How to Make Soup for Beginners

How to make soup sounds intimidating, but it really doesn’t have to be! I want to share the building blocks with you so that you can create a delicious soup without reaching for the can of soup in your pantry.

What Soup do you Like?

How much broth do you like? Do you like it salty? Spicy? Plain?

I like soup that has a lot of food and not as much broth. When I make soup, I make sure to add extra vegetables, proteins, or grains until I hit that consistency.

Knowing how you like soup to taste before you begin helps lead to a delicious soup!

How to Make an Easy Soup

Soup can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be! I want to teach you how to make soup in the easiest way possible!

Soup is just parts put together like an addition problem.

Spices + Vegetables + Proteins + Broth + Grain = Soup

You can leave out or add any components you like. Sometimes, Dairy is added in the form of cheese, milk, or cream to add some creaminess or balance flavors.

Possible Soup Combinations:

1 Spices + Proteins + Broth + Grain = Chicken Noodle Soup

2 Spices + Proteins + Broth + Grain = Chili

3 Spices + Vegetables + Broth = Vegetable Soup

4 Spices + Vegetables + Proteins + Broth + Grain + Dairy= Chicken Dumpling Soup

Most soups you can think of are made with these components. We mix and match them to create the variety of soups that we have today.

Soup is an addition problem you can enjoy making and remaking again in different ways!

What Broth Should I use in Soup?

You can use any broth that tastes good to you for soup! I use vegetable broth most because my husband is vegetarian, but I like chicken broth too.

My favorite broth base to use is Better than Bullion. I buy it at Costco or Whole Foods.

I like the Better than Billion base because it is a thick paste the I dilute in water. That lets me add as much flavor as I want to the broth without having to boil down the stock.

Better than Bullion has so many different flavors that I am sure you will find a base you love!

Should I use Stock or Broth?

You can use either one. There is not a big difference in flavor.

Stock is made from simmering the bones of an animal to get the nutrition out of them.

Broth is simmering meat of an animal with vegetables to get flavor out of the meat.

Either option will taste like fine. Try a few different kinds and find the one you like the most.

What Grains Should I use in Soup?

There are so many wonderful grains that you can use!

If you want a fast and easy soup, our favorite grains are ramen noodles or broken pasta. You can even use the noodles out of the packet of ramen in your pantry!

If you are looking to use a whole grain you can add rice, quinoa millet, barley, or wheat berries. Wheat berries will need to be precooked in a separate pot before added to ensure that they are full cooked.

What Vegetables Should I use in Soup?

You can use any vegetable in soup.

I like using frozen vegetables for a fast and easy soup. I keep frozen broccoli and mixed vegetables in my freezer at all times.

In the fall and winter, I use root vegetables. Potatoes, turnips, and carrots are my favorites.

Soup is the perfect way to use up any vegetables you have in your fridge that need to be eaten. Too many carrots? You can make carrot soup!

What Protein Should I use in Soup?

Whether you are a vegetarian or not, protein is important.

If you want an easy and fast soup, add canned proteins. You could add canned beans, canned fish, or my favorite canned chicken.

If you are willing to work a little more, you can cook the protein first before adding it to the soup.

Quinoa can be added right to the broth and boiled. The meat should be cooked at least a little before being added to the soup so it can add more flavor.

The Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup

Once you understand that soup is simply adding the same type of foods together, it becomes SO easy to throw one together!

I promise you that this is the easiest homemade chicken noodle soup you can make. I make this when I get sick, because it is simple and delicious!

Ingredients

Chicken Broth – Store bought is the easiest, but you can make your own too. Add more broth if you want a lot of broth to food ratio.

Ramen Noodles – You could use a cup of regular noodles or broken spaghetti noodles, whatever you have on hand.

Canned Chicken – You can use frozen cooked chicken too, but the canned is more widely available.

Vegetables – I use frozen mixed vegetables because they are always in my freezer ready to use.

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Add any spices that you think would be delicious. Have fun creating!

Directions

The directions are super easy.

Boil the broth.

Cook the noodles in the broth.

Add the spices, chicken, and veggies.

That is it!

Soup Pro Tip – Add the frozen vegetables last so that they cool the broth and cook at the same time. Then you can enjoy your food even faster!

How to Store the Leftovers

If you plan to store the food overnight, then you may want to remove the noodles.

The noodles will continue to absorb the liquid overnight. You can store the noodles in a separate bowl and recombine them when you are eating it again.

The soup will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

What is your Favorite Simple Soup to Make?

Let us know in the comments below what your favorite soups are!

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