Do you love soup? I do! There are as many ways to make soups as there are people making soup! I love making scrumptious soups + herbs add so much to these delicious nutritious meals, with unlimited variations possible!

I have a template for the quick cooking soups which are my "go to" on a weeknight or.. who am I kidding? As a busy woman, who loves to cook, sometimes I pull out the Instant Pot to make a complete soup in less than an hour! Stovetop or Crockpot, Instant Pot or Slow cooker are all useful kitchen tools

What's your favourite scrumptious soup?

This is one of mine:

Scrumptious soups + herbs

It's easy to make a creamy flavourful soup from almost any vegetable, pair it with healing herbs for specific results, always nutritive and good for us too. Many of you may be expert cooks and very experienced culinary soup peeps, but I have had several friends ask me for a quick play by play recipe and so I'm sharing this template for SCRUMPTIOUS SOUP 101.
Traditional puréed soup recipes often include butter, whole milk or heavy cream, but you won’t find any of those ingredients in my blended soup recipe. Blended vegetables create a smooth, velvety texture + each soup pot becomes an adventure with the addition of a parade of aromatic herbs, spices, citrus, or other aromatizing ingredient!

Of course, this is just one simple way to make soup. My way.... or at least it's my own "quick go to way!"
I hope those who are novice soup makers will find this helpful and realize that after a time or two, they will find it possible to change up the ingredients and make substitutions and well on their way to Super-Soup-Stories!
There are as many ways to make soup... as there are cooks in the kitchen!

Scrumptious Soup Recipe Template 101 - Stovetop Version

Delicious DIY soups are easy to make. This is my template for a simple robust veggie soup. We can start with basic ingredients + make substitutions as we experiment. The sky's the limit.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon Olive oil or another good oil such as avocado or coconut
2 medium Onions chopped
1-8 cloves Garlic experiment! minced
2-4 stalks Celery chopped
4-6 cups Broth veggie, bone, chicken (best quality possible)
'main' vegetable *** example below:
1 whole cauliflower OR
1 bunch broccoli OR
4-6 cups veggies eg. Squash, Potato, Leeks, chopped
1 cup supporting vegetables (if using)+++
aromatic herbs dried
aromatic additions
aromatic herbs fresh

Instructions

Add olive oil to a large stainless steel (or other non-reactive) pot on the stove on medium heat.
Add onions to the pot when the oil is hot, and stir often for 4-5 minutes.
Add the celery, mix into the onions and stir occasionally for another few minutes.
Add ½ the garlic, and lower the heat a little.
Add the broth and combine with a quick stir
Add the main veggie to the pot, turn down the heat to simmer and add the lid to the pot.
Add some aromatic herbs if desired, now, or wait until later. Some folks like to season all the way along. ^^
After 15 minutes, remove the lid and use a fork to test the veggie for done-ness.
If the fork slides in/out easily, leave the lid off the pot and turn off the heat.
Remove the pot from the hot burner and use a hand-held (immersion)blender
to puree the contents of the pot. (if no immersion blender, see below)
After the soup has reached your desired consistency, (i.e. totally smooth or slightly chunky, your choice)
add the remaining garlic and your chosen aromatic herbs, other aromatic ingredients plus
sea salt/black pepper to taste. Just add a little at a time as we can adjust the salt level later.
The 'seasoning' step can be as simple as S & P with a smidge or two of hot pepper flakes or your favourite herb blend (e.g. Italian herbs, French "herbes de provence", curry powder etc) or more complex.
Place soup pot back on the heat and allow to simmer for another 10-20 minutes. This allows for these latest additions to mellow into the veggies. Taste again and adjust.

Recipe Notes

Sometimes, you may proclaim a deliciousness achieved right at this point, and other days, it may feel like 'mmm there's something missing'..
When this happens, depending upon the soup I am making, I may add juice of ½ lemon and then toss the lemon into the pot too. Coconut aminos or tamari can add some 'umami' to the mixture. I will share a list of these flavour option 'heroes' at the end.

+++ Sometimes supportive or complementary veggies can be added to help create a thicker soup if desired. I rarely feel the need to do this but I am wanting to share ideas in case a thickener is needed. Add sweet potato or a regular 'tater' to the soup pot and these starchy veggies can make a difference. No need for cream or other dairy ingredient unless you want to add. There's something to be said for cream in a soup. I rarely use dairy in my soups but there are wonderful classic soups which do indeed include dairy.

***Carrots * Cauliflower * Broccoli * Potato * Parsnips * Leeks * Yams * Squash etc!

^^ Seasoning (i.e. herbs or other aromatic ingredients) can be done throughout the entire process, typically a partial addition of dried herbs or herb blends before leaving the veggies to simmer and then the remainder after blending when adding the remaining garlic cloves. Fresh herbs are best added towards the end or actually stirred in just prior to serving to retain best flavour + healing properties. Don't forget to taste for salt and don't be afraid to use good salt to season. Note: It's good to know that often, a soup will continue to evolve and often tastes better the day after it's made. You can add but you can't remove... so experiment with amounts of salt + other flavour enhancements.

HERBS AND SPICES to use in Scrumptious Soups:

These are NOT all but definitely the ones that I have in my kitchen and many in my gardens. I hope you'll play with these and find your own additions and favourites!

Allspice
Bay
Basil
Caraway
Celery seed
Chives
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coriander (+ Cilantro)
Curry
Dill
Fennel
Galangal (related to Ginger)

Ginger
Lovage
Marjoram
Nutmeg
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Saffron
Sage
Savory (Savoury, winter, summer)
Tarragon
Thyme
Turmeric

ALL of these herbs have many healing properties. They are all ANTI-Inflammatory herbs, which gives them an overall benefit for you!
This post offers more information and good reasons to add these herbs to your meals!

Classic herbs and some soup ideas:

Allspice – Asparagus, green pea, tomato
Bay Leaves– Bouillabaisse,* fish chowders, vegetable, potato and tomato
Basil – Any soup with tomatoes (think gazpacho as a cold option)
Caraway Seeds – Beet (Borscht), clam chowder, mixed vegetable
Celery Seeds – Celery, tomato, bean, potato, fish chowder
Cloves – Beef, bean, tomato, pea
Dill – Beet (Borscht) beans, split pea soup, tomato, chicken or turkey
Ginger – Bean soups, onion, potato, squash, sweet potato
Horseradish - (fresh or jar)
Lovage -- potato, leek, pea soup
Margoram – Clam chowder, onion soup
Nutmeg- Squash, Potato
Oregano – Bean, tomato, lentil, spinach and mixed veggies
Rosemary – Chicken, chowders, lentil, split pea, spinach
Saffron – Bouillabaisse,* chicken, lobster bisque and turkey
Sage – Asparagus, corn chowders, chicken, fish chowders, turkey
Tarragon – Bean, chicken, mushroom, pea, seafood chowders, tomato
Thyme - Mushroom soup, tomato, Squash

*Recipes for bouillabaisse vary but essentially this classic soup includes fish and shellfish, bay leaf, garlic, olive oil, onions, tomatoes, parsley, saffron, fennel, thyme, and orange peel.

Some of my favourite herb combos or blends:

Garlic with any other herb!

Garlic
Parsley
Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Hot pepper flakes

Ginger
Rosemary
Sage

Garlic
Ginger
Curry (sweet, mild)

Garlic
Smoked Paprika
Chili flakes
Chipotle pepper, ground

Cumin
Coriander
Chili powder
(chilis in adobe sauce + lime)

LEMONY Herbs:

Lemon thyme or other lemony herbs or lemon herb-infused vinegars like these here, can be a uplifting tastes to play with.
Also Sumac, wild, dried, powdered has a 'lemony' taste! Here's an article the benefits of wild sumac!

Scrumptious Soups + Herbs + some Aromatic Additions

Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Citrus Juice - lemon, lime, orange etc.
Citrus rind/peels
Coconut Aminos
Dijon mustard or your favourite
Horseradish (fresh or jar)
HOT sauces -- unlimited combinations possible
Miso
Pesto, Herb Pastes
Tamari (fermented soy, look for good quality)

I've written about some of my favourite soups over the years. I hope you'll check out these recipes in your own home!
Carrot Ginger Soup with a twist -- > here

Golden Goddess Sunshine Soup --> here

There are unlimited ideas for this post. I know that I got carried away but I am hopeful that you will take away some new ideas for you and your own kitchen. Here's to our health, finding new ways to nourish ourselves in every way.

Carol xo
This post is dedicated to all who are willing to experiment ~~herbs can help!