Whether you’re in Southern California like us and wondering when it’s going to stop raining or you’re in a part of the country where frosty temps can easily persist until May, we can all agree that, baby, it is some version of cold outside. Spring doesn’t officially roll around until March 19, which means we still have several weeks of winter left. And there’s nothing better for these doldrums than a piping-hot, put-you-in-a-food-coma bowl of soup. We’ve eaten a lot of soup here at Sporked HQ and while, yes, all soup slaps when the weather is cold, the best winter soups satisfy in a special way. Here are some winter soup ideas from our rankings that you can pull right out of the pantry when a craving strikes.
- Campbell’s Chunky Minestrone with Italian Sausage
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Winter is the harshest season. From back-to-back holidays that require travel and family time to snow days long after you were positive spring was on its way, you need some protein to get through a ride on that physical and emotional roller coaster. That’s why Campbell’s Chunky Minestrone with Italian Sausage is one of the best winter soups. Plain ol’ minestrone is great (we actually love the straight-up Campbell’s condensed version that costs less than three bucks a can), but Chunky takes things a step further. Not only is this soup packed with nutritious vegetables to keep you nourished and healthy in cold months, but Campbell’s made the genius call to add not one but two types of sausage to a classic minestrone, amping up the hearty nourishment need to keep your body strong as you endure the winter.
Read the full ranking of the best minestrone soup
- Amy’s Curried Lentil Indian Dal
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Spices are essential to the best winter soups. If your sense of taste is on the fritz because you’re sick, you need flavors that are going to make an impression. For a canned soup, Amy’s Curried Lentil Indian Dal is absolutely bursting with warm spices and even a little bit of heat from jalapeño and ginger puree. Grab some naan or garlic bread to dip into this flavorful winter soup—or just go to town with a spoon-wielding hand sticking out of your blanket cocoon.
Read the full ranking of the best lentil soup
- Campbell’s Chunky Beef with Country Vegetables
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When it’s cold outside, I want food that’s practically going to force me to bundle up and call it a night (not in an “ugh, I feel sick, I need to lie down” way, but in a “that was so yummy I want to sleep with thoughts of this food so I dream of having more” way). If that’s what you’re looking for, then this Campbell’s Chunky Beef Soup is the soup to (tenderly) knock you out. It is so thick and rich that it almost veers into stew territory. Plus, it is full of hearty pieces of carrots and potatoes—two vegetables that scream “best winter soup”—that will leave you perfectly indulged, nourished, and stuffed enough to sleep through any and all late-winter storms. I would say to pair this hearty winter soup with a side of your choosing, but this stuff is rich enough to be a meal on its own.
Read the full ranking of the best vegetable beef soup
- Amy’s Organic French Country Vegetable Soup
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When it’s cold and the only thing you have energy for is googling images of the French Riviera in July, you want a meal that’s low effort but high pay-off. Amy’s French Country Vegetable Soup is one of the best winter soups to curl up with. It’s not just packed with vegetables—it has rice and beans, too, which make it feel like more of a meal. Sure, you could tear yourself away from your aspirational summertime daydreams to make a meal that incorporates veggies, rice, and beans to warm and fill you up, but cracking open a can of this winter soup makes like a lot easier. You know, so you can get back to the important things.
Read the full ranking of the best vegetable soup
- Chef’s Cupboard Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup
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Chicken noodle soup is, perhaps, the quintessential winter comfort food. Even if you’re eating it hunched over your phone while working through lunch, it harkens back to childhood snow days when the only thing you had to do was catch The Price Is Right at 11 a.m. Chef’s Cupboard Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup is one of the best winter soups because it’s chicken noodle soup, sure, but it’s also rich and fatty and decadent tasting. The chicken tastes like it’s dark meat. And the noodles are fat and filling. Thank you, non-existent chef, for opening your cupboard to us! We have a few weeks of winter and we need you now more than ever.
Read the full ranking of the best chicken noodle soup
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!