Fall Weather Soup Recipes

As summer comes to an abrupt end, the weather has shifted for the worse. With the cold and dreary weather, I’ve been inspired to make lots of quick and hearty soups. Most recently, smoked turkey drumstick and kale soup, an easy go-to recipe for a quick weekday meal. The majority of the 30-minute cook time is reserved for stewing the drumstick to get the juices into the broth. The kale cooks rather quickly once the broth is flavorful enough. Salt and pepper is added to taste. Chili flakes are optional.

Another easy soup recipe is chicken and rice soup. Boil some chicken (I like the dark meat of chicken thigh and drumstick but when I’m feeling particularly healthy, I use chicken breast) and lightly salt to flavor the broth. For more flavor, you may want to boil the chicken in chicken broth or add chicken bouillon/flavoring to the water. After the chicken is cooked, remove and tear the meat into chunks. Add a small amount of uncooked jasmine or other white rice (about half a cup to 3/4 cups). Add chicken chunks and simmer the rice soup for 15-20 minutes. The rice should be tender and soft. Add salt and fish sauce to taste. You may add finely chopped green onion and cilantro to top off the dish. The total cook time is usually 20-25 minutes for me.

My final go-to recipe is beef noodle soup or pho. For a large pot (about 8 servings), I buy the beef bones at the grocery store for under $5. The bones go into a big pot of water and sit on medium high heat for about an hour. Season with salt. Also, if you want to get a more complex tasting pho, you may add a couple cinnamon sticks, some star anise, a peeled stub of ginger root, some garlic cloves and a whole onion. For more flavor, you may add beef bouillon or pho flavor (which you can get in jars at most Asian stores). When done, pour some broth over cooked rice noodles. Add the optional beef meatballs, thinly sliced beef (that can cook in the hot broth), shrimp, cilantro and thinly sliced white/yellow onions.

Enjoy the fall weather!