Recipe Roundup: Homemade Soups

This Roundup of Homemade soups starts in the dead of winter. Many gluten free cooks lean into cooking with real food at the same time they're learning to read labels. Who knew all those ingredients were in our food! If you're interested check out my Year of Soup and pick one to make this month, no matter when you're reading.

this gluten free recipe

With a list of homemade soups you automatically have some variety built into your regular meal rotation. Mix it up, try new ones and keep working on your list. Mine is handwritten on a recipe card and taped to the inside of a cupboard door in my kitchen.

A Year of Homemade Soups

• January - Leftover Turkey Soup 
• February - Leek and Split Pea Soup with Pistou Sauce
• March - Lentil Red Pepper Soup
• April - French Onion Soup
• May - Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Soup
• June - Noodle Soup with Peanut Sauce
• July - Farm To Table Gazpacho
• August - Roasted Tomato Soup
• September - Green Bean Soup with Cilantro
• October - Butternut Squash Soup
• November - Thai Spicy Shrimp Soup
• December - Italian Fish and Shellfish Soup

Is Soup Stock Gluten Free?

No, many soup stocks and broths, whether liquid or dried, have gluten containing ingredients. You'll need to 'read labels like a celiac' to find the gluten free options wherever you shop.

Not every soup recipe uses stock but many do and some brands of store bought stock have a significant amount of salt. Follow these three tips for making delicious homemade soup every time.

1. Check the label on store bought stock or broth every time. (It's easy to grab the wrong one.)
2. Pay attention to salt in each ingredient (canned tomatoes, chickpeas etc).
3. Taste your soup near the end of the cooking time. Adjust the seasoning before you serve it.

Hearty Homemade Soups for Winter

If you need to add more lentils and split peas to your gluten free diet here are two delicious soups to try. It's always easier than you think to use unfamiliar ingredients. The best way to incorporate them into your diet is to find and save tried-and-true recipes that you look forward to making year after year.

This strategy just makes life in the kitchen more enjoyable.

1

Leek and Split Pea Soup with Pistou

The Mediterranean flavours come through in every bite but the pistou sauce is what takes this soup to the next level. It's perfect for a cold winter night and can be a meal with warm biscuits or dinner buns, pick your favourite.

Check out this recipe

Lentil and Red Pepper Soup

You don't need to soak the lentils to make this hearty, high-fibre soup. Smart cooks make Tandoori Chicken earlier in the week and serve some leftover meat on top. Yogurt and fresh cilantro brings a refreshing, bright taste to every bite.

Check out this recipe

Leftover Turkey Soup

For anyone who still has turkey in the freezer, or even the carcass from your Christmas bird, it's time to turn that into soup!

French Onion Soup

A winter classic, French Onion Soup is easy to make and brings back memories of a time when it was popular. Who doesn't love that gooey cheese on top?

Gluten free bread is not inexpensive so be sure to save the edges you cut off. I keep mine in a container in the freezer and pull it out every once in awhile to make breadcrumbs.

Easy Gluten Free Noodle Soups

If you're trying to get away from instant noodles try these. They're my two "go-to" noodle soups both loaded with flavour yet very different from each other.

Gluten Free Noodle Soup with Peanut Sauce

This is my version of instant noodle soup. When I have black bean sauce in the fridge it's pretty easy. I've been making this version of Chinese Dan Dan Noodles for more than 20 years and the more times you make it the easier it feels.

Check out this recipe

Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Soup

This feels like a spring soup but I make it throughout the year when I'm looking for those fresh flavours of Vietnamese cuisine.

Check out this recipe

Farm-To-Table Soups For Summer 

If you're a lover of homemade soup then you've got to have some summer favourites on your list.

For the hottest summer days when you'd rather chop than cook, Farm to Table Gazpacho is the answer. As soon as the cooler evenings come in September I've got this Green Bean Soup on my list to make next.

I typically grow some variety of small tomatoes for eating out of hand, putting in salads and making Bocconcini Cherry Tomato Skewers. But my sister grows tomatoes. Lots of them!

Favourite Homemade Soups for Fall

When she starts sending me pictures of all the varieties of garden tomatoes I know we'll be making this Roasted Tomato Soup soon. I always have fun making different patterns on top of the soup because at my house you can play with your food!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Making Roasted Tomato Soup has become a fall ritual. The bounty of the garden provides the inspiration and my sister grows the tomatoes.

Check out this recipe

Butternut Squash Soup with Poblano Chiles

This soup has a southwestern flare with cumin and poblano chiles. Skip the poblano chiles if you must but they're in season when butternut squash is and they add some zip. This recipe is perfect for serving soup shooters at a fancy party.

Check out this recipe

2

Thai Spicy Shrimp Soup

This simple soup is starts with water and the shells of the shrimp, add a few Thai ingredients and it is transformed into Thailands' famous Tom Yum soup. It's perfect for easy entertaining.

Check out this recipe

3

Italian Fish and Shellfish Soup

This soup is fun for a casual get together with friends. Serve it as the main course with homemade gluten free crostini and a simple green salad. Don't forget the wine!

Check out this recipe

Soup Making Tools

You don’t need the most expensive set of pots available but buy what you like because it will likely last for decades.

For the everyday home cook like me the largest pot in a typical set of pots is perfect for making soup. Recipes sometimes refer to a Dutch oven or soup pot but you don't need either.

A modern Dutch oven is the gorgeous Le Creuset enamelled cast iron pot some people dream of owning while others have one but can hardly lift it. They're heavy and expensive and will last a lifetime.

For a fraction of the cost you can buy a lesser quality enamelled cast iron Dutch oven and I’m pretty sure it would last half a lifetime.

A real soup pot, also called a stockpot, is extra large. They're ideal for salsa-making parties, a summer lobster boil, annual jam making event or to hold a turkey carcass. It's nice to have but takes up space so if you don't do any of those things you don't need one.

That's the end of my Year of Soup and we're back to winter. Start at the top and keep working on your list of 12 favourite soups to make year after year.