Whether you’re in moderately chilly Southern California like us or you’re in a part of the country where frosty temps have already settled in for the season, we can all agree that, baby, it is some version of cold outside (or it will be soon). Winter doesn’t officially begin until December 21, but there’s nothing stopping you from preparing for the frozen doldrums by stocking the ol’ pantry so that when you require a piping-hot, put-you-in-a-food-coma bowl of soup, you’re covered all winter long.
We’ve eaten a lot of soup here at Sporked HQ and while, yes, all soup satisfies when the weather is cold, the best winter soups are extra warm and cozy. Here are some best winter soups from our rankings that you can pull right out of the pantry when a craving strikes.
- Cuisine Adventures French Onion Soup
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Here’s the thing: No bowl of French onion soup is going to hit quite like a bowl of French onion soup at a cozy French bistro. But Cuisine Adventures French onion soup—which you can find at Costco and Trader Joe’s—comes close. The soup comes frozen, with a crouton already submerged in the broth and a sprinkle of cheese on top. You just put it in an oven-safe bowl, stick it in the oven, and, as the French say, voila. The broth is rich and flavorful—it tastes almost beefy even though it’s vegetarian—and it’s packed with caramelized onions. It’s the best winter soup when you couldn’t possibly muster the energy (or funds) to venture out for French food.
Read the full ranking of the best French Onion soup
- Rao’s Creamy Tomato Soup
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Tomato soup is a perennial favorite, but it hits extra hard during the cold winter months, especially alongside a toasty grilled cheese sandwich (we’re partial to American cheese on white bread; we said what we said). Now, we know a lot of people are suspicious of tomato soup that simply seems like glorified marinara sauce, but when the marinara is made by Rao’s, we’re willing to accept the similarities. This creamy tomato soup—the best of all of Rao’s jarred soups—has that same savory, umami quality we love in Rao’s tomato sauces, but with a dose of creamy, cheesy flavor we couldn’t get enough of. Put this winter soup in your pantry, asap.
Read the full ranking of the best Rao’s soup
- Manischewitz Matzo Ball & Soup Mix
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If “comfort” and “matzo ball soup” aren’t synonymous in your vocabulary, that’s about to change. This may not be a rich, creamy soup like some of the others on this list, but matzo balls are so filling and so rib-sticking, this has to be one of the best winter soups. Making this Manischewitz mix isn’t as easy as dumping a can of soup into a bowl and shoving it in the microwave, but it’s worth the extra effort to have a thin, flavorful broth (perfect for an upset stomach) packed with big, fluffy orbs of unleavened cracker meal.
Read the full ranking of the best matzo ball soup
- Progresso Chicken Rice with Vegetables
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No matter what ails you—illness, a hangover, seasonal depression, burnout from living through end-state capitalism—chicken soup can help. We particularly love this Progresso chicken and rice soup because it’s equal parts chicken soup and vegetable soup, with rice in the mix to fill you up. This has a lot of tomato and carrot, so you can feel like you’re actually getting some much-needed nourishment along with your piping-hot chicken water.
Read the full ranking of the chicken and rice soup
- Bar Harbor New England Style Clam Chowder
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Some things shouldn’t be clammy. Clammy hands? No thanks. But when it comes to clam chowder, we want clammy! Bar Harbor New England clam chowder has the goods. It’s briny, creamy, and loaded with clams and delicately diced potatoes. This is the best winter soup for surviving a New England winter—it’s right there in the name!
Read the full ranking of the best clam chowder
If you haven’t had Stew Leonard’s clam chowder then you haven’t had clam chowder at all. But far as a can I prefer Snows it has more flavor.