favorite hearty option that is so easily adaptable. You can iterate a million different ways. This is my favorite base recipe that you can play with!

Category 3: The "I Want to Feel Fancy But Not Work Hard" Soup

This is your butternut squash soup, your potato leek, your tomato bisque, anything that feels a little special. This is a great option for when you are having people over!

Formula: Roasted or sautéed vegetables, blended until smooth, finished with cream or coconut milk, topped with something crunchy (croutons, seeds, crispy chickpeas).

This roasted bell pepper and garlic soup is on repeat in my household.