Potatoes, peas, kidney beans and carrots are great if you’re looking to make a hearty broth. Other vegetables like roughly chopped celery, tomatoes and corn can give the soup a richer taste. Aromatics like onions and garlic are highly recommended for their flavour. The smaller you cut them, the more their flavour will inform the rest of the broth. Noodles are great in soups (for instance, chicken noodle soup) as they tend to embody the flavour of the stock. They’re an especially effective addition to a soup that’s otherwise lacking in solid substance. If you choose to have meat in your soup, make sure it is pre-cooked, and kept in small enough pieces. You’ll also want to make sure the type of meat complements your soup stock. [2] X Research source If you’re using beans, make sure to have them pre-soaked in water. This will ensure they cook more evenly alongside the other ingredients.
For a vegetarian alternative, adding finely chopped vegetables to a pot of water and letting it simmer will make a fine vegetable stock for your soup. If you’re thrifty, you can use the small, unused remains of past veggie recipes to make the stock. Adding these to cold water and proceeding to simmer will ensure all each vegetable’s flavour has a chance to be released. [3] X Research source Some dieticians recommend simmering bones for as long as 12-48 hours. This longer process reportedly “breaks the bones down, releases nutrients and minerals, and makes nutrient-rich collagen, gelatin, and glucosamine easier to digest. " [4] X Research source Oxtail may also be used as a good alternative to bones. [5] X Research source If you don’t have bones or meat to take it from, you can try asking your local butcher for spare bones to fuel your soup stock. [6] X Research source If you want to skip this step, you can purchase a prefabricated bouillon at your local grocery store.
Try adding one or two chicken feet to the broth while it simmers. It may not sound appealing, but a chicken foot will add a gelatinous texture to the soup that some may find enjoyable.
Although the possible choice of ingredients is just as varied as with the clear soup, keep in mind that the base of a thick soup won’t complement every ingredient. If you’re unsure where or how to start with planning your soup, try looking up a few good specific recipes online. Cream of mushroom soup is a well-loved standard, for instance!
Although the ratio will vary depending on the desired thickness of your soup, using 1 pound of vegetables per 4 cups of water is a good place to start. You can make a meat base by finely chopping or puréeing cooked meat, like chicken. This will yield a much different direction for the soup, and you may find a meat base carries flavour more easily than its vegetarian counterpart. As an alternative measure, you can go without puréeing anything, instead relying on the thickening agent (which you’ll add later!) for the soup’s texture. A homemade or store-bought meat or veggie stock works in this occasion, although certain ingredients (like mushrooms) make for wonderful cream soups without being puréed. [8] X Research source
With a roux. [9] X Research source A roux is an equal mixture of flour and fat (like butter) that may be used to thicken your soup. Mix both into a saucepan on medium heat and stir until the melted butter has enveloped the flour. Adding this to your soup is the best option if you want a thick soup, but don’t want it cream-based. Butter may also be replaced with cooking oil or grease. With starch, like grated raw potato. Use a grater to grate shreds of potato directly into the simmering soup. 5-10 minutes should be enough to produce the consistency you’re looking for. With cream or milk. Cream is the essential element in cream-based soups. To make sure the milk doesn’t curdle, warm it up in the microwave beforehand. Add your milk or cream to A 1/2 cup of cream should suffice for a quart of soup; up to a full cup of milk will sate a similar effect. If you decide to make a cream-based soup, do not add the cream until just prior to the soup being consumed. With egg yolk. 1 egg yolk per cup of soup should be enough. Beat the egg yolk until it’s a mixture. Don’t add the egg directly to the liquid; instead, add some of the soup to help warm up the beaten egg mixture before joining it in with the pot. This will ensure the egg yolk mixes properly with the soup. With flour. Although vegetable soups may not stand up to flour, you’ll find adding a couple tablespoons of flour will thicken a rich meat soup effectively. [10] X Research source
A slice of bread or tortilla is a fun and practical addition; the bread will absorb the flavour of your soup and give you something more solid to munch on. A thin meat like prosciutto is a light, but effective way of adding excitement to your soup. Lightly grating cheese like parmesan on a cream-based soup is sure to add flavour to your soup. Moreover, it will give your dish a distinctive visual flair. Even if your soup already consists largely of vegetables, adding fresh vegetables on top of it can add a new angle of taste and texture to the soup.
