Food and Recipes Dish Soup 25 Easy Soup Recipes to Make All Summer Long Despite the Heat By Cameron Beall Cameron Beall Cameron Beall is a writer, marketer, photographer, and creative with over a year of experience with Southern Living in the realm of homes and home building. She was infatuated by home design from a young age, credit to her mother and grandmother. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on June 27, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Courtesy Oxmoor House It might be a sweltering summer day, but despite the heat, you'll still find us sipping a cup of piping hot joe in the morning on the porch. And before you accuse us of being crazy, there's some science behind eating or drinking something hot on a warm day to cool off: When you consume something hot, it raises your body temperature, which tells your brain to cool the body down. So as much as we love a chilled gazpacho, this summer, we're not shying away from making hot soups. We may opt to skip the robust chilis this time of year, but there are plenty of soup recipes that are full of fresh, seasonal ingredients and are easy to pull together when you'd rather be relaxing by the pool (or you're just tired from chasing kids around said pool). Summer's bounty is full of so many delicious fruits and vegetables that we'd be remiss if we didn't take full advantage of them with 25 easy soup recipes. And you best believe we'll be freezing at least one big batch of soup with in-season flavors to pull out in the cooler months for a little taste of summer. 01 of 25 Summer Brunswick Stew Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Recipe: Summer Brunswick Stew This stew uses a simple broth to let the flavors of your local farm stand's summer produce stand out. Top if off with pulled pork from your favorite barbecue joint. 02 of 25 Creamy Asparagus Soup Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Creamy Asparagus Soup This vibrant asparagus soup is full of flavor and a few surprising ingredients (hint: orange juice), which make it irresistible. Serve it hot or chilled, but either way, don't forget the garnishes to make it shine. 03 of 25 Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese It's always a good time for grilled cheese, which calls for its partner in crime: tomato soup. Pick up a few pounds of colorful heirloom tomatoes at the farmers' market for a truly seasonal soup. 04 of 25 Quick Shrimp and Corn Chowder Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Quick Shrimp and Corn Chowder This broth-based chowder is a light dish that's ready in 35 minutes, which means you can maximize relaxation on a summer evening. 05 of 25 Chilled Sweet Corn Soup Becky Luigart-Stayner; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Chilled Sweet Corn Soup Your new go-to warm-weather appetizer showcases one of summer's finest veggies—sweet corn. Start supper off with this pretty, chilled soup that can be served with an array of garnishes. 06 of 25 Kardea Brown's Okra Soup with Shrimp Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Kardea Brown's Okra Soup with Shrimp This soup uses just about all of the season's bounty with okra, corn, tomatoes, and lima beans in the mix. Double the recipe to have plenty to stash away in the freezer. 07 of 25 Creamy Collard Green Soup with Bacony Croutons Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Creamy Collard Green Soup with Bacony Croutons Collard greens aren't just a potluck and sideboard staple. We turned them into a soup perfect for any occasion; and as a Southerner, you know collards and bacon are a match made in heaven, so don't skip out on the croutons. 08 of 25 Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Courtesy Oxmoor House Recipe: Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup This fan-favorite comfort dish isn't just for cold nights—this is one you can never go wrong with, no matter the temperature outside. Try swapping frozen and canned ingredients with in-season produce. 09 of 25 Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder We love a slow-cooker recipe that makes dinnertime easier, especially when it makes the most of sweet summer corn. You'll see why this recipe is one of our readers' favorites year in and year out. 10 of 25 Shrimp and Okra Gumbo Southern Living Recipe: Shrimp and Okra Gumbo Whether you're on the coast or not, this gumbo will take you there. This classic low-country dish is packed with flavor from okra, tomatoes, and, of course, shrimp. Use fresh ingredients to make this dish truly sing. 11 of 25 Watermelon Gazpacho Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele Recipe: Watermelon Gazpacho Party approved! This refreshing soup trades out tomatoes for watermelon for a slightly sweet and tangy treat. Chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. 12 of 25 Easy Taco Soup Jennifer Davick Recipe: Easy Taco Soup Just when you thought taco night couldn't get any easier. Take the crowd-pleasing dish to the next level with crisp green beans, summer corn, and juicy tomatoes. 13 of 25 Lowcountry Fish Stew Peter Frank Edwards; Prop Styling and Floral Design: Sara York Grimshaw Recipe: Lowcountry Fish Stew Something about warm weather makes us crave seafood, and this robust fish stew always satisfies; it deserves to be made any time of year. 14 of 25 Carrot Soup with Pea Pesto Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Carrot Soup with Pea Pesto Peas and carrots just got a whole new look! Hot or chilled, this colorful soup topped with a dollop of homemade pesto is perfect for dinner al fresco, even on a warm evening. 15 of 25 Vidalia Onion Soup Southern Living Recipe: Vidalia Onion Soup This Georgia-inspired twist on French onion soup will have you hooked on Vidalia onions. (Did you know they are Georgia's official state vegetable?) 16 of 25 Sweet-and-Spicy Corn Soup Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Corn Soup Look no further for a spoonful of summer. This dish uses whole-milk Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream for a lighter version of corn chowder (and it's ready in 30 minutes). 17 of 25 Slow-Cooker Chipotle-Tomato Soup Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chipotle-Tomato Soup Fresh tomatoes are the key to this savory soup. For a bigger kick, add an extra chipotle chili or two. 18 of 25 Instant Pot Black-eyed Pea Soup Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Recipe: Instant Pot Black-eyed Pea Soup Black-eyed peas aren't just for good luck on New Year's Day. Use farm-fresh peas to make this hearty soup even in the July heat. 19 of 25 Smoky Mountain Brunswick stew Southern Living Recipe: Smoky Mountain Brunswick Stew Can't decide between the Georgia- or Virginia-style Brunswick stew? Try this one that merges the best of both worlds into one delicious dish. 20 of 25 Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo No matter the time of year, we always have a pot of gumbo stewing, plus a freezer stocked full of it. Whether you prefer chicken, shrimp, sausage, or crab meat in your gumbo, we can all agree that this dish is a Southern delicacy and best served over a bed of steaming rice. 21 of 25 Basil Tomato Soup Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Basil Tomato Soup Here's why you should be making tomato soup in the summer: fried okra. Garnish your bowl of soup with a generous handful of the South's favorite fried veggie. Instead of pre-breaded, frozen stuff, use our can't-beat fried okra recipe. 22 of 25 Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup This zesty dish will be refreshing even on a hot evening. Use rotisserie chicken for a dish that you can get on the table in just 30 minutes. 23 of 25 Smoked Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe: Smoked Chicken Corn Chowder Chowder makes a comforting cool-weather meal, but when you're using warm-weather ingredients like corn and tomatoes, we advise adding it to your summer supper menu. 24 of 25 Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup Southern Living Recipe: Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup Have an unexpectedly full house to feed? Try a black bean soup bar. Serve it with plenty of garden-fresh toppings, like cilantro, chopped tomatoes, avocado slices, pan-roasted corn, and sautéed peppers and onions, as well as sour cream and shredded cheese. Add chicken for an even heartier meal. 25 of 25 Instant Pot Vegetable Soup Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Recipe: Instant Pot Vegetable Soup Whether you picked up a few too many pounds of the season's best veggies on Saturday morning or want to stock the freezer for the cooler months—use what you have on hand and this foolproof recipe will capture the essence of summer. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit