These Vegetarian Soups and Stews Are the Equivalent of a Warm Hug

A puréed salsa made with roasted pumpkin seeds helps give this posole a rich flavor and chowderlike texture.

Some butternut squash soups can be too sweet; here, almond butter, lime juice, and slightly spicy salad mix-ins keep the flavors lively.

Earthy sweet potatoes add depth to this vegetarian chili. New Mexico chile powder is fruity and mild, so don’t be scared off by the generous amount called for here. Feel free to swap in any other kind of chile powder you have on hand–just use less of it.

Western farmers grow all manner of lentils, including the green ones called French or lentilles du Puy, which cook up firm and nutty. Combine them with root vegetables, kale, and squash for a deeply satisfying winter meal.

This soup is packed with mushrooms, tofu, cabbage, and noodles. It’s easy and perfect for a cold night.

Although this posole tastes like it’s been simmering all day long, it takes less than an hour to cook. For shorter prep time, buy bagged cut squash and sub in coleslaw mix for the garnish.

We left the soup chunky with a clear broth, but you could easily purée it to create a smooth soup. Just don’t skip the avocado mixture, as it makes a refreshing contrast to the beans and spice.

Here’s how to make some masala magic—on the healthy side. With the right seasonings, a potentially plain bowl of legumes becomes supremely flavorful and comforting. The broccolini is not at all traditional to India—but delicious.

Nutty sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, give this soup deep flavor. Find them at farmers’ markets and well-stocked grocery stores.

A rustic-luxe dish is shot through with the essence of saffron.

At the community garden where she tended a plot, Olympic Peninsula cookbook author Kate McDermott often helped create a budget-friendly communal “stone soup” of produce contributed by her fellow gardeners. Like the soup in the folktale, this recipe can be made with whatever bounty of vegetables comes your way. It’s from the author’s second cookbook, Home Cooking with Kate McDermott.

The last of late-summer’s corn, cooked so it still has a light crunch, accents this silky squash soup. Clare Carver of Big Table Farm winery in Oregon uses rich homemade chicken broth, but store-bought works too.

This hearty, less-is-more stew riffs on rustic Italian flavors. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.

The success of this soup depends on really good canned tomatoes and long, slow simmering so that all the flavors meld and mingle. The recipe is adapted from one in Cowgirl Creamery Cooks.

Chef and cookbook author Joanne Weir created this soup at L’Auberge Madeleine for her teacher, Madeleine Kamman. “Diners were going to fall for this soup before it ever crossed their lips. Its vibrant orange color and sweet smell of fresh carrot mingling with heady notes of licorice would pave the way for their first satiny sip.”

Fresh ginger gives this soup its big, bright flavor. If you can’t find udon noodles, feel free to use any thick wheat noodle, such as linguine.

Roasted acorn squash and earthy sage sing in this delightful winter soup.

We updated ribollita, a hearty, comforting Tuscan vegetable soup thickened with lots of day-old bread, with this lighter version. (We’ve added the bread at the end and only on top—and used oil sparingly.)

Nigella seeds (also called kalonji) add an oniony flavor. Look for them and for tamarind concentrate at Indian markets and some specialty food stores. If you can’t find tamarind concentrate, substitute 1/4 cup lime juice mixed with 2 teaspoons molasses.

We like the robust flavor of red Swiss chard in this soup recipe from Sunset reader Juliet Grossman, of Temecula, California. You could also make it with green Swiss chard, which is milder, or spinach.

The variety of the vegetables, two kinds of legumes, and the Italian trick of cooking a bit of parmesan rind in the soup for added flavor create a palate-pleasing minestrone miles beyond the bland bean-and-pasta version so often served. The soup is flexible too; add your favorite vegetables or use whatever is bountiful in your garden this harvest. This soup keeps frozen for up to three months.

You can use any combination of mushrooms: fresh, soaked dried, even canned straw mushrooms. Shoot for a pleasing mixture of shapes and textures.

We’d serve this with warm naan bread. If you don’t have curry paste, you can use curry powder instead; just add it after sautéing the onion so it doesn’t burn.

This soup is a real trickster—onions and cauliflower blend into a purée so smooth, you’d swear it included cream. It’s also a good introduction to this vegetable for those who think they can’t stand cauliflower, since its sulfurous flavor is very mild here and no cauliflower is actually visible. But if you do love it, keep the soup a little chunky so you’ll have some florets in your bowl.

This soup is packed with mushrooms, tofu, cabbage, and noodles. It’s easy and perfect for a cold night.

Romesco is a classic Spanish sauce made of ground tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil, and almonds. We turned it into soup. The powdered milk and the silky texture of cooked onions and roasted peppers help make it creamy, and the lentils add thickness.

Curry, ginger, and mint give this soup a kick, while puréed chickpeas make it hearty enough to eat as a main course. For the best texture, purée until silky smooth.

Try this warm soup for a quick weeknight meal with bread and salad, or dress it up for company with crisp bacon or cheesy croutons to serve to company.