Our Top 10 Favorite Ina Garten Soup Recipes (2024)

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Lauren Masur

Lauren Masur

Lauren was the Groceries Editor for Kitchn.

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published Feb 13, 2019

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Our Top 10 Favorite Ina Garten Soup Recipes (1)

Name something better than a one-pot meal, that feeds a crowd, warms your soul, requires minimal dish washing, and just so happens to have been prepared by Ina Garten. I’ll wait. You can’t think of anything? Me neither! This is why we put our heads together with Ina’s biggest fan (Trent Pheifer from @StoreBoughtIsFine) and whipped up a list of our favorite soup recipes from the master herself.

Here’s what Trent has to say about Ina’s soups:

“Ina has nearly 50 soup recipes, I’ve made all but six, and there are few if any misses. She’s known for her perfect roast chicken, but she also makes a pretty mean and soul-satisfying soup. Her varied options are perfect for any season or occasion, whether it’s her refreshing summertime gazpacho or her hearty minestrone to keep you warm in the depths of winter.”

And now, without further ado, the top-ten best cozy, soul-warming, tastebud-delighting soups from the Ina archives.

1. Wild Mushroom and Farro Soup

Ina loves to serve a soup as a first course, (bonus points if you make it ahead). She loads this creamy mushroom soup with lots of vegetables, diced pancetta, a scoop of créme fraîche, and a glug of Marsala wine to finish it off. It’s best served with a slice of crusty bread.

Keep this recipe from Barefoot Contessa At Home in your back pocket at all times. Topped with avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, and crispy tortilla strips, this soup brings the heat.

I know we say that a lot of Ina recipes are ingenious around here (and they are!), but this tomato and eggplant soup recipe is actually ingenious. Ina makes a big batch of this soup to enjoy one day, and then uses the leftovers as the sauce for her Baked Pasta with Tomatoes and Eggplant. She calls it a two-fer!

As Ina would say, this is classic French onion soup “with the volume turned up!” Please sign us up for a bowl of this topped with bubbly Gruyère (obvi) and toasted sourdough. According to Trent, “this soup is even better the second day!”

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Somehow only Ina can make something as simple as grilled cheese with tomato soup look and taste utterly gourmet. Not only will your kids love it, but so will you.

Punxsutawney Phil might have predicted an early spring this year, but we’re okay with a long winter if it means we can eat Ina’s winter minestrone on repeat. “It warms my entire body. This soup is my happy place,” Trent says.

When we’re craving the flavors of fall (and have a giant butternut squash we don’t know what to do with), a go-to is a big bowl of this hearty, puréed soup. Trent has opinions about this one: “Trust Ina and get a food mill when it comes to purée. It provides the perfect texture so you don’t feel like you’re eating watery baby food.”

Scoff as you may at Ina’s use of the word “easy,” but she’s not wrong, especially when it comes to gazpacho. This chilled soup with tomatoes, scallions, cucumber, onion and garlic comes together in the food processor. Toasty croutons spread with goat cheese (or in @StoreBoughtIsFine‘s case, Parmesan) are highly recommended. This was one of the first Ina soups that Trent ever made. “It’s still a summer favorite especially when it’s too hot to turn on the oven. It also satisfies my life-long desire to drink salsa straight from the bowl,” he says.

Mark our words, this is all you’re ever going to want to eat on sick days from now on (and also all other days). If you’ve never made matzo balls from scratch before, Ina will walk you through the process and have you feeling like a pro. According to Trent, don’t skip out on making homemade stock. “For most of Ina’s recipes, you can swap in store-bought chicken stock, but the exceptions are her soups where broth is the star. If you don’t want to use three whole chickens (or don’t have a cauldron to accommodate said chickens, the recipe can easily be cut by two thirds.”

To make this cheddar corn chowder even more decadent, garnish it with crispy bacon bits. You will thank Ina later.

What’s your favorite Ina Garten soup recipe?

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Our Top 10 Favorite Ina Garten Soup Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Our Top 10 Favorite Ina Garten Soup Recipes? ›

The one meal Ina simply couldn't live without is roast chicken. She even cites it as one of the reasons her husband, Jeffrey, proposed marriage in 1968.

What is Ina Garten's favorite meal? ›

The one meal Ina simply couldn't live without is roast chicken. She even cites it as one of the reasons her husband, Jeffrey, proposed marriage in 1968.

What is the key to flavorful soup? ›

All soups and stews must have three major components in order to be tasty: an undercurrent liquid, aromatics, and volumizing ingredients.

How does Martha Stewart make vegetable soup? ›

directions
  1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, 1 minute.
  2. Add tomatoes with juice and 2 cups water; bring to a boil.
  3. Add pasta and boil 5 minutes; stir in cauliflower, zucchini, and thyme.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.

What brand of mayonnaise does Ina Garten use? ›

Hellmann's Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise makes any sandwich better, and this classic brand is Garten's go-to choice (Hellmann's was also Julia Child's pick).

What does Ina Garten eat every day? ›

Her eating, she says, is “pretty orderly, actually”: “I pretty much have toast and coffee for breakfast;” tea every day at 10:30 a.m. — not a minute earlier or later; soup for lunch (Italian wedding soup, on the day of the recording); and for dinner, she and her husband, Jeffrey, go out with friends or order in.

What is the best soup to eat everyday? ›

6 delicious and healthy soups
  • Chicken Vietnamese Pho.
  • Green spring minestrone.
  • Herb and yoghurt-based soup.
  • Lamb shank and barley soup.
  • Pumpkin soup with star croutons.
  • Lentil and vegetable soup with crusty bread.
Apr 26, 2020

What is Queen Elizabeth's favorite soup? ›

Queen Elizabeth also had a favorite soup… Callaloo…a Carribean soup with callaloo leaves.

What not to put in soup? ›

The Worst Things to Put in Your Soup
  1. By Sara Butler. If there's one good thing about fall and winter, it's soup. ...
  2. Heavy Cream. Heavy cream creates an inviting texture for soups but that's where its positive contributions end. ...
  3. Juice. ...
  4. Turkey Bacon. ...
  5. Cheese. ...
  6. Croutons.

What is the secret ingredient in soup? ›

It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

Why do you put vinegar in vegetable soup? ›

Vinegar is the key ingredient that helps pull nutrients out of the vegetables and into the broth, so don't forget it! The peels and ends of garlic and onions are a great way to add flavor. If you want to build the body of your broth, try adding chopped potatoes or yams (leave the skins on for added nutrients).

What is the best thickener for vegetable soup? ›

Soup Thickening Method: Cornstarch Slurry

About this method: One of the most common ways to thicken sauces and soups is with a starch-based slurry, and cornstarch is a popular choice. Cornstarch is flavorless, easy to mix up, and versatile, which makes it a go-to pantry ingredient.

What gives vegetable soup that depth of flavor? ›

Tips for Flavorful Vegetable Soup

Flavor the base: We add Italian seasoning and tomato paste to the aromatics and warm them up to bring the seasonings back to life. You could use fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary, or even add a Parmesan rind for more flavor.

What is Julia Child's favorite meal? ›

Vichyssoise. Well-known as one of Julia Child's favorite dishes, this chilled leek and potato soup is startling in its simplicity. Aside from the leek, potato, and water, Child's version of the soup calls for barely any additional ingredients.

What brand of dishes does Ina Garten use? ›

If you're looking for a Barefoot Contessa-approved set, check out the Maison pattern from Crate and Barrel, a mainstay Ina has said she owns over the years. Another, pricier option is the White Dinnerware set from Pillivuyt, a French brand Ina recommends for serving ware as well.

Does Ina Garten eat fast food? ›

Garten visits In-N-Out Burger whenever she's in California

The veteran cookbook writer avoids fast food (though she enjoys Shake Shack's fried chicken sandwiches on occasion).

What food scale does Ina Garten use? ›

Oxo Good Grips Food Scale

Ina uses this Oxo food scale to keep everything precise — and delicious.

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