Easy Christmas Soup Recipes Grandma (Almost!) Didn't Share
We all knew that Grandma could be a sneaky lady at times, but to withhold her best easy Christmas soup recipes? A true *cluthes pearls* moment. These recipes cover every base from a reliable, slightly more formal Christmas Eve soup recipe to the easiest use-up-those-holiday-leftovers soup recipes. Looking for a Christmas tomato soup recipe? Try the Roasted Tomato-Eggplant Soup with Garlic Croutons. On the hunt for Christmas vegetarian soup recipes? It shouldn't be a surprise that Grandma had a few of those stashed in her recipe box too. And of course, it only makes sense that she had plenty of Christmas ham soup recipes. What can we say – Mama (and Grandma!) always knows best when it comes to feeding a crowd and keeping even the hungriest family members happy.
Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dumplings Soup
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dumplings Soup
We've dubbed these "day-after dumplings" because they make use of delicious turkey leftovers. Say goodbye to the turkey sandwich and hello to your new favorite way to enjoy holiday leftovers.
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Spicy Blue Hubbarb Squash Soup
Recipe: Spicy Blue Hubbarb Squash Soup
Nothing goes to waste in this recipe. The whole squash – seeds and meat – get used in this spicy variation of squash soup. You can even substitute butternut squash if you can't find Blue Hubbarb squash, but we love the thought of widening our ingredient palate.
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Slow-Cooker Cheddar Soup
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cheddar Soup
This soup is literally liquid gold. There's no need to add broccoli because it's hearty enough to stand on its own. Pair it with a pretzel bowl for a delicious vessel that only makes sense paired with cheese.
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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Recipe: Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
You still get all your classic flavor notes in this soup from the torn chicken, carrots, celery, and warm chicken stock, but things get kicked up a notch with a dash of paprika, heavy cream, and sherry vinegar.
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Cheesy Lasagna Soup
Recipe: Cheesy Lasagna Soup
We've taken everyone's favorite pasta dish and turned it into an even more comforting soup. The wavy-edged lasagna noodles add just the right amount of texture to the cheesy, beefy, tomato sauce broth. Don't skip that dollop of nutmeg spiced ricotta – It slowly melts into the soup for a creamy finish
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Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup
Recipe: Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup
Finally, no more babysitting your onions over the stove for 30 minutes. This slow cooker version is bursting with flavor and requires minimal attention. Serve with another French classic like a Croque Monsieur for warming comfort in every bite.
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Coconut-Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Recipe: Coconut-Curry Butternut Squash Soup
This soup sings with the flavors of coconut curry and the richness of a butternut squash soup. Adding a hint of apple cider vinegar brings that the sweetness of the squash back to the forefront of the dish.
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Instant Pot Creamy Root Vegetable Soup
Recipe: Instant Pot Creamy Root Vegetable Soup
This soup has quickly become a Test Kitchen favorite. The enticing aroma of all the vegetables – carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes – work together to create a wealth of flavor in soup that's versatile enough to be the main course or a starter.
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Creamy Collard Green Soup with Bacony Croutons
Recipe: Creamy Collard Green Soup with Bacony Croutons
Every Southerner knows that collards and bacon were a match made in heaven – but have you ever tried them in a soup? The heavy cream and hot sauce add richness and a touch of spice to a dish that's all-around earthy and good for the soul.
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Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Recipe: Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
An easy shortcut to your favorite soup? Sounds like a win to us.
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Creamy White Bean-and-Chard Soup
Recipe: Creamy White Bean-and-Chard Soup
This soup is a fool-proof way to sneak in some vegetables without your kids even realizing. Chard has a milder flavor than spinach but is still full of nutritional value.
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Acorn Squash Soup
Recipe: Acorn Squash Soup
You'll be roasting, simmering, and pureeing your way to your new favorite fall soup with this recipe. Our Test Kitchen professionals suggest topping this soup with crispy pancetta, fried scallions, toasted hazelnuts, hot sauce, or cinnamon for even more flavor.
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Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
So maybe Grandma's original recipe didn't include an Instant Pot, but we've revived a classic tortilla soup recipe with the convenience of hands-off cooking in a modern kitchen gadget.
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Broccoli-Spinach Soup with Parmesan Croutons
Recipe: Broccoli-Spinach Soup with Parmesan Croutons
The secret to keeping a vibrant green color in your soup is to cool down the vegetables with cold water right after blanching them.
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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Recipe: Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
You could use a rotisserie chicken in this soup to make the prep time even shorter. A warm heaping bowl of this soup is just what the doctor ordered for cold winter nights.
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Slow-Cooker Chipotle Tomato Soup
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chipotle Tomato Soup
Is there really anything better than tomato soup and a grilled cheese on a cold night? We know Southerners don't mind a little heat in their food, so we think chipotle makes a delicious addition to a classic tomato soup recipe.
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Slow-Cooker Peas-and-Greens Soup with Turkey Sausage
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Peas-and-Greens Soup with Turkey Sausage
Pro Tip: Add the tomatoes and kale at the very end to ensure the peas cook to a tender consistency and to keep the kale from over-wilting.
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Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Bacon
Recipe: Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Bacon
One taste of this cauliflower soup and you'll never go back to using heavy cream again. Substituting a potato for the half-and-half gives this soup a creamy and velvety texture.
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Cheeseburger Soup
Recipe: Cheeseburger Soup
This soup is ready in just 30 minutes and doesn't even require you to fire up the grill. Kids will love this fun take on their favorite fast-food meal, and you'll love how simple it is to whip up.
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Instant Pot Black-eyed Pea Soup
Recipe: Instant Pot Black-eyed Pea Soup
Start your New Year's luck early with a comforting bowl of black-eyed pea soup.
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Instant Pot Potato Soup
Recipe: Instant Pot Potato Soup
Your guests will be astonished when they learn that this potato soup is ready in less than an hour thanks to your trusty Instant Pot.
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Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Fresh baked biscuits are essential when you're serving up this twist on chicken pot pie.
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Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Recipe: Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
This soup recipe could also be called a One-Pot Vegetable Soup because your Instant Pot does all the work for you.
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Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
Recipe: Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
What more could you need in the categories of comforting and filling soup recipes? Grandma knows that a soup doesn't have to be complicated to be a winner.
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Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup
This soup is brothy like a stew making it perfect for those colder football game days. You could even set up a whole toppings bar with avocado, cheese, and tortilla chips.
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Busy Day Soup
Recipe: Busy Day Soup
We took some creative liberties with this soup so there's practically no hands-on time required for making this delicious recipe
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Charleston Oyster Soup
Recipe: Charleston Oyster Soup
Ready in just 15 minutes, this soup will have you thinking you've stepped foot on South Carolina's coast.
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Ground Beef Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi
Recipe: Ground Beef Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi
This soup is about as customizable as they come. Add more veggies if you want or throw in some store-bought gnocchi for even more flavor.
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Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
Recipe: Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
Grandma didn't want to share this recipe because secretly she thought it was better than some of her best hearty meat soup recipes.
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Cheesy Potato Soup with Bacon
Recipe: Cheesy Potato Soup with Bacon
This recipe checks all our soup-loving boxes: feeds a crowd, freezes well, and requires only a Dutch oven. Sounds like a winner dinner to us.
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Split Pea Soup with Sausage
Recipe: Split Pea Soup with Sausage
Conecuh sausage adds an Alabama twist and extra kick to split pea soup.
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Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
Recipe: Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
There are plenty of shortcuts that you can take in this recipe to have it on the table in no time.
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Easy Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon
Recipe: Easy Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon
Tender sweet potato chunks, smokey bacon, and roasted tomatoes turn up your run-of-the-mill lentil soup.
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Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
Recipe: Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
No Instant Pot? No problem. Just substitute a Dutch oven.
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Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese
Recipe: Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese
Thanks to the load of cheddar cheese that we pile on this classic tomato soup recipe, you might not even need a sandwich on the side.
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Harvest Beef Soup
Recipe: Harvest Beef Soup
Edamame and kale are colorful additions to this hearty soup recipe, suited for wintertime.
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Vegetable Beef Soup
Recipe: Vegetable Beef Soup
This soup recipe can make the most of that bag of vegetables hiding in your freezer. If you planned ahead last summer, you may even have frozen garden vegetables to showcase in this recipe.
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Beef-and-Orzo Soup
Recipe: Beef-and-Orzo Soup
This is the kind of stick-to-your-bones soup that grandma is always going on and on about. A piece of crusty bread is just the right companion to sop up all the broth.
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Butternut Squash-Parsnip Soup
Recipe: Butternut Squash-Parsnip Soup
You'd probably never guess that there's Granny Smith apples in this recipe. Grandma's secret ingredient for just a touch of bitter sweetness.
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King Ranch Chicken Soup
Recipe: King Ranch Chicken Soup
Add a little Tex-Mex to your menu with this chicken soup recipe. It's all your favorite flavors combined into one ready-in-35-minutes soup.
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Italian-Style Turkey Meatball Soup
Recipe: Italian-Style Turkey Meatball Soup
You may not be celebrating a wedding, but this Italian wedding soup is a sure cause for celebration any time.
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Tortilla Turkey Soup
Recipe: Tortilla Turkey Soup
This is the ideal day-after-Christmas meal because you won't even realize that it's the same turkey in this soup as the one that sat on your dinner tables the day before.
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Fiesta Turkey Soup with Green Chile Biscuits
Recipe: Fiesta Turkey Soup with Green Chile Biscuits
Make the switch from your typical savory holiday dishes with this spicy soup that's just as indulgent.
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Lemongrass-Turkey Soup
Recipe: Lemongrass-Turkey Soup
This fragrant soup is just the sort of thing you'll crave after a decadent holiday feast.
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Chicken-and-Prosciutto Tortellini Soup
Recipe: Chicken-and-Prosciutto Tortellini Soup
Any flavor tortellini will work well in this soup that's ready in just 20 minutes. That's the kind of post-holiday meal we're after.
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Pumpkin Beer-Cheese Soup
Recipe: Pumpkin Beer-Cheese Soup
The name of this soup may lead you to believe that it's only suited for the fall but we think pumpkin is a welcome flavor in the winter too.
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Hoppin' John Soup
Recipe: Hoppin' John Soup
There are many delicious ways to start your new year on the right foot, but this comforting soup is one of our favorites.
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Smoky White Bean Soup
Recipe: Smoky White Bean Soup
This soup is ready in less than half an hour and requires only one dish.
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Cheesy Grits-and-Ale Soup
Recipe: Cheesy Grits-and-Ale Soup
Stone-ground grits give great texture for this recipe that's a twist on your typical beer cheese soup. Prepare it while the kids are finishing their schoolwork and avoid the inevitable "When's dinner going to be ready?" questions.
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Southern Wedding Soup
Recipe: Southern Wedding Soup
Consider this a Southern version of the classic Italian-American soup.
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Creamy Potato-and-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup
Recipe: Creamy Potato-and-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup
Pop all the ingredients for this soup into your slow cooker and let it do the work for you. Every bite will burst with smokey flavor that will make you want to lick your bowl clean.
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White Bean, Fennel, and Italian Sausage Soup with Parmesan Toast
Recipe: White Bean, Fennel, and Italian Sausage Soup with Parmesan Toast
You might as well meal prep this soup because the whole family will be asking for second and third helpings. Don't forget the toast for sopping up all the broth.
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Roasted Tomato-Eggplant Soup with Garlic Croutons
Recipe: Roasted Tomato-Eggplant Soup with Garlic Croutons
This soup is the ultimate way to sneak more vegetables into your kid's diet without them ever realizing. Along with the tomatoes and eggplant, this soup is also packed with caramelized onions and carrots for a touch of sweetness.
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Pecan Soup
Recipe: Pecan Soup
You knew that the pecan was a star dessert ingredient, but had you ever considered its potential as a savory soup?
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Smoked Chicken-Banana Pepper Soup
Recipe: Smoked Chicken-Banana Pepper Soup
Who would have thought that banana peppers were good on other things beside your sandwiches and pizza slices? Chicken, crispy bacon, and fluffy rice meet tangy banana peppers and other vegetables in this riff on classic chicken soup.
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Chicken-and-Rice Soup with Mushrooms
Recipe: Chicken-and-Rice Soup with Mushrooms
The most hands-on prep that you'll do with this soup is making sure the wild rice cooks. After your rice is cooked, simply pop all the ingredients in the slow cooker and enjoy the aromas before it's time to dig in.
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Tortellini, White Bean, and Turnip Greens Soup
Recipe: Tortellini, White Bean, and Turnip Greens Soup
You might be shocked to see six cups of chopped turnip greens on this ingredient list, but they're just like spinach and wilt to practically nothing after being added to the soup.
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Sweet Potato Soup
Recipe: Sweet Potato Soup
This is the kind of freezer-ready soup that we crave on cold winter nights. Make sure to toast extra pecans so you have additional toppings for your leftovers and even future salads.
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Navy Bean and Ham Soup
Recipe: Navy Bean and Ham Soup
You should have known that almost half of Grandma's recipes could be made in a slow cooker. We're all about working smarter not harder in the kitchen.
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Green Chile-Turkey Soup with Hominy
Recipe: Green Chile-Turkey Soup with Hominy
Don't let that leftover holiday turkey get thrown into another uninspired turkey sandwich. Switch up your post-holiday menu with a Tex-Mex night complete with chips, salsa, and a spicy soup to boot.
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Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup
Recipe: Gumbo-Style Turkey Soup
We've never met a gumbo that we didn't like, and this turkey version is no exception.
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Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
Recipe: Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
Some traditionalists may argue that we're a few months early on our celebratory corned beef and cabbage, but we think this is the ideal soup to warm you right to your bones on an especially cold night.
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Italian-Style Beef-and-Pepperoni Soup
Recipe: Italian-Style Beef-and-Pepperoni Soup
This soup is a meat-on-pizza lover's dream.
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Capitol Hill Bean Soup
Recipe: Capitol Hill Bean Soup
You know how Grandma is with her connections. This soup has been a popular dish in the Senate's restaurant since 1903.