beef and wild rice soup

7 Hearty Soups and Stews Perfect for Cold Weather

Last Updated on February 25, 2024

When it’s cold outside, nothing warms you up like a hot bowl of soup or stew. So we gathered up 7 of our favorite stick-to-your-ribs recipes, which are as full of nutrients as they are satisfying and delicious.

Whether you want a dark beer-filled Irish beef stew or a crisp, fresh Asian-inspired ginger pork noodle soup, you’ll find just the thing right here.

Chicken, Kale, and White Bean Soup

Chicken soup is a go-to for a reason, and this chicken, kale and white bean soup really shines, thanks to the addition of kale and lemon. With tender chunks of chicken and creamy white beans, this delicious soup is also rich in both protein and fiber.

Any variety of kale works here, and you can customize the soup further with different beans and vegetables. Change it up to suit your taste and what you have on hand.

Irish Beef Stew

This Irish beef stew will warm you down to your toes with its fall-apart hunks of eye round roast, bacon, carrots, potatoes and turnips. It’s gluten free thanks to the addition of gluten-free dark beer — or use regular dark beer if gluten isn’t an issue for you.

Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Nothing like a Mexican-inspired chicken and black bean soup loaded with poblano peppers, carrots, celery, garlic, beans and tomatoes to bring everyone to the table in a hurry. Garnish with cilantro and avocado, and add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt for a protein-packed sour cream alternative.

Hearty Beef and Wild Rice Soup

What could be better than a soup that literally requires one step to cook? That’s right, just toss all of the ingredients into a slow cooker, set it for four hours on high (or eight hours on low), and you’ll have this hearty beef and wild rice soup.

If you have time and want even more flavor, you could sear the steak tips beforehand. You can also cook the whole thing in a Dutch oven if you don’t want to break out the slow cooker. No matter how you do it, you’ll end up with the simple, clean flavors of beef, wild rice, tomatoes, carrots, celery and green beans.

Ginger Pork Noodle Soup

Craving Chinese and Southeast Asian flavors? This ginger pork noodle soup is a healthy recipe full of them, with crisp, fresh ginger and funky fish sauce. Despite packing big, bold flavors, this soup comes together in just 30 minutes. Along with the ginger and fish sauce, there’s ground pork, garlic, onions, red pepper, and shiitake mushrooms, plus broth, mirin and tamari. Don’t forget the noodles, of course.

Beefy Blonde Stew

Rich beef stew goes blonde with this beefy blonde stew, in which white wine and chicken stock sub in for traditional red wine and beef stock. It’s packed with veggies, including leeks, fennel, celery, parsnips, turnips, celery root and carrots, and seasoned with garlic and thyme. It’s deeply flavorful and a special twist on a classic.

Chef Yankel’s Filet Beef Bourguignon

If you’re used to beef bourguignon taking hours to make, get ready for our version, which is ready in just 30 minutes. The magic comes from swapping in tender filet mignon in place of tougher beef stew meat. Opt for a good red wine as the base of this delicious stew, such as a nice burgundy or pinot noir.

Courtney Hamilton is a writer and editor with over seven years' experience in journalism, blogging, communications, and other media. She has written for publications like PaleoHacks, PaleoPlan, The Center for American Progress, OC Weekly, and more. 
 
Check out more of her work at www.courtney-hamilton.com.